Cricket fans bring colour and noise to historic occasion at Stormont

Stormont has hosted many historic encounters – but few have brought the colour and noise of cricket supporters on day one of a Test match.

There was a sense of occasion at the estate as Ireland’s and Zimbabwe’s players met in a milestone match on Thursday – the first Test fixture in Northern Ireland.

Several hundred attended the first day’s play at Stormont, including Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

While most of the crowd were clear which team they were there to support, one well-known local politician faced a quandary. Alliance Party MLA and former lord mayor of Belfast Kate Nicholl was born in Zimbabwe.

She told the PA news agency: “I grew up supporting the Flower brothers and Henry Olonga and all these great Zimbabwean cricket players.

“I think 12-year-old Kate would be horrified to find out that I would be on the fence about who to support today.

“It is wonderful to have this historic match, Zimbabwe v Ireland, in Belfast.

“I am just looking forward to a couple of days of really good cricket. I think it is going to be a great Test match, hopefully the start of more to come. The Stormont grounds are fantastic and everyone is so excited to be here.

“Hopefully it is the beginning of many more to come.”

Irish supporters comfortably outnumbered those backing the tourists, but the Zimbabwean contingent made up for it with their enthusiastic singing.

Lovers Pamire was part of a group of Zimbabwean fans who had travelled to Belfast for the first time from Dublin.

He said: “If Zimbabwe is beaten we don’t have a heartache because we are here in Ireland, we are home anyway.

“Whoever wins it is still fine, we are just here for fun.”

Making a shorter trip was