As Australia and England get set to battle it out for the Ashes, the Australian High Commission in Kenya and the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) organised a cricket match of their own – right here on the plains of Ol Pejeta. Aimed to raise awareness for Sudan, the #LastMaleStanding, it was only right that the game played was ‘last man standing T20 cricket’. This exciting version of cricket is shorter, and much more spectator friendly, than the traditional form of the game.
“One of the best cricket pitches in the world!”
On the 14th June, teams from the Maasai Cricket Warriors, Obuya Cricket Academy, East Africa Cricket Foundation/Ol Pejeta and BATUK met on the Ngerenyi Plain. With Mt. Kenya as the backdrop and rhino, giraffe, and zebra among the spectators, this was set to be a truly unique day of cricket! One spectator was overheard saying that this had to be one of the best cricket pitches in the world.
The Obuya Academy started off the day’s matches with a win. However, the Maasai Cricket Warriors displayed great energy and greatly improved fielding ability. BATUK were able to get 46 runs in their match against the East Africa Cricket Foundation/Ol Pejeta, but this was not enough to secure a victory and the EACF/Ol Pejeta team took the win. BATUK did go on to beat the Maasai Cricket Warriors, who demonstrated a valiant batting performance coming just 10 runs short of their target.
The finals saw Obuya Cricket Academy take on the EACF/Ol Pejeta team. This was a nail biting match with Ol Pejeta coming just four runs short of a victory over their opponents, who won with 74 runs.
There was strong support from all sides, with the Maasai Cricket Warriors having a particularly energetic cheering team. Ol Pejeta CEO, Mr. Richard Vigne was in attendance along with Ol Pejeta’s Marketing and Tourism Managers. The match also had a strong media presence with international media outlets such as AFP, Reuters, CCTV, ABC covering the event.
After the match, the Maasai Cricket Warrior had a chance to meet Sudan, the #LastMaleStanding in whose honor the match was held.