Big Match Fever - Fun or menace ?

As the excitement generated by the World Cup has started to grip most cricket playing nations around the world, the urban areas in Sri Lanka are also experiencing a similar phenomenon - the 'big match fever'.

Just as December is associated with Christmas, February with Valentine's Day and May with Vesak, the highlight of the month of March for school going youngsters in our country is the Big Matches.

It is the time of the year when you express support and allegiance to your 'alma mater' in the most peculiar ways, whether it be yelling slogans from the back of trucks, dancing on dusty streets, cracking jokes at girls or booing at every member of the rival school you meet on the road.

Passersby naturally look at these antics with disdain. Women, especially young girls, are targeted by hat collectors in fancy dresses. Most of them actually do a disservice to their respective schools by singing obscene songs, draping their school flags all over themselves and even openly consuming liquor.

One may argue that such behaviour is part and parcel of the exuberance of youth, but schools are primarily responsible for moulding disciplined citizens. A nation that lacks discipline goes nowhere and a firm foundation in the rudiments of discipline is essential to create a society that values moral values.

But will this happen if teachers, parents and past pupils turn a blind eye to everything that goes under the name of fun ? When it comes to big matches, the latter are often worse than present students. Their Bacchanal orgies at old boys tents are indeed a bad example to the present generation.

It is true that some principals have taken steps to curtail some of the more outlandish activities connected to big matches, such as cycle parades and trucking. The present security regulations and environment have also led to a curtailment of trucking, as heavy vehicles are restricted from playing in many areas where Colombo's elite schools are located.

Principals also insist that students attend the big match itself in school uniform. At the end of the day, boys will always be boys, no matter what their age is ! A big match without some element of fun and frolic is unimaginable, nay, impossible.

But could they possibly strike a balance, without the fun metamorphasising into a menace ? This brings us to our topic for the Daily News Debate - Big Match Fever - Fun or Menace ?

Do write to us with your views (upto 1,000 words) on the above topic. The address is 'Daily News Debate', Daily News, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, PO Box 1217, Colombo, or e-mail to [email protected] before March 12, 2007.

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Win or lose, we accept

Ian Jayasinha

Match fever: Two sporty looking gentlemen were in animated conversation. One said, "I've caught the fever". The other replied, "Yes, I know this Chikungunya is all over the country. It takes months to cure."

"No, it's not that," the former retorted. "I mean I've caught the Big Match fever. That's great fun remembering your boyhood days and the revelry," he replied.

This Big Match fever has reached epidemic proportions. Whole families are involved, from grandparents to grandchildren. It's like mad dogs and Englishmen out in the mid-day sun.

Food, new clothes, rosettes and golliwogs and flags are made to be 'with it'. Drums are played to the beat of African rhythms. Clarinets and trumpets, rattles and whistles go to make the orchestras.

The highlight being the Pappare bands, hired from even Negombo funeral parlours. They also trip to the indigenous baila gyrations. Everything is charged and toes start tapping with hand clapping involuntarily to beat.

All roads lead to the cricket grounds as in Rome in the far away days. After the stag nite when the guys get soaked in alcohol, they shower at morn and are ready to bite the Tiger's tail once again. This is the only way to get over a hangover. They just with their songs of ribaldry and enjoy themselves to the hilt.

I must categorically state that Thomians do not collect money for the team but for themselves. In between the cricketophiles have a swig and dance and sing smutty songs.

When in doubt they sing out, thinking they are a Pavarotti! Old songs are brought anew. An old favourite - 'My girl has rosy cheeks', I still remember.

The Royalists sing the college song. 'Disce out, disce de', 'school of our fathers' vociferously bringing nostalgic memories. The Thomians sing their anthem 'Esto Perpetua' with solemnity and impetuosity.

The camaraderie is infectious. Thomians and Royalists with their glasses in hand, embrace each other like old friends. This is a nice gesture. While Royals sing of books and men and learn to play the game, the Thomians say 'yes', they are still learning to play the game.

The Thomians' anthem goes, 'We rejoice in victory when our foes we beat, and when fortune frowns how to take up defeat.' There are noble ideals in these College songs. This is a lesson all Sri Lankans can practise.

This unity in diversity is an example, especially to our politicos to learn to play up, play up and play the game. This covers ethnic amity too. We all hug one another not bothering what ethnicity we belong to. This is not only fun but a lesson to all fundamentalists.

The Royalists, still learning to spell, shout out, 'R-O-Y-A-L' simultaneously. One year I got T-shirts made with the catchline, 'Thomians silence RAWYELL'. It was a hit and sold out!

'Catches win matches' goes the old adage. But doting mothers have a different 'catch' in mind. They chaperone their daughters to the match to make a marital catch !

One hasn't got to go through the marriage proposal column of the newspapers.

It is said that girls flirt with Trinitians, get engaged to Royalists and marry Thomians.

Everybody loves a parade. The bicycle parade by the Royalists and Thomians is a showpiece with the bicycle bells tinkling. The lowly bicycle has its hour of glory with the fluttering of flags - blue, black and blue and blue gold and blue.

The lorries and trucks decorated with branches of trees look like its guerilla warfare in the city, dragging branches along its way.

Some intrepid boys scale the walls of sacred convents and girls' schools, dance and prance in the school premises.

Mother Superiors are horrified but the girls enjoy it. After all rules are meant to be broken in our fun-loving boyish days.

Winston Churchill said that the World War II was won in the playing fields of Eaton and Harrow. What insight! See how many Prime Ministers and Presidents, Royal and S. Thomas have produced. Even Sirimavo and Chandrika were half Thomians.

The Royal-Thomian cricket match is the oldest cricket match played without a break in the world. So, there's tradition, if you want it. Today it's the 128th Big Match.

Another lesson one learns is to forgive and forget. It's more than fun. It is religion. How can it be a menace ? In the infamous, nine-run match (1885) Royal failed to turn up the second day. Ultimately, Royal apologised, but they do not mention that they lost the match by default in their souvenir. The Thomians buried the hatchet magnanimously and the matches are carried on to this day.

The old boys of these colleges who live abroad have tradition in their blood stream and keep coming in numbers year after year to revive memories of the schoolboy days and meet their college pals and spin yarns of the good old days.

On the morning of one Big Match, JR and his cronies from the other school besieged S. Thomas' and tethered the bull to the school bell.

The bull ran amok clanging the bell which woke up all the boarders. The Thomians were shocked. JR's answer was nonchalant. He said, "The Thomians need a wake up call!" If there was no 'Big Match fever' we would have been deprived of all these fun-loving incidents.

My brother-in-law was playing in the Big Match. He took an old aunt of his to the game. My brother-in-law was the opening batsman and as the two players walked out from the dressing room there was thunderous applause.

Facing the first ball my brother-in-law gave a dolly catch and was ruled out. There was wild cheering from the opposing side.

My aunt who did not know sniper shooting from a cricket bat was all smiles and cheering and clapping vociferously.

Her nephew walked back crestfallen out for a duck!

Today, there are a dime to a dozen 'Big Matches' which amusing names as 'Battle of the Crabs', 'Battle of the Mangosteens' etc. But to the writer there is only one 'Big Match' - 'The Battle of the Blues'. We lead, others follow.

Big Match fever is fun all the way win or lose we booze. Have one for the road! Like Christmas comes once a year so does our 'Big Match'. Enjoy and have clean fun.

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"Big Match Fever - muse, or madness"

March is here, and the fever, it fries;
22 flannelled fools set out for the prize;
Whistles and Rattles come out with the flags.
Beautiful babes battle,
Beasty Boys in rags.
The Stadium bursts open,
the Umpires walk out;
There is thunder and lightening
As the tents scream and shout.
The streets are all flooded,
with the sounds of ragged rascals,
And the game begins.
The batsmen walk out.

In comes the pace bowler,
who sends the leather tumbling.
The crack of the bat
Is drowned by the cheering.
Spirits rise high, amidst the thirsty,

"Adoo Parippoo"!

And the band plays a ditty, with the choicest of lyrics.
Is it muse or a madness that brings life to this fray?
In every home, and office and even political way.
All roads lead to the turf, Where the mayhem celebrate;
A tradition of sport Handed down from age to age.

Doosra

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Absolute fun and frolic

S. T. Arasu

Striking days: The traditional "Big Cricket Matches" in schools or colleges are most welcome ! Nobody can forget the good old days.

The vital, striking days to remember always, is the annual "Big Cricket Matches" played between leading boys rival schools or colleges in our country, particularly, in this city of Colombo.

It's a great, significant day, a red-letter day - (a true freedom day to all our students) of absolute fun, thrill, excitement of grand carnival form celebrations (with fancy dresses to be colourful) especially, to all the present generation of our students, the old boys, including all their parents and families.

Indeed, they get together collectively in groups, enjoy themselves, chit-chatting, eating, drinking and be merry wholeheartedly, dancing to baila tunes with sing-songs of their own colleges, to promote along with the popular, lively, 'paparas, drums, bands, guitars and trumpets, in order to extend full support to cricketers representing both the teams in the middle, and also, entertain all the spectators, who had come to see the matches and encourage the players, to play extremely well in style.

In fact, as far as I am aware of those days, they kept on pretty well, maintaining good discipline, without any mischief, having harmless fun.

They kept their school, or college flags flying high to finish the games in a joyful, peaceful and sportsmanship manner.

The sister schools too join the crowd in good spirit of participation. But, today, in the recent past, we had observed very sadly with shame, that there had been many instances, the 'Big Cricket Matches' fever ended up disgracefully, in unwanted, unnecessary clashes, violence, tarnishing the reputation of their own schools, or colleges and respective students involved.

This cannot be encouraged at all in the interest of this gentlemen game of sport-cricket.

In my humble point of view, the heads of all boys schools or colleges and their sports masters, or coaches should take the timely precautions, before the vital, 'Big Matches' start, and make it a point to advice, monitor and guide all the students to maintain very strict discipline, regulations and order, on this special, memorable day of everlasting 'Big Cricket Matches' to function smoothly, now and hereafter.