“We came back on a high despite the losses,” said the captain of the Action Sports Mpumalanga Pumas Over-40 men’s team, Michael Hobkirk (Hobbs).

Although the team lost all nine of their matches during the Inter Provincial Tournament (IPT) Overs competition at the U-Pro Atterbury Action Sports Arena, Hobkirk said the experience was invaluable for the side.

The team had only three practice matches before the tournament, leaving little time to prepare properly.

“Although we knew each other, we had never played together as a team, which made it difficult to establish the right partnerships and place players in the correct positions,” said Hobkirk.

He explained that the team needed more time to build chemistry and gain experience together.

“We competed against professional teams that have been playing together for between five and 15 years. We were inexperienced, but we approached the tournament with a positive learning mindset,” said Hobkirk.

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Despite the results, Hobkirk believes the team showed great potential.

“Considering everything, we have good players and we are looking forward to future tournaments. We learnt a lot about the game itself, how to play it properly and how to build confidence as the foundation of this team,” said Hobkirk.

The tournament was also filled with excitement, team spirit and laughter for the squad.

“We were congratulated on the way we handled everything. We went there to build something, and now we will continue to play and prepare for next year’s tournament because we know what to expect,” said Hobkirk.

“We are just as good as, if not better than, some of those teams. We now have confidence, spirit and a solid foundation to build on.”

Hobkirk added that he is extremely proud of the team, saying the players started as friends and have now become family.

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