First things first

The very first match of a German cricket team in Australia produced many firsts. First and foremost it was great fun – not only for the visitors, but also for the hosts, Willetton Crows Cricket Club, also known, albeit unbeknown to them, as The Willies. Rob, their president, had assembled a team of enthusiastic league players, young and not so young, who may have turned up on a hot and sunny afternoon with the intention of winning, but left their beautiful ground in the setting sun with the new experience that cricket can be much more than a struggle for victory. Actually, it remains unclear whether the match was drawn or not, but that did not matter to any of the players at the end of the day.

On the day before the match, the Pilgrims had travelled more than 10.000 miles to meet up with their local club members Cam and his brother Stewart, who played his first match for his new club, under the eyes of their parents, honorary members Alan and Anne. They had kindly shuttled copious amounts of free ERDINGER products to the ground and also the new Pilgrims hats in club colours, sponsored by the Pilgrims President. Cam and Stewart also collected the first brothers in arms wicket for their club, caught S. bowled C. Jefferys. This was immediately after Cam became the first Pilgrim to take 50 wickets for the Pilgrims.

It happened shortly after Ankit became the first player of a German team to take a wicket in Australia, with his first ball, expertly caught by the first antipodean Pilgrims substitute Tim, who earned himself a green Pilgrims tour shirt for his valiant efforts whilst playing for Johann, the first injured Pilgrim on the south continent. Had Moritz not been the first German to drop a catch down under, Ankit might have gone on for the first hat-trick. Bipin was the first to take 2 wickets, both at full throttle uprooting stumps, Cam the first to take 3, including the first lbw. Stewart became the first Pilgrim to hold a catch in Australia, and David caught the first ball off his own bowling down under – a feat he enjoyed so much that he gave it a first repetition, holding another catch in between off the bowling of the President.

David was also the first Pilgrim to captain the club in Australia in his first match as a Pilgrims captain, and – almost predictably – he won the first toss down under. Having decided to bat first, he sent in the treasurer and the president to open, Moritz to face the first ball and to retire first, Cam to hit the first runs and then to give away the first Pilgrims wicket, all in order to give everyone a chance to bat in only 21 overs. Mithun was the first to reach 30*, Jasveer the first to score 20 on Australian soil, and David himself hit the first and only boundary six. Bipin and Dev were the first last men standing on 122/3, and after further early retirements Su became the first dnb Pilgrim down under.

Credit goes to Thomas, a Willie who showed he had fully understood the Pilgrims style of cricket. Having been retired on 30*, he returned to the crease as last man to fight out the last 15 balls with only a couple of runs to win. He changed to left handed-batting without pads, refused to run, and called “no” whenever his partner attempted to score. Indeed, this true sportsman seemed a bit disappointed when one of the penultimate balls trundled over the boundary to conclude the innings in the very last over. The Pilgrims gave this first-class performance 10 out of 10 and awarded Thomas a cap as their first man of the match in Australia.

Rob received the treasurer’s latest book, not only for organising this outstanding party at Willeton, but also for umpiring, together with Brent, a Swanbourn stalwart legend who can order a free ERDINGER beer in German. Last but not least, Pilgrims rookie Paul deserves mentioning for becoming the first scorer of a German encounter down under. May the legacy of this game linger on as long as possible – it is unlikely another match in the near future will produce as many firsts.

Heligoland Pilgrims: David (c), Ankit, Bipin, Cam, Devadas, Jasveer, Johann, Mithun, Moritz, Stewart, Su (wk)

Willetton Crows: Ethan (c), Aaron, Alvin (wk), Callus, Deep, Lagu, Mick, Kim, Simon, Tim, Thomas

Scorers: Paul, Nancy

Umpires: Rob, Brent

Report: Max Minor, Cricket Correspondent

Photography: