| Plus |
|
|||
|
Galle
goes gaga Said Dave from the English county of Lancashire, "Galle is a terrific location for cricket!" adding that it was only second to Cape Town in terms of scenic beauty. With the Galle Fort, overlooking both the sea and the cricket ground decked with Lankan flags flying in the breeze, his statement didn't seem in doubt. The southern city, at least for the five days of the First Test against England, was transformed. The cricketing fiesta brought the Galle Cricket Club alive with music and revelry from all quarters save a few enclosures closer to the grandstand. With the Lankan 'Papara' band blaring at one end of the stadium, the Englishmen seemed to be making quite a din themselves.
Many of them from cricket and football clubs like Bristol Rover and Enfield, travelled around for matches England played in, depending on their funds, time off from work and the possibility of combining the cricket with a holiday. Sporting an English flag on her top, Kirstie, a relief teacher has previously been to Australia with the Army, and is delighted to be on tour in Sri Lanka. Asked her opinion on the fact that Lankans visiting Britain had to face fingerprinting, a visibly startled Kirstie replied, "Is that so? But that's awful 'cause they love us here!" The rest of the Army were blissfully unaware of the regulation too, as Flowers quipped, "What's that? Something out of X-Files?" In Galle city, the hustle and bustle of the match certainly affected security arrangements as well. Said Police Constable Wijeratne of the Sooriya Police Division of the Galle District, "Security has definitely been tightened for the match." Around 1000 police officers from other areas had been especially deployed for the match, making a grand total of 1500 policemen manning Galle city during the five-day Test. Local vendors meanwhile had a field day, with stalls springing up in every available space around the ground. Asoka, standing behind well-arranged rows of 'saruwath' said that he came over to the Cricket Club area especially for the match. Sales were better than on normal days, "as tourists buy these drinks as well," he grinned. With the heat and humidity, any form of thirst-quencher was quite welcome and the cooling effect of king coconut, or the Lankan thambili worked wonders on the throat. An older thambili vendor revealed that he had brought his entire stock down to the Fort as it was fast-selling. A good number of fast food stalls including KFC were also set up, complete with tables, chairs and canopy protection from the sun.Amidst the match commentary blaring in Sinhala, lines of Lanka's ever-present three-wheelers were at the various entrances to the ground. One tourist found a perch atop a three-wheeler, as a driver disclosed that their pockets were generally Rs. 500 to 1000 the heavier due to the cricketing mania. For Galle's youngsters, it was a chance to be part of the action on the field even if it meant being seated on the groundsheets all day to throw back the balls that reached the ropes. *Chaminda of St. Aloysius College, Galle was excited as he and 14 of his team-mates from his school's Under 14 cricket team had been hired as the ball boys for the day. Each day, boys from different schools in the district were given the opportunity, he said. Eighteen other students from Deniyaya and Pitabedda areas had also come to witness the match, along with their master-in-charge. "Deniyaya is a rural area, and they lack facilities," he said. "So this is an opportunity for the little ones to see the big guys play." Germans Manuel Brhel and Kathrim Hennig had accompanied a dozen sixth-graders all the way from their international school in Bentota. Having seen the match from the stands, they decided to perch on the Fort, which offered a spectacular bird's eye view of the cricket and the city's bustle, free of charge. Sporting elaborately painted faces, a number of local spectators opted to skip afternoon tuition class and watch Murali's cameo knock on Tuesday, but tourists were also aplenty on the Fort. As for spectators within the grounds, Sri Lanka Cricket's ticketing officer Priyantha Madapatha says that there were approximately 10,000 each day. Galle Fort was a story of its own. To add colour to the cricketing fiesta the Galle District Chamber of Commerce and Industry rented out stalls selling a variety of traditional Lankan paraphernalia such as handicrafts, spices, tea, hats, sculptures, masks as well as food and beverages, and of course hats for protection from the sun. At night, the entire Fort was spectacularly lit up. Ray Illangakoon, media manager for Sri Lanka Cricket revealed that fire dances, devil dances, live bands and other events laid on especially for the touring English cricket fans, went on late into the night. Houses in the fortified city of Galle were in much demand. A resident said that locals rented out rooms for Rs. 2500 per night, rooms for which they normally charge Rs. 500/-per night. Others rented out houses or a floor of their homes for as much as Rs. 50,000 for the three days! Hiran Cooray, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Chapter of Pacific Asia Travel Association said that most of the international visitors had combined a holiday with the match and their tour operators had booked rooms for them in hotels on the southwest coast all the way from Kalutara to Koggala. In anticipation of the influx, many guesthouses were also prepared to accommodate the additional guests and Union Jacks lined the entrance to most hotels. At the Unawatuna Beach Resort the party atmosphere began on November 30, before the Test match, with all rooms fully booked. The hotel's General Manager Janaka De Silva, said entertainment was arranged each night - live entertainment, DJ shows with award winning BBC Radio1 DJs Bobby Friction & Nihal, reggae and dance groups and beach parties. UBR's pub especially converted into a 'Cricket Pub' called 'Howazat' was a hit. Theme Nights featured the popular Australian Steak amongst others and the buffet décor was of course, cricket. What's more, an art exhibition was organised with the same theme that displayed sculptures made of waste - bottle caps, wrappers, etc. Those who missed the match could watch the day's telecast (from 7.00 pm to 1.00 am) on a giant screen on the beach. There was much merry making during the beer drinking competition that both in-house guests and others participated in. Everyone’s heading to Kandy and Colombo for the next two tests, but can these two cities match up? Barmy
history The 'Army' has its own songbook, together with the Barmy Army theme song and has been a registered trademark since March 1995, marketing official 'Army' merchandise. It also organizes special rates for tours via its website and has exclusive paraphernalia, the more famous of which are the caps and the special Barmy Army t-shirts with the Union Jack, cartoon and the dates and venues of each match on the tour. Plans are now underway to celebrate their 10th anniversary. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved. |
The
carnival of cricket is on. Last week cricket fever hit Galle as
tourists flocked in by the thousands. Hotels were fully booked,
homes in Galle Fort opened up for accommodation and match commentaries
blared throughout the day as the southern city revelled in a cricketing
fiesta.
The
scorching heat did not deter England's official cricket cheering
squad, the 'Barmy Army' from doing their song and jump routine in
the open stands. "Ah la la la….----'s got a wicket,'
they chorused. Complete with theme song, waving flags and 'Barmy
Army' t-shirts and caps, gulping beer that went around in the beverage
backpacks, their spirits were high. Victor Flowers, their vociferous
cheerleader was in action conducting the singing of "Oh Engg..land,
Eng.. ga…land.."
