Cricketing stars celebrated the launch of the Hundred tomorrow with a celebration in Brixton on Sunday.
Players from Oval Invincibles came together with over 700 music lovers at Afrobeats n Brunch’s All Day Rooftop Party at The Prince of Wales on Brixton Road.
Aylish Cranstone, Grace Gibbs, Danielle Gregory and Kirstie White from the Invincibles’ women’s team and Danny Briggs, Jack Leaning, Matt Milnes and Nathan Sowter from the men’s side joined partygoers at the event just down the road from the Invincibles’ home ground, the Kia Oval.
As well as enjoying an amazing party, a number of lucky guests at Sunday’s event won tickets to Oval Invincibles’ sold-out matches at the Oval, VIP cricketing experiences and official team merchandise from New Balance and New Era.
Gregory said: “What a way to get things started for The Hundred this year. I’ve definitely learned some new dance moves and discovered some bangers to add to my Spotify.
“It will be so cool to see the guys who won tickets at our games over the next few weeks. For many of them it will be their first time at The Hundred, so it’ll be their turn for a new experience. I know they’re going to love it!”
Leaning added: “Tonight has really got me excited for our first game on Thursday night. It was a great taste of the atmosphere South Londoners create and made me proud to be part of the team representing this half of the city in The Hundred.”
Replicating the social, summer vibes of The Hundred, the open-air rooftop event was accompanied by the best afrobeats from across the decades and African-inspired food and drink – the trademark features of the popular Afrobeats n Brunch series.
The eight Invincibles players helped get the party started by taking a turn in the DJ booth and provided the judging for a hotly-contested dance off.
They also joined guests in games of giant Jenga and Virtual Reality Cricket and posed for loads of shots in the 360° photo booth.
There was also the opportunity to chat with partygoers about cricket’s newest competition that fuses blockbuster entertainment with world-class cricket and invites everyone to fall in love with the game.
With so many music fans in attendance, there was plenty of interest in the unmissable live performances that will be a key element of match days at the Kia Oval during The Hundred this August.
All four of the Invincibles’ home games will feature performances from artists selected in collaboration with BBC Music Introducing, including Tamera, LLEO and Bambi Bains.
These, plus capacity crowds, DJ sets, activities for families, fantastic food and drink and, of course, world-class sporting action make for a great day out where everyone is welcome.
Afrobeats n Brunch founder, Robbie Cave said: “Having Oval Invincibles at our event added a great new dimension to Afrobeats n Brunch. The players were great in getting involved on the decks and I know our guests really enjoyed meeting them and finding out about the team.
“I think we have created lots of new cricket fans and maybe even some players based on some of the skills we saw with the virtual reality cricket.”
Guest at the event, Jennifer Nsingi said: “The players’ shirts caught my attention – I loved the green. All the merch stood out in fact, and I love the different hats.
“I hadn’t ever thought about going to a cricket match before but talking to the players about The Hundred with all the music and entertainment has got me interested. It was such a unique collab and a fantastic evening.”
Oval Invincibles will provide fans with edge of the seat entertainment at the Kia Oval on four dates this August.
The men’s team play local rivals, London Spirit on Thursday 4th August, before men’s and women’s double-headers on Thursday 11th August (Northern Superchargers), Sunday 14th August (Southern Brave) and Tuesday 23rd August (Birmingham Phoenix).
Tickets for all four fixtures are sold out.
