Village Cricket

The cricket fields set in an old tree-lined pasture, somewhat reminiscent of the English 'country-side', prompted the idea of playing 'village sport', and subsequently the concept of Village Cricket.

Knysna Village Cricket Festival

The Knysna Village Cricket Festival is the latest addition to our annual program of Sports Festivals and activities, held under the banner of Sport at Backward Point. The chief objective of this new event is to provide cricket for those no longer interested in mainstream club and league activities.

Please Contact Us for further info related to dates, pricing and accommodation.

Knysna Villagers

The Village Cricket concept is aimed at cricketers of all ages. It targets those who wish to play socially and yet with a measure of formality. The various Village Cricket teams play regular weekend games, some league fixtures and host social touring teams.

Participating teams are from the communities of Rheenendal, Sedgefield, Knysna, George, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn and Plettenberg Bay.

Naming the field:

Abbottsfield is named after Robin Abbott, in recognition of his life-time contribution to junior cricket. It was our long-standing association with and our mutual interest in coaching and belief in the traditional values and ethos of playing the game, which prompted us to honour him. An informal ceremony to commemorate the occasion was held on the pitch on Sunday 14 October 2012, the day of our inaugural match.

Support:

A group of cricketing friends have watched with keen interest and provided much encouragement and support over the years. Today they form the backbone of our un-official 'Umpires Association'.

John Knowles:

John is one of that rare breed of individual with an aptitude and love for organizing. He has an impressive general knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, including sport, and he makes for an ideal 'team man'.

He is an avid umpire and keen follower and supporter of our sporting ventures at Sport at Backward Point. A village cricketer in Warwickshire and Cumbria in his younger days, he reckons 'the older he gets, the better he used to be!'

John Humphrey:

John emigrated from England in 2005, and how fortunate we have been that he chose Knysna to make his home. A competent opening bat and wicket-keeper, he played for his last Club in England for 21 consecutive seasons, before retiring just before his 60th birthday.

In 1989 while still actively playing, he applied for, and was granted a place on an official county umpiring course, qualifying the following year. He then gained experience in the lower leagues and was subsequently appointed to the County Premier League in 1994.