Cash for catches bonanza
Get ready to ‘Catch Two Million’ as Ram Slam T20 returns
HARD-HATS and safe catching hands will be necessities for fans, with sixes expected to rain down when the Ram Slam T20 Challenge makes its return to a revamped St George’s Park on Friday night.
On the menu for spectators is the opening game of the tournament, which pits local favourites and last season’s finalists the Warriors against the Knights in what promises to be an explosive encounter.
After skipping a season in the wake of a match-fixing scandal that rocked South African domestic cricket, Ram have returned as sponsors and will offer fans a chance to win a share of a significantly bumped up “Catch Two Million” competition, which requires patrons to take a clean, onehanded catch.
The experience will be even more enlightened for St George’s Park fans as Eastern Province Cricket show off their brand-new R27-million LED state-of-the-art floodlights.
The other new addition is the R7-million digital scoreboard, which will not only keep patrons up to date with runs and wickets but will also allow high-quality television replays.
“We are very excited to be hosting the first match of the competition. The new lights will provide us with the opportunity to add to the fan experience at the stadium,” Warriors chief executive Mark Williams said.
“The lights have the capacity to provide theatrics, which we will be showing off at this first match during the supper break.
“Furthermore, our lights are now up to international standard and we have increased the lux from 800 to a minimum of 2 500 lux at centre pitch, 2 000 at inner field and 1 800 lux over the outer field.”
All six of the franchises will be in action at the weekend with the first of three double-headers featuring the Cape Cobras and Dolphins, and defending champions the Titans up against the Highveld Lions at SuperSport Park on Sunday.
“This season’s competition, which will feature all our Proteas, will probably be the most significant since we launched the franchise concept in this format back in 2004,” CSA acting chief executive Thabang Moroe said.
“I don’t think any of us need reminding of the recent feats by the likes of David Miller and AB de Villiers in the international matches against Bangladesh.
“We now have the three quickest centuries in T20 International cricket all having been scored by Proteas in Miller, Richard Levi and Faf du Plessis.”
Ram executive chairman David Lazarus said: “We are excited to revive the Ram Slam and we challenge all South Africans to come and support their team and stand a chance to win a share of R2-million.”
Like before, the competition will be played over two rounds. The only major change is that the tournament will revert to two semifinals rather than the system where first position on the log would secure automatic entry to the final, with second and third playing off for the other slot.
The semifinals are to be played on December 13 and 14, with the final slated for December 16
Tickets for Friday’s match, starting at R10 for all unreserved seats, are available from the St George’s Park ticket office or www.ticketpro.co.za
The Warriors’ fixtures are:
We are very excited to be hosting the first match of the competition