A day of great contrasts at Bourda
By Isaiah Chappelle
THE fifth one-day international had all the ingredients to produce a day of great contrasts - one of early peace and another disp[lay of hooliganism at Bourda. After early morning showers, grey clouds threatened the day's play even as groundsmen worked relentlessly to mop up water from the outfield and dried wet patches on the pitch. The weather gave the Georgetown Cricket Club the opportunity to showcase their modern equipment which were acquired to deal with such an eventuality. Before a very patient sold-out crowd the reduced-over match started around 13:00 hours. Australia won the toss and invited the West Indies to bat. Music highlighted the emotions of spectators as the game progressed in brilliant sunshine. Opener Sherwin Campbell was out, there was Red Rat's signature "Oh no." And so continue the mournful exclamation for each fall of wicket. As Carl Hooper entered the field of play, the loud blast from the sound system engulfed Bourda with "Let's get ready to rumble," accompanied by a thunderous response from spectators. Unfortunately he did not rumble for long and Red Rat's mournful cry filled the air once more. The Deejay seemed to find a line for every action. When Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a four, there was "A two and a three and a four." But there was no line for a six. Eventually West Indies posted 173 in the allotted 30 overs. As the day and the game heated up, the crowds grew larger and larger. People who could not force themselves into the ground, found the usual perches in the trees. TWI commentator David Hookes selected a Regent Road tree to experience watching the international match from a branch. Some in the ground even ascended to the roof of the stands and on the top of the huge bill boards in the south-eastern area. The ground was filled beyond capacity, the first ingredient of the disaster which was to follow. While ordinary persons could sense danger as spectators spilled over on the sidelines, those more trained for security and planning could not anticipate trouble. With one over to go, the first invasion was launched by over-exuberant youths and older persons who rely on alcoholic beverages to become brave. They thought the match was over, misled by the scoreboard. But the major batch of security personnel remained positioned en mass just in front of the club house. There was just one or two ranks where the trouble erupted. An electrified atmosphere was about to explode. One ball left and Australia needed four runs for victory. It was only then that ranks were leisurely dispersed. By the time they reached the trouble spots, the ball was delivered, and all hell broke loose from the eastern half of the ground. The fence in front of the school boys stand was flatten. The commercial side boards stood no chance to remain standing. And a sea of human forms transcended on the world famous sward for a repeat of a similar horrendous end to the "gentleman's" game when Pakistan and the West Indies clashed at Bourda in 1993. The incident brought back disturbing memories of 1993 when a simliar situation occurred in the Pakistan match. Yesterday's display has once again revealed that those put in charge of security are still ill prepared to cope with a game of such magnitude.
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