Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid was in cricket heaven last week, when he watched the White Ferns' battles with England on Wednesday and Friday and caught some Baywide club cricket on Saturday.

The following day he travelled over the hill to the Tron, to watch game three of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, between South Africa and their African neighbours Zimbabwe.

While the old fella has been to Commonwealth and Goodwill Games, Rugby World Cup matches, the Americas Cup, Davis Cup a test match at Lords and seen numerous visiting international cricket teams and plenty of other top line sport, he missed the opportunity to see the CWC the last time it came down under in 1992.

Having been to Seddon Park on numerous occasions for test and one-day cricket, the standalone cricket venue did our country proud last Sunday.

The best part of the Hamilton cricket ground is the intimacy of the short boundaries and grass embankments that gets you up close and personal with the action in the middle.

While we arrived at the match a good hour before the start, getting in took a while with the compulsory bag searches for (potential) hidden contraband. However the waiting spectators took it in their stride with plenty of good-humored chatter.

Immediately inside the ground was the Kids Zone, with cricket orientated games for the tribe of youngsters that flocked there throughout the day. There were long queues of kids at the face painting booth getting South African or Zimbabwe colours.

The CWC people had done Seddon Park proud, which left the arriving spectators in no doubt that a CWC game was to take place. Colourful hoardings and flags that set the oval off in real style was just the start.

All the razzamatazz of international sport was on display with the electronic advertising ringing the field on the boundary ropes.

A myriad of CWC volunteers in their colourful attire were everywhere, ready to respond to any and every request. Many hundreds throughout the country have answered the call to duty, to ensure residents and visitors alike are greeted and provided with service by happy smiling Kiwi faces.

The South African and Zimbabwean fans came in large numbers, wearing their team shirts and hats and waving their nations flag. A group of Zimbabwe supporters kept the near sellout crowd entertained with their continuous dancing and singing and beating of drums. An Asian band added to the atmosphere, strolling amongst the spectators with their rhythmic beat.

South Africa batted first and played a perfect ODI innings to post a three hundred run-plus total. They didn't panic when they lost their top four relatively cheaply, with JP Duminy and David Miller cementing their place at crease, before both going on to blast centuries, as their team posted 339/4.

There was plenty of spectacular action when the stumps were knocked over by a bowler, with the stumps flashing a pink neon light and flames leaping into the sky from either side of the sight screens.

The happiest person in the ground was the guy that caught a one handed six off the second-to-last ball of the South African innings, to put him in the running for the money in the Tui Catch a Million prize pool. His celebrations had to be seen to be believed with the unadulterated joy re-played on the big screen.

The only irritant during a fantastic day of cricket was the so-called half time entertainment, which was nothing more than a marketing show of the sponsors products. The six-person race in weird uniforms and silly big shoes went down like a wet balloon with the crowd, who mainly wandered off in search of food and drink.

The Zimbabwe chase started well, with plenty of big shots receiving plenty of applause from the crowd who were mostly behind the underdogs. While in with some hope, the South African bowlers won out and removed their opponents for 277 in a highly entertaining run fest.

Go the Black Caps!