To say Blue Bells Cricket Club’s Nathier Sambo, 20, from Grassy Park, could bat before he could walk, is no exaggeration.
Well, perhaps not, but he would certainly have tossed a cricket ball around as a baby.
His shy smile and pleasant demeanour belies the fact that he can be ruthless with bat in hand.
The big-hitting batsman knocked three centuries this season – 175 against Yorkshire and 124 against Kuils River and 110 against Bonteheuwel in Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) First Division 1B action.
Born into a cricketing family, the name Sambo has long been synonymous with Blue Bells with the entire clan involved with the club in one way or another, most notably, on the pitch. His father is the chairman of the club and his three brothers and the wives are all involved with the club, including an older sibling who plays alongside him in the first team.
Having made Western Province under-11, under-13 and under-15 teams as a junior, Sambo scored his first 100 in the First Team a few weeks ago and racked up a staggering 3100 runs in total this season.
But he’s not just handy with the bat, he’s equally adept at bowling and even good with the ball at his feet as he dabbles in soccer during the off-season with Blue Bells Football Club.
“This is my fifth or sixth season in the First Team. I am an all-rounder and even though I open the batting, it’s new to me because I only started opening in the second half of this season,” he said.
However, his side struggled against an in-form St Augustine in Elfindale on Saturday February 24, losing by 8 wickets with Sambo limited to 10 runs. Saints won the toss and elected to bowl first, restricting the visitors to 144 runs. In the reply, the hosts scored 145 to maintain their second spot on the log..
“It was a big game in the race for promotion, we started the game three points ahead of them on the log, now they are two points ahead of us with two games left in the season,”he said, understandably disappointed, but somewhat optimistic going forward.
“I’m hoping we can get promotion,” he said, “and I’m hoping to be playing in the highest league in Cape Town soon,” he said.
Player-coach Nadeem Bedford believes the best is yet to come as far as Sambo is concerned. “He is very young but very talented and someone to watch out for in the future,” Bedford said.
“My advice to him is to play his natural game and back his ability. His hand and eye coordination is just amazing. He is a clean hitter of the ball and he bowls spin as well. He adds a lot of value to the team but more importantly, he is a very well-mannered and humble human being.
“His older brother Gaarieth plays in our team too. The Sambos are a loveable family and it shows in the boys’ personalities on and off the cricket field. It’s a pleasure having both of them on my team,” Bedford said.
