This can be counted as one of those moments of pure brilliance at the Bunbury Festival, a charity cricket tournament underway in England on Sunday, August 11, which shall be remembered for years to come. The pick of the day’s action was this quite sensational catch from 14-year-old Benjamin Sleeman, one of the rising stars playing for Somerset Cricket Club. Everybody, from fans to experts, is lavish with praise for this young cricketer for his jaw-dropping fielding effort that has become the talk of the cricketing community.
Though Somerset Cricket Club did not immediately post Sleeman’s epic catch on social media, when they did, it went viral. Shared, the clip went everywhere, drawing the attention of every cricket lover. In an age where so many matches are played and fantastic catches celebrated for moments before getting lost in the midst of everything, Sleeman’s effort is one that may be recalled for years to come.
The catch itself was nothing short of extraordinary. Facing a leg-spinner, the batter stepped out to this one and launched it back over the bowler’s head with what looked definitely like a certain six. Then Sleeman, stationed at long-on, had ideas of his own. Moving to his left briskly, he pulled off a full-stretch dive, snatching the ball out of the air with his left hand in a display of remarkable athleticism and hand-eye coordination.
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The non-striker’s reaction, who immediately clasped his hands to his head in disbelief, epitomized how great a moment it was. The sort of catch that leaves people watching cricket speechless—really, it’s not hard to see why it has gone on to be a viral sensation. Somerset’s social media team captioned the video and wrote excitedly, “Check out this INSANE catch from Cornwall’s Benjamin Sleeman at the Bunbury Festival earlier today!”
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Even though there is no information in the video regarding the identity of the batter, the bowler, and other players involved in that particular match, Sleeman’s catch still stole the limelight. Though the Bunbury Festival is just a charity event without the beckoning scoreboard, it provided the budding talent with a launch pad to express himself.
Somerset Cricket Club, though, is having a pretty good run in the England Domestic One-Day Cup 2024. They have been placed at the top of Group A in the points table, having won six out of their first eight matches with a health net run rate of +1.228.
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On the back of Sean Dickson’s leadership, Somerset is unbeaten in its last three games, pulling off victories over Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, and Middlesex. With the campaign high on the team, Sleeman’s incredible catch could not have come at any better time to add extra excitement and a touch of pride for Somerset fans and players alike.
