How I lost hundreds of thousand of Rand

Unbeknown to me, at that stage, a few seconds were all that stood between me and a wheelbarrow (which is not an exaggeration in my mind) full of money.

Before I knew it, the last delivery of the game was clobbered off the pitch, down the ground, high into the air.

I watched the white speckle against the black sky, making a rapid approach towards me.

It seemed unreal that the piece of leather would find it’s way to me in the crowd.

I stood up, in a daze, and dreamily watched the ball increase in size and proximity to me.

I moved a step to the right, calmly stuck my hand in the air and braced for impact.

Bang.

The white 156g cricket ball bashed into the palm of my right hand, which immediately bobbled on the seats behind me.

I picked myself up from the seats I fell onto, in the process of trying to catch the white rock, after having been pushed to the floor by equally eager cricket fans who also wanted to make the catch.

That split second was all that stood between me and a share of the R1-m which, at that stage, was in the region of R300 000.

The Ram Slam #GetCaughtRedhanded competition is giving away a share of R1-m to people who successfully catch a ball one-handed at a Ram Slam domestic game, around the country.

I do not need to explain that it was not just any catch – it was a life-changing one.

To say I was heartbroken after the ordeal is an understatement; I was in deep depression for having squandered all that money.

I was subjected to ridicule for my poor performance in the field by the raucous crowd.

The abuse was harsh, but all I could wish for was another opportunity to try my hand at the catch.

However, it was not meant to be – that’s how I’m consoling myself.

Thinking about it, the money was never mine.

It would have come in very handy, but I am certain there is someone else out there who needs the money a lot more than me.

I just hope they have better catching skills than I do.