Ken Borland

In the last week my job as a cricket writer has taken me to Willowmoore Park in Benoni twice, to the Mamelodi Oval once and to the glamour and glitz of the national team’s World Cup send-off at Melrose Arch once.

While the Mamelodi Oval is rapidly becoming one of my favourite grounds – it has a beautiful setting in the Magaliesburg hills, the local community is obviously proud of the ground and facilities have improved with every visit there, I am largely cynical about how much the Melrose Arch razzmatazz will do for our World Cup chances and, frankly, I will be happy if I never have to go back to Willowmoore Park again.

That’s because half the games in Benoni are disrupted by the awful facilities at that ground. On Thursday night, it was embarrassing to see South Africa A and the England Lions tourists have to hang around and wait for over half-an-hour while an electrician was found to get the floodlights working properly.

For the Titans, Willowmoore Park has become an infuriating home ground for them.

Last weekend, a short 20-minute shower nearly led to their Momentum One-Day Cup game being abandoned due to the shocking drainage at the ground, not helped by the ground staff pouring the water that had accumulated on the covers on to an already wet patch.

The potential loss of points would have been critical for the Titans in their efforts to secure a home playoff, while the match being shortened to 20 overs due to the delay was hugely prejudicial to them because it meant the Highveld Lions had all 10 wickets in hand for just a short run-chase.

Fortunately the Lions batsmen were terrible and the Titans still won, but they had a match abandoned, losing all the points, in November due to a sub-standard, dangerous pitch. Several Titans players have suffered hand injuries due to similar pitches at the ground.

India had a warm-up game there in December 2013 cancelled due to the field being wet despite Benoni being bathed in bright sunshine for three days and it’s well-known that even the slightest bit of rain at Willowmoore Park causes major delays.

Simply put, Willowmoore Park is a disgrace. A prehistoric looking super-sopper, with practically no sponge left on the roller, merely shifts the water around the field; a rope is sometimes driven around the ground by the groundsman in a battered old car. Compared to Mamelodi, there seems to be a complete lack of pride in the venue, a distinct attitude of “who cares?” when it comes to maintaining the facility.

Top-class cricket should be taken away from Benoni by Cricket South Africa to ensure that franchises and international touring teams are given the facilities they deserve. It’s sad that a ground that has been operational since 1924 and was made famous by Denis Compton’s triple-century in three hours for England against North-Eastern Transvaal in 1948 has fallen into such disrepair.

I would even suggest moving games scheduled for Willowmoore Park to the Mamelodi Oval, which is also going to help transformation, and channelling the considerable amounts of money poured down the drain or simply not used in Benoni to that ground.

It’s probably not going to happen for political reasons though. Easterns cricket will bring their vastly overinflated influence in the CSA boardroom into play and let’s not forget that the murky hand of the Guptas is probably most strongly present at Willowmoore Park.

Ben Stokes loved the conditions at the Mamelodi Oval as he lashed a magnificent 151 not out off just 86 balls to lead the England Lions to a comprehensive 89-run series-clinching victory over South Africa A in their limited-overs game on Monday.

Stokes, a controversial omission from England’s World Cup squad in Australasia, revelled on a flat pitch and a small ground as he came in at 123 for three in the 24^th over and hammered seven fours and 15 sixes to take the tourists to a massive 378 for six.

He then shone with the ball taking three wickets as the England Lions bowled SA A out for 289, giving them a 3-0 lead in the five-match series with one game to play. Stokes looks like someone who England could really use at the World Cup, being a terrifically clean striker and a brisk seamer.

South Africa A’s execution of their bowling skills at the death was disappointing, with way too many full tosses and long-hops, but you have to give credit to Stokes for taking full, ruthless advantage.

Chris Morris was the one bowler to survive relatively unscathed, managing to find the right lengths as he took three for 50 in his 10 overs, but the other SA A bowlers can’t be happy with their performances. David Wiese went for 82 runs in 10 overs, Marchant de Lange 81 and Mthokozisi Shezi 74, while spinners Eddie Leie and Dean Elgar conceded 42 and 44 runs respectively in five overs each.

Opener Jason Roy scored 67 off 72 balls and there were a pair of 34s from James Vince and Jonny Bairstow to provide a platform for Stokes to bring SA A to their knees.

Morris emerged as the best of the bowlers as he had Alex Lees caught behind for 10, removed Bairstow, spooning a catch into the covers, and then yorked Sam Billings, who belted 55 off 36 balls in a late blast.

The England Lions attack featured one of yesterday’s heroes in Tim Bresnan, but they all bowled with much better discipline and skill, and backed that with good intensity in the field.

Reeza Hendricks was out early, caught at square-leg off Mark Wood for nine, but Elgar then added 63 for the second wicket with Stiaan van Zyl (28).

The lanky Boyd Rankin removed Van Zyl with a short ball and with Bresnan removing the in-form Theunis de Bruyn for nine, SA A were falling behind on 89 for three after 17 overs.

A series of useful but ultimately vain partnerships with the middle and lower-order followed, with Elgar scoring a top-class 79 off 84 balls. But he was hampered by a throw that hit him on the ankle bone and was run out by wicketkeeper Bairstow soon thereafter.

Justin Ontong made 22 and Dane Vilas 29, before Wiese and Morris added 50 for the seventh wicket in just 5.2 overs before Stokes produced a full, straight delivery to bowl Wiese for 37 and settle the outcome.

Morris went on to score a highly-entertaining 58 not out off just 33 balls, but it was never going to deny the English a crunching victory.