Thousands of bees descend on cricket match forcing play to be suspended

Thousands of bees descend on cricket match forcing play to be suspended



CNN
 — 

In the world of sport, there are many reasons for games to be suspended or postponed.

Fans are used to seeing games stopped for downfalls of rain, heavy snow, injuries or even, as seen in recent days, smoke from wildfires.

But have you ever heard of bees stopping play?

At a cricket festival in Ireland, a game had to be suspended as a swarm of bees descended onto the pitch forcing everyone in the vicinity to hide from the buzzy mob.

Players and umpires were pictured lying on the ground at the Mardyke in Cork, trying to avoid the 20,000 bees making themselves familiar with their new surroundings.

June 7, 2023, Cork, Munster, Ireland: VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE**..Cricketers in Ireland were bowled over on Wednesday (07June2023) as they were forced to throw themselves to the ground to escape a marauding swarm of bees...Play was stopped during the Cricket Ireland Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Trophy match between Munster Reds and the Northern Knights at The Mardyke in Cork in the 11th over of the first innings...The swarm of stingers sent Reds batters, Warriors fielders, and spectators scrambling for cover - delaying the match by over an hour as a beekeeper had to be summoned to remove the belligerent insects...Explaining the unusual stoppage, a spokesperson for Cricket Ireland said: ‚ÄúAll the players and umpires lay down on the ground as the swarm came across to the pavilion and they swarmed around the side of the clubhouse before eventually settling on the fence in front of the pavilion. ..‚ÄúObviously it was too dangerous to continue with play due to the fact a ball could hit the hive and the bees could attack, so play was suspended.‚Äù..The reason why the bees swarmed has left officials stumped - but help was at hand as a specialist was called in to remove the bees from the field...‚ÄúThe club contacted a local beekeeper,‚Äù the spokesperson said. ‚ÄúAfter about 40 minutes or so Mauro Dias from Buzz of Nature (Bee rescue specialists) arrived and managed to secure the Queen bee and put her in a box and waited for the family to join her. After a break of an hour and a half, the bees were brought away.‚Äù..After the delay, the match was reduced to 12 overs per side, with the Warriors left buzzing after running out the winners by seven wickets - chasing down a target of 129 with eight balls to spare...Where: Cork, Munster, Ireland.When: 07 Jun 2023.Credit: Oisin Keniry/Cricket Ireland/Cover Images..**EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH  (Credit Image: © Cover Images via ZUMA Press

The bees felt so at home that they even started to make a hive near the pavilion, where lots of the spectators were sat watching.

The live stream showing the event declared “bees stop play” as the presence of the bees near the clubhouse meant the game had to be suspended for 112 minutes before it could be restarted.

Mauro Dias, who works for local bee rescue service Buzz of Nature, was then called into action to save the day.

The local beekeeper arrived at the cricket ground and found the queen bee – rescuing the cricket fans, players, and umpires from the swarm.

June 7, 2023, Cork, Munster, Ireland: VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE**..Cricketers in Ireland were bowled over on Wednesday (07June2023) as they were forced to throw themselves to the ground to escape a marauding swarm of bees...Play was stopped during the Cricket Ireland Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Trophy match between Munster Reds and the Northern Knights at The Mardyke in Cork in the 11th over of the first innings...The swarm of stingers sent Reds batters, Warriors fielders, and spectators scrambling for cover - delaying the match by over an hour as a beekeeper had to be summoned to remove the belligerent insects...Explaining the unusual stoppage, a spokesperson for Cricket Ireland said: ‚ÄúAll the players and umpires lay down on the ground as the swarm came across to the pavilion and they swarmed around the side of the clubhouse before eventually settling on the fence in front of the pavilion. ..‚ÄúObviously it was too dangerous to continue with play due to the fact a ball could hit the hive and the bees could attack, so play was suspended.‚Äù..The reason why the bees swarmed has left officials stumped - but help was at hand as a specialist was called in to remove the bees from the field...‚ÄúThe club contacted a local beekeeper,‚Äù the spokesperson said. ‚ÄúAfter about 40 minutes or so Mauro Dias from Buzz of Nature (Bee rescue specialists) arrived and managed to secure the Queen bee and put her in a box and waited for the family to join her. After a break of an hour and a half, the bees were brought away.‚Äù..After the delay, the match was reduced to 12 overs per side, with the Warriors left buzzing after running out the winners by seven wickets - chasing down a target of 129 with eight balls to spare...Where: Cork, Munster, Ireland.When: 07 Jun 2023.Credit: Oisin Keniry/Cricket Ireland/Cover Images..**EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH  (Credit Image: © Cover Images via ZUMA Press

As a result of the delay, the length of the game between the Northern Knights and the Munster Reds had to be reduced.

The Knights ended up winning the game by seven wickets, overcoming their opponents and the 20,000-strong swarm along the way.

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