Yes. This is how you spectate, sports fans. While technically disqualified from earning a place in the pantheon of great cricket catches (because the grab was made by a random, shoeless fan in a jersey and khakis—and not, you know, a professional cricketer), what I can say definitively is this: The video above shows one of the finest displays of sports fan athleticism ever caught on camera.
The spectator in question is New Zealander Andrew McCulloch, who was attending a Georgie Pie Super Smash tournament match between the Wellington Firebirds and Otago Volts, when the Volts’ Michael Bracewell mashed a six. As the ball sails over the boundary, McCulloch—like some sort of barefooted ninja—comes flying into view, making an absurd one-handed sliding catch. The announcers go crazy. McCulloch goes crazy. I go crazy. You’ll go crazy (probably). Simply put, a legitimately impressive catch that should serve as a lesson to all adult men who insist on bringing a glove to baseball games.
The best part, though? There was an ongoing promotion that paid out 5,000 NZD (about $3,904) for anyone who caught a “boundary ball.” Touché, Mr. McCulloch—Internet immortality and wad of cash well earned.
