Wednesday/Rāapa
Today we went to see if NZ Black Caps could make the semi finals in the World Cup? and to watch their skills.
We went to the game at The Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, in County Durham by Park and Ride.
National Anthems.
England's two opening batsmen Roy and Bairstow broke all sorts of records. We organised to meet Carol and Nigel at half time. It looked unlikely NZ could successfully chase 305 runs.
NZ after the break were slow to get a partnership going. I remember two for 22 and after that I lost track. We needed something to interrupt the England team horse which had bolted. Then we got another bolt - of nudity, a streaker)! He was hilarious because there was no security for about a minute, and he was able to wander around the pitch and chatted to the Kiwi batsmen. We needed Simon Lawrence and his troops.
Then when they did arrive he had a good side step. He was obviously a rugby player or athlete. He side stepped security half a dozen times.
Just when the security thought they had him he side stepped again.
Finally security got him. It was two or three minutes of great entertainment. I was listening to the radio. He would have to pay 1000 pounds and have that on his record. Was it worth it? The crowd loved the entertainment, and I could not stop laughing.
We heard Pakistan need to win by 300 runs to put the Black Caps out of the semi finals. They will need a few bolting horses in the semis to do what England or Australia did.
We bumped into our Waiheke neighbour. Anna Curry at the cricket. That was miraculous given that there were 20,000 people at the game. She was with her sister Lizzy, Wa and Marie (Anna's mother). I forgot abut my blog and did not get a photo!
That ends our live cricket/kirikiti watching. Let's hope this whakatauki works for the Black Caps - Iti noa ana he pito mata. From a withered tree a flower blooms.
