Pro surfers battle locals in T20 match

Surfers competing in the Margaret River Pro took advantage of some downtime and tried their hand at a game of cricket against locals in Cowaramup on Sunday afternoon.
Current and retired pros, team managers and coaches met to play the locals in the 15th annual T20 cricket match with indoor rules between the Jake Paterson-led Blow-ins and Chris Chapman’s Squeezers.
Batting first, the Blow-ins scored quickly but lost too many wickets to eventually record a score of 87, while the Squeezers started their run chase in style, losing no wickets in the opening partnership to end up with a total of 112 runs off their 20 overs to get the win.

The game featured some impressive performances with best-on-ground a close call between Mick Fanning’s scoring 23 runs, Paul “Antman” Paterson’s impressive wicketkeeping work and the highest run scorer Kim “Beersie” Beers featuring in a match-winning opening partnership of 41. He scored 22 not out earning him the award.
It was the 15th year the match has been played, with the Squeezers holding a 9-6 wining advantage over the Blow-ins.
The game was played in perfect conditions at Cowaramup Oval and attracted a good spectator following, including surfers Stephanie Gilmore and Kelly Slater who showed great interest in the batting and bowling techniques.
Slater also kept local children entertained with a kick of the football and a few running races.
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