Rising High: Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s St George's Park legacy

"Sunrisers jou lekker ding!"

This is the chant that has reverberated through St George's Park over the past three Betway SA20 seasons.

Loosely translated, it means “Sunrisers, you good thing” and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and St George’s Park have certainly been a good fit, serving up some memorable nights in South Africa’s premier domestic T20 cricket competition.

For a month each year, St George’s Park transforms into a jubilant carnival of cricket, satisfying Gqeberha's unquenchable thirst for high-quality cricket and providing the Eastern Cape with a team that its people can take immense pride in.

Coach Adrian Birrell is a son of the Eastern Cape soil and has surrounded himself with fellow local-born coaches including Baakier Abrahams and Russell Domingo among his support staff.

It is this Ubuntu spirit that has been the foundation of Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s success, which has yielded back-to-back Betway SA20 Championships along with a runners-up position in Season 3.

Eastern Cape Legend Makhaya Ntini, who played many seasons at St George’s Park, believes much of the Sunrisers’ success has largely stemmed from the energy of their passionate supporters, who are affectionately known as “The Orange Army”, supported by the iconic brass band.

“We all know this is the home of cricket, Gqeberha and the Eastern Cape,” said former Proteas fast bowler Ntini. “This is the place that everybody loves to come to. We've got the Orange Army and an incredible atmosphere that everyone just loves. The crowd is amazing; people of this province love their sport and cricket.”

Ntini believes Birrell’s unique coaching methods have also played a pivotal role in shaping the most successful franchise in the history of Betway SA20.

“Adi makes everyone feel at home. It's almost like a family. He makes people of this region feel like they are important, everyone is part of the team,” he said.

“I think that's one of the things that made them so successful, because if you win one game here, you must know that the next game that you play, everybody will be here. Last year, we didn't start very well but look where we ended, look at the crowds. They never say die. They're forever behind their team.”

The same energy and fanfare of the St George’s Park ‘Orange Army’ could be felt at Greenwood Primary School, which hosted the third leg of the SA20 Schools Tour. Vibrant media personality and Eastern Cape native, Anele Mdoda, got the party started as the learners erupted to the sounds of the Season 4 Anthem, ‘Put your hands up in the air’ by Danzel and danced to the #PutYourHandsUpSA20 Tik Tok challenge. ​

“I had such an amazing time with the children here today, the vibe and excitement we saw today at the school is exactly what the fans will see at St George’s Park this season. The first match is on the 29th of December then New Year’s Eve we are going to be there again, it will be the place to be. We are going to close off our year at St George’s Park!,” Mdoda who is Gqeberha’s 20th player said. ​

At the heart of all the vibes and entertainment of Betway SA20 is the cricket, which Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder, Patrick Kruger, believes has helped to change the mindset of the domestic players for the better.

“You can see in the recent CSA T20 challenge, youngsters are stepping up, they are hungry to make an impression which could lead to a SA20 call up. I think that influence the SA20 has on the players is unbelievable, especially for the domestic players in South Africa.

“The competition opens up doors for player to get a Proteas call-up or put their name on the map. It is a very good platform for domestic cricket, it just gets better every year.”

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape open their Betway SA20 Season 4 campaign away to Paarl Royals at Boland Park on December 27 before Gqeberha greets the two-times champions for the opening home fixture on 29 December against Pretoria Capitals and the New Year’s Eve clash against Paarl Royals.

Betway SA20 will be the place to be this summer with tickets across all six stadiums selling fast. Fans and vibe-seekers are encouraged to secure their front-row seats at www.SA20.co.za or at the stadium ticket office.