GETTING SETTLED IN
Remarkably for a Grasshoppers tour everyone arrived in Delhiairport exhausted but largely unscathed. Excesses or overindulgences in Heathrow have accounted for a number of casualties in the past but everyone was fit for duty this time. The flight was uneventful apart from Michael Turkington's singing a medley of Cat Stevens numbers in the dead of night when the only other noise was the rumble of the jet engine. With the headphones on and his eyes closed he was oblivious to the dark stares from the locals and the giggling of his team-mates.
After collecting our bags and getting on the bus we got our first experience ofDelhi traffic. It was as mad as a mouldy slice of cheese. If you ever watched one of those old Edwardian cinema reels where the movement is all speeded up and the cars look like they are all going to crash it gives a feel for the traffic. But you have to add in hundreds of motor bikes, buses, bicycles, lorries, rickshaws and ‘tuk-tuk’ taxis and then imagine everyone one of them tooting their horn to give you an idea of what its like. Traffic laws are for guidance purposes only and it wasn’t unusual to encounter someone driving towards you.
Our hotel was situated in Old Delhi a city over three hundred years old and it was a welcome sight. The staff was extremely pleasant and it was only later that we noticed that there were security men at the door and on every floor. Forty-five minutes later after finding our rooms and grabbing a quick shower we made our way to GargiCollege for a net practice. Chairman Alan Waite was extremely perky. He had fallen asleep whilst the plane was on the runway and only woke twice when the food arrived. The rest of us brightened up when we got to the nets. We were in our blue and green Kukri gear and arrived at the ground to find six other teams of different age groups all practising bowling and fielding drills and dressed immaculately in their whites.
BRILLIANT OPENER FROM LEE
Neil Watson joined us from Cape Town and we made our way across town again to St Georges School for our first game under floodlights. The school was right in the heart of the city and reminded me a little of Trinity College Dublin. Well, only a little. Floodlights, a flat hard batting strip, small ground, fast outfield and lack of a pavilion were the main differences. Carlo Rendell’s girlfriend Isobel sat wearing her sari. She looked for the entire world like a Bollywood actress who owned an Irish IPL team.
Neil Russell lost the toss and the British High commission decided to bat.
The hard wicket and fast out field meant that boundaries accounted for a high percentage of the runs scored. Rohit Roy who is our contact for theDelhi leg of the trip played a fine innings of 64 not out and Jack Blakiston-Houston, an extremely well spoken young man who hails from Strabane, and is travelling through India, made 34 not out. A final total of 159 in 20-overs was a good effort but with a strong batting line up we were confident of chasing down the total.
The bowling figures were;
Carlo Rendell 4-1-16-2
Andrew Nixon 4-0-38-1
Cameron Grieve 3-0-26-2
Peter Maxwell 4-0-17-1
Andrew Cowden 3-0-30-0
Lee Nelson 2-0-24-0
Neil Russell and Lee Nelson got us off to a good start putting on 45 for the 1st wicket when Neil was out for 21. Andrew Nixon was out cheaply for 4, bringing Robert Kennedy to the wicket. At this point Lee Nelson completely took over proceedings. With Robert pushing singles and giving Lee the strike he moved past fifty and started to deal exclusively in boundaries. With 18 needed to win his score was 78. Kennedy playing the anchor role to perfection nudged a single of the first ball of the over. Four boundaries later the scores were tied with Nelson on 94. He proceeded to hit the next ball into the tennis courts to win the game and bring up a thrilling hundred. Somewhere over the city fireworks started to light up the night sky and it seemed an appropriate end to an enjoyable match. Robert Kennedy finished undefeated on 29 doing a fine job in the 106-runs stand for the 3rd wicket. But this was certainly Lee Nelson’s night.
The opposition captain was generous in defeat and after a quick curry at the ground (you had the choice of curried beans or curried peas mixed with vegetables) we were then invited back to the British Commission where we had a few games of pool and enjoyed a few very welcome beers with our hosts. It was the end of an exhausting but highly satisfying first day in India.
ONE THAT GOT AWAY!
The second game of the tour took place on the first-class ground in JamilMille Universityin the South of Delhi. The ground is about to be converted for use as a rugby venue in the 2010 Commonwealth games.
After being asked to bat proceedings started badly for The Grasshoppers with Neil Russell being out for nought. However a ninety-run partnership between Ex Ireland international Charlie McCrum and Saintfield’s Ray McCavery put the tourists on top. But runs were hard earned on a wicket with little pace and variable bounce. McCrum was out for 40, but McCavery continued on to make a fine 66. Middle order contributions of 20 not out from Alan Waite, and 15 from Andrew Nixon allowed The Grasshoppers to reach a competitive score of 188 for 6 at the end of the 40-overs.
The opposition reply began very aggressively, but a brilliant piece of fielding and direct hit from Lee Nelson got rid of one opener and fine delivery from Andrew Nixon did the other. The introduction of spinners Paul Stafford and Neil Watson immediately began to restrict the scoring rate and wickets began to fall steadily. With Neil Watson bowled out, 17 year-old Cameron Greive was introduced to the attack with his slow left-armers getting considerably turn and he proceeded to pick up two wickets. Victory began to look likely.
At this stage the home side were 9 wickets down with more than 40 runs needed. The number eleven was then dropped, but with so many runs still needed the feeling was that it probably would not matter. Unfortunately we were made to pay dearly as the two tailenders edged closer to victory, eventually getting home with six balls remaining.
It was a bitterly disappointing conclusion; particularly as for 95% of the game we had been the better side. Ray McCavery’s innings was an excellent effort, Charlie McCrum batted well, and there were fine spells of bowling from Stafford, Watson, Grieve and Andrew Nixon but we were left to reflect on a possible victory that has slipped away.
UNFORGETTABLE DAY AT THE TAJ MAHAL
Built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal, her name meaning “A Poem in White Marble”, the sight of the Taj Mahal inAgra is awe-inspiring.
It is a five-hour drive from Delhi toAgra. If anyone ever gets the opportunity to do this journey believe me you will not complain about the traffic getting into Belfastor on the M50 in Dublin ever again.
A one stage there was two lorries passing each other but coming towards us on the wrong side of the dual carriageway! Very quickly there was a sudden movement to the back of the bus! There were cows, cars, lorries, and rickshaws everywhere. There were no traffic signals; adherence to lane markings, no traffic police, and the constant honking of horns ensured it was complete chaos. Some of the rural areas we passed through give us glimpses of poverty on a scale you just cannot imagine. The country is just a moving mass of humanity;Agra itself has a population greater than Northern Ireland.
We went first to Agra Fort, which has perimeter of some six kilometres. Built in red sandstone it is a massive construction overlooking the banks of theYamuna River. Along the river bank some 3 or 4 kilometres away you get your first sight of the Taj itself. As we drove closer to the Taj the local street hawkers gathered around the buses in dozens. There is no doubt that the poverty, the beggars and the street sellers take a bit of getting used to, but you quickly learn that you have to be firm and just walk on.
Until you get really close you don’t get a true idea of the actual scale of the building. Perfectly symmetrical it is over the length of a football pitch in each direction. Built completely of white marble and inset with black onyx it is a remarkable site. What must it have looked like when it was first built and was then set with valuable gemstones? There was a lot of visitors, yet compared to the chaos outside there was tranquillity about the palace. We wandered around and watched the changing shades of the marble as the sun set on a quite remarkable afternoon.
When we headed out to dinner later we came across a traditional Indian wedding. As the groom headed towards the bride’s house on his white horse with the brass band playing loudly and the guests dancing in the street, it was just another example of the vastly different culture we were now in. It was a tough two days travelling to get toAgra and back, but one, which was definitely worthwhile. We now get back to the cricket with three games coming up in Mumbai.
Watch this space!
