It was an unforgettable moment for Petrus Agustinus Franco Kapitan, a cricketer with the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) team, when his team went up against East Kalimantan in a qualifying round at the Saparua Sports Center on Saturday.

In the last minute, the NTT team needed just three more runs to win the day.

Confronting Petrus was bowler Elvidu Ikun, a national athlete who played for East Kalimantan.

The thrilling face-off resulted in a happy ending for NTT when Petrus, oddly known as Dicky, scored three runs straight to wrap up Saturday’s match.

“God answered my prayers,” Petrus, the man of the match, told The Jakarta Post after leading his team into the second round of the T20 format.

The team’s victory has generated new hope for the NTT contingent. So far, NTT has only bagged one silver medal, from runner Oliva Sadi in the women’s 10,000 meters, out of the 12 sporting competitions in which the province has taken part.

Petrus, who was once a volleyball player, says his decision to switch to cricket was not a mistake as he knew that it could take him to higher levels as an athlete.

“Cricket is not yet popular in this country. But it has opened bigger doors for me,” he said.

NTT cricket coaches Erik Lay Ena and Sus Deassy Pelllo said they were optimistic that the team would win a medal.

The pre-qualification results, Erik said, were positive. NTT is ranked third in the super 8s format and second in the T20.

“They have gone all out from the start with almost no support. [The NTT cricketers] have largely financed all the training by themselves. They do not receive any money. The regional administration started to take them seriously after the team made its own way to the Games,” said Deassy, adding that government-sponsored training programs started early this year.

The future seems bright for NTT cricketers. Each of them received Rp 425,000 (US$32.73) in allowances during training prior to the Games.

“For me, it’s enough. [The local government] has also promised each of us a new house as a reward should we win in the competition,” said Petrus, adding that the NTT administration had promised to offer Rp 100 million for gold medalists, Rp 75 million for silver medalists and Rp 50 million for bronze medalists at the conclusion of the Games.

The Bangka Belitung men’s team, however, are not in the same state of joy.

The team exited early in the Games after notching just one win out of a required four.

“Basketball is a popular sport in Bangka Belitung but getting people with the required height and skill is difficult,” said Abraham Damar Grahita, a professional basketball player who used to play for Jakarta Stadium in the Indonesian Basketball League.

Abraham admitted that his team only had a single month prior to the Games to practice as a complete squad due to the various activities of its members. Prior to the one-month intensified training period, half of the team’s members were studying or practicing in Jakarta, while the other half were in Bangka Belitung.

Despite leaving early, Abraham believes his squad has contributed to the development of the sport in Bangka Belitung.

“We have learned a lesson. [Our failure at the Games was] because of a lack of experience,” he said.

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