His older brother Gary, a club cricketer in Zimbabwe, and father Chris – a big cricket fan – were his earliest cricketing influences. If I can recover from two tumours that I was born with, which caused my blindness, surely I can find that amount from somewhere.” ‘Number one fan’ These cost $4,000 which is a lot of money. I want to get these hearing aids but they are not the normal, everyday aids. “I sometimes go into complete panic mode. “It’s very worrying, to be honest,” said du Plessis. However, that extraordinary hearing ability – du Plessis’s biggest asset – is now fading, he said as he marked his 20th year covering the game. Video: Meet Dean du Plessis, world’s first and only visually impaired cricket commentator | /JpNzLwvbi8 He was initially drawn to broadcasting while at a boarding school for the blind in Worcester, just outside Cape Town in South Africa, and he idolised several radio commentators who covered domestic cricket in the country at that time. You can hear the batsman’s voice and you know who they are, just by the way they call between the wickets whether they say no or wait’.”ĭu Plessis was born in Harare and enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, spending the early years of his childhood in his hometown of Kadoma, a small municipality 142km (88 miles) outside of the capital.
You listen to the grunts when they release the ball. “When you listen to the stump mic, you hear the bowler as he gets to the crease and bowls. “The stumps microphones are my bread and butter,” du Plessis told Al Jazeera. The future's bright, the future's Camborne!Īnd finally, who can resist sitting in Sunny Corner on a fine summers day, watching a good game of cricket, whilst enjoying a cold beer or chilled glass of wine?!ĬAMBORNE CRICKET CLUB - THE BORNE have an existing site at pitchero.Harare, Zimbabwe – Dean du Plessis was born blind.įorty-four years on, du Plessis says he is the world’s only blind cricket commentator and journalist and does not get tired of explaining how he is Zimbabwe’s most recognised voice in cricket. We also have an active junior section with teams for U15's, U13's, U11's and U9's as well as the very popular All Stars Cricket for 5-8 years. Stalwart Nigel Endean takes charge of the 2nds with Richard Moore and Jon Moyle leading the youthful 3rds and 4ths. Martin Jenkin takes the reigns as first team captain. With some impressive off season additions the club look to be competitive in 2021. The 1st XI will be playing in the Premier league, the 2nds in Div 3 West and the 3rs and 4ths in Div 6 Central and West respectively. The Club are an ECB Clubmark and Focus Club and this coming season we have 4 Saturday teams. Ahead of this coming season the scorebox has been refurbished with new front panel and roof. This has been invested into various improvements, including a new 3 lane practice area enclosed in a security cage, refurbishments to the clubhouse and changing rooms and a new artificial pitch. With lots of hard work and dedication from all involved, in the region of £160,000 was raised over a 3 year period. In 2015 to celebrate the clubs 100 years of league cricket the Century project was founded with the intention of funding improvements to the club. Steeped in history and nostalgia, Camborne, along with Penzance and Troon, were one of the big clubs that dominated Cornish cricket throughout the 1960's and 1970's.ĭuring this period the club hosted the International Crusaders on several occasions with great names such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Clive LLoyd, Fred Trueman, Basil D'Oliveira and Geoffrey Boycott, to name just few, gracing the hallowed turf of Roskear. It is unsure exactly when the club was formed but there is cricket recorded being played in Camborne as far back as the 1830s. Local industries may have changed, but the Cricket Club still plays host to one of the most traditional and beautiful cricket grounds in Cornwall. Camborne Cricket Club is situated just off the A30, in the former industrial heartland of the Camborne-Redruth area.