Sunday proved to be anything but routine for Macai Simmons and Nzari Paynter.

The St George’s pair had the rare opportunity to showcase their all-round talents on Bermuda’s cricket and football pitches just hours apart after helping St George’s lift the Premier Division 40-over Knockout Cup at Lord’s and then beat Devonshire Colts 2-1 in their final Dudley Eve Trophy group match at Bernard Park.

Instead of partying with their team-mates after prevailing against St David’s in a rain-affected cup final, Simmons and Paynter quickly slipped into their football gear and made a beeline for Pembroke.

“When you win a cup or trophy you tend to have a party and celebrate, but once that presentation was over you had to pack up and head straight to Bernard Park and play football, which was unusual,” Paynter told The Royal Gazette.

“I had to pack my cricket and football gear in the car and, when everything was done at St David’s, I went straight up the road and didn’t even get a chance to go home, eat or anything. I went straight to Bernard Park and warmed up.

“It does take a lot out of you but I have a lot of love for the club, and this is something that I have done for a few years now. Playing both sports, sometimes they intertwine with each other and that’s just the level of commitment that you have in sport representing the club that you love.”

Simmons came off the bench in the 58th minute and Paynter in the 63rd minute for injured scorers Jarazinho Bassett and Jahron Dickinson.

“I didn’t expect to play as long as I played,” Simmons said. “I was just coming to support because I knew we were lacking numbers.

“We could have went out and partied, but at the end of the day we had a job to do. We knew we had to come and play football after playing cricket because we had already committed ourselves to the team.

“We were just being supportive because this is our club and we play from the heart. We guys just wanted to be there to be a support — that’s what it’s about for us, giving to the club. That’s our home in a sense, so we play with a lot of pride for the club and fight for the club and our community.

“But it was a good experience helping St George’s win a trophy in cricket and then right after helping the club win a football game. It’s also a blessing for me that I still have the energy to be able to support the club in both sports.”

It also turned out to be a busy day for Isaiah Greaves and Onias Bascome, as they were also involved in both events. Greaves was a member of the victorious St George’s cricket team and an unused substitute in their Dudley Eve Trophy match. Bascome, a cousin of Paynter, played for Knockout Cup runners-up St David’s and serves on the coaching staff of the St George’s football team.

Paynter, who picked up two wickets and scored 33 to earn the MVP award in the cricket final, was happy to see the East Enders bolster their chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the Dudley Eve Trophy after coming from behind to edge Devonshire Colts.

“It was a really big win for us,” he said.

“The coach [Drewonde Bascome] said it was a ‘must-win game’ and by doing that we have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-final.

“It was a really good win and a hard-fought win as well, having gone a goal down, and my hat goes off to the team for showing the fight and coming back and getting the three points.”

St George’s top group C with four points and await the outcome of the remaining group match between X-Roads and Devonshire Colts on Saturday.