The power of Tailenders - A Brazilian in Newlands
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“The power of the #tailenders spirit
Dear Jimmy, G-Force, Sharkey, Mattchin and Felix,
Thank you so much for this podcast. I’m not sure if the following tale is worthy of a ‘go well’ or GCC (with a twist).
I’m a British man living in Brazil.
As a formerly obsessive cricket fan, and equally obsessive (though distinctly unremarkable) amateur player in the UK, I moved here in 2014. I love my adopted country more than I can say, but the biggest challenge and source of homesickness here has always been the lack of easy access to cricket and cricket lovers.
I met my Brazilian girlfriend and love of my life, Dani, four years ago and over time, have been slowly trying to convince her, in a country where it’s hard to compete with football, that cricket is in fact not a sport…but an art!
My hopes weren’t high. However, over time, things have borne fruit. Having started with her enduring days of me watching the cricket alone muttering, she started steadily to gain interest and join me on the couch, culminating (thanks 2019!) in us watching the world cup final and Headingly Climax together, both of us in agony followed by ecstasy.
A few months ago, I even managed to convince her to come to with me to Rio (6 hours drive away!) to watch me play, very badly, in a two day cricket tournament. I thought we’d reached the peak.
The triumph came, however, this week at Newlands.
To explain, Dani is a successful headmistress of a school here in Brazil, but is such a wonderful person that she travels to do volunteer work for disadvantaged kids in other schools all around the world. This month, she was volunteering in a school near Cape Town and, for three weeks, I have been missing her very much from afar..
Learning from the locals that there was due to be ODI nearby, and fuelled by a half forgotten comment from me that a dream of mine was to watch a game at Newlands one day, unbeknownst to me, she decided to get herself a ticket.
On an otherwise dull day, I was missing her and listening to the game on the radio at work when I suddenly got a message asking me what I thought of England being 4 down for so few (not at all typical), followed by a series of photos and videos of the game, clearly taken from the stadium.
Stunned, I was deeply touched to learn she’d gone there to share so she could share experience with me.
Being a realist though, I didn’t expect Dani, being a Brazilian at their first cricket match, to last the whole day.
I told her it was the most beautiful ground in the world but not to stay on my account.
I thought the view of Table Mountain and an hour or two might be enough for someone wo didn’t even know cricket existed a year or two ago.
Imagine my joy to discover that not only did she stayed for the full game but, during play, learned some of the other true joys of a day at the cricket….a fact I gleaned in a single message from her (she doesn’t drink) reading:
“Feed the snake! Feed the snake! Feed the snake!”.
Initially bemused, a quick glance at the next picture message revealed a truly stupendous beer snake from the England fans, sat right in front of her (pleasingly confirmed seconds after by the radio commentary team).
Being one the last people (and surely the only Brazilian!) to leave the stadium, I was amazed to hear how touched Dani had been by the kind and warm reception from both the English and South African fans, who’d been incredibly welcoming and keen to make friends, helping to explain exactly what was happening at each moment of the game.
Sat on the other side of the world, I could hear the sounds of Country Roads and the Macarena beaming through my radio, shortly followed by whatsapp audios from Dani and her new friends singing the same songs.
It reminded me what a wonderful, welcoming, barrier-breaking and beautiful game cricket truly is.
I said this was a GCS story…but to be honest, the only sadness was bittersweet in that I wasn’t there with her. But I didn’t need to be. The cricket community, and doubtless thousands of tailenders were #tailendersoftheworlduniteandtakeover
Thank you cricket
Super go well!
Al”
Al from Brazil via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
02/05/20
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“Jimmy ‘singing’ “Young, dumb and broke” in his accent has to be a highlight for me, along with Felix’s flamenco and the longest cricketing movie pun for “10 Things I Hate About You” (not repeated here for conciseness). But surely the next step has to be inviting Mattchin (?and Uncle Sach) into...”Read full review »
FionaP via Apple Podcasts ·
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“Great cricket chat for an Englishman in Australia. Can’t wait for the next one!”
Brisbane Canary via Apple Podcasts ·
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