Way before Bermuda witnessed Brian Hall’s cricket prowess, his grandmother Sylvia Rebello knew he was destined to achieve in the sport.

Rebello had watched her grandson play the sport in her garden in Spanish Point and from there, the spin bowler has gone on to play for Western Stars, St David’s in Cup Match for St George’s and internationally.

As Hall got to blossom in the gentleman's game, his grandmother made a promise, she would come to Cup Match only if he was playing.

That wish came true for the 91-year-old when she got to watch Hall appear for St George’s as a colt in this year’s Cup Match Classic at the Wellington Oval.

“I said I will go to Cup Match if Brian plays and this year I went to see him play, that was my first time,” Rebello said. “I was really excited, I was proud, I liked it and would go again if Brian plays.

“I was surprised with the amount of people a little bit, but I figured everybody felt like me.

“I did shed a little tear at the ground when Brian jumped over the wall to hug me.”

St George’s did honour their colt’s grandmother by offering her a seat in the VIP area, but the family did not send her up because of her old age.

“She was offered a spot in the VIP, it was more about getting her up the steps then back down,” said Scott Greenslade, her grandson.

Hall’s grandmother never saw him bat, as the family left when the Somerset innings concluded.

Hall was sent out as a nightwatchman when Treadwell Gibbons Jr was dismissed in the only over St George’s got to face before the close of play on the first day.

There was no second day return for Rebello, with the family deciding that she followed the rest of the action on the radio from home.

“It was a long day, it was hot, she had stuck it out for the whole day and quite honestly I was tired, too,” said her daughter, Della Greenslade. “It’s pretty hot sitting down there for the whole day, if it wasn't so hot, she would have probably made it for the second day.

“Because of Covid-19, there was actually consideration on whether she should actually go or not. “She put aside that fear and went to go watch Brian play.”

Rebello, who grew up in St David’s has always been an avid cricket fan, as she grew up going to Lord’s to watch the Eastern County Cup.

Her favourite yesteryear cricketer happens to be her nephew, the late Glenn Pitcher, who played for St David’s.

Hall made his grandmother proud when he made Eastern Counties debut for St David’s in 2019, the year Pitcher died.

“I was brought up around cricket, I lived in St David’s and they used to play county cup down at St David’s,” she said. “I used to go to every one of them mostly, I went a lot.

“I watched my nephew Glenn Pitcher play, he used to play county cup, he was my sister’s son.”

As the 31-year-old Hall wonders if his performance this year was good enough for him to get another chance to play in Cup Match, he is proud to have fulfilled his grandmother’s wish.

“I had the time of my life playing Cup Match,” Hall said.

“It felt even better watching my nana on the sidelines cheering me on, I jumped up over the wall a couple of times when I could to give her a hug.

“Unfortunately, this wasn't meant to be, I didn’t get any wickets.

“It was the first game in a long time that I didn't get a wicket, but that’s how cricket goes sometimes.”