The best of the school cricket fields

 St Alban's

 Bishops

Michaelhouse

  

 SACS

St Charles

I’ve done this exercise before – I listed my 10 most beautiful schools rugby fields some time last year – and after spending a week at some pretty picturesque ovals in the KZN Midlands at the Khaya Majola Week recently, I thought I’d repeat the exercise for the summer game.

I’m going to take some flak, I know. Some didn’t agree with my rugby choices, so let me admit at the outset that this isn’t a survey. It’s a subjective listing, only of grounds that I have watched cricket at. I know there must be many others just as lovely, or better, I just haven’t been to them is all.

And of course there’s much more to it. Old boys, players and parents will be attached to their particular fields for all sorts of sentimental and emotional reasons that have nothing to do with the views from them, the trees around the boundary or the mountains in the background. That’s completely legitimate.

So, with none of that taken into consideration, here are the schools grounds, in order, that have made an impression on me:

1 Bridge House Franschoek

2 De Villiers Oval, SACS

3 Meadows, Michaelhouse

4 Frank Reid, Bishops

5 Pollock Oval, Grey High School

6 TC Mitchell Oval, St Alban’s College

7 Hart-Davis Oval, Hilton College

8 The Oval, St Charles College

9 Gathorne Oval, Michaelhouse

10 Rondebosch Boys’ High