Lime and bacchanal
By: Mark Pouchet (T&T Express).Mark Pouchet took in the scenes at 'Balls of Fire'The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) would do well to take a page out of the book of LAY Management Ltd and the West Indies Players Association's (WIPA's) marketing of the Balls of Fire Charity Event at the Queen's Park Oval Saturday.
The event, the proceeds of which are to benefit the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation, drew a crowd of some 25,000 people who crammed into the venue to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers and current and former star footballers and most importantly, indulge in that Trini penchant, liming.
In terms of organisation, the Board could find better examples, as fire and police personnel seemed overwhelmed trying to control the throng that spilled onto the grassy knoll areas and those occupying the aisles and walkways of the Scotiabank, Dos Santos, Carib, CLICO, Constantine and Trini Posse Stands.
But certainly in terms of demand and generating interest, LAY and WIPA were a roaring success.
Hundreds were inevitably left outside, while scalpers managed to sell tickets which carried an original $60 price tag, for up to $800!
It was obvious the massive turnout exceed the wildest expectations of LAY and WIPA. Their offer of "sit anywhere tickets" had such an impact, that at the start of the Twenty/20 game, the gates and turnstiles were forced to close, with legitimate ticket-bearers still struggling to get in, with only standing room available.
Possibly in anticipation of sanctions the EMA may be issue, one official was overheard telling a colleague: "Boy, the fine the (Queen's Park) Oval go hadda pay on Monday, eh!?"
But those fans and patrons who made it inside the venue would say it was worth the effort and small bacchanal. That was even though they had to grab a vantage point impeding the view of others, finding improvised seating on walls and railings and even braving "cuss" from blocked, seated on-lookers.
Most of those little squabbles were settled the Trini way, that is, with the offer of some alcoholic beverage to compensate for the inconvenience, and by the perpetrators "squinging up" a bit as a sign of compromise.
Earlier, many had started arriving from as early as 2 p.m. and setting up their spots for the event that featured a cricket match between the estranged West Indies captain Chris Gayle, leading a "Real West Indies" squad and a Brian Lara-captained Trinidad and Tobago unit that also included Lara's longtime buddy and T&T football icon Dwight Yorke; and a football match between the Clayton Morris-led Strike Squad side and a Gayle-spearheaded West Indies side.
By the time the five-hour event got started with the Twenty/20 at 5 p.m., three hours of bending the elbow to the mouth had taken its toll and patrons were in the mood to back and celebrate their side's every blow and strike, even though the T&T Boys lost the 20/20 by 18 runs.
There were moments of genuine nostalgia; like the entrance of Lara at number four, when the crowd rose to their feet and gave a roar of adulation to the old Prince of Port-of-Spain.
Exclamations of : "Lara, yuh is de best!" and "Nobody could bat like he!" followed.
But the quick-paced nature of the cricket followed by the evocative football game featuring the Strike Squad made the evening an enjoyable venture and gave fans the opportunity to lime for a good cause.
"If they have this (event) tomorrow, they could get my money again," yelled a less than sober patron.
LAY and WIPA will be looking to reap the rewards of sentiments like that at their next edition of the event.
Still sprightly: Former West Indies cricket star Brian Lara centre, playing for the Strike Squad, springs into the air as WIPA goalkeeper Kieron Pollard collects the ball during Saturday evening's "Balls of Fire" charity doubleheader at the Queen's Park Oval. Looking on at left is an amused Mervyn Dillon. WIPA won the match 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 5-5 draw in regulation time. -Photo: Jermaine Cruickshank
