Great watching, if you're a Swede (4 June 1999)

4 June 1999

Great watching, if you're a Swede

Alex Balfour

"Cricket, it's a bit dull," said the organisers' spokesman, Anneka Rice, in a pre-tournament press conference that must give the ECB nightmares. Step forward Lars from Stockholm, the fans' spokesman. "You can go and get the beers, you can walk around and you can talk to people and you don't miss a f***ing s***".

Lars and his two friends came over from Sweden last night for Saturday's soccer clash between England and Sweden. He thought he might as well take in the first Super Six game at the same time. "Everybody's laughing, it's not like football," he said. Gareth Oldford, a marketing student on duty as a steward for the day agreed. "I've worked at football grounds and this is light hearted by comparison, it's a good atmosphere," he said. Nonetheless, one attendee was bound to be bitter by the end of the day. "We haven't' been told yet what to do at the end of the game if the crowd run on," Gareth added. Oh dear, by the time you read this "Angry" Steve Waugh will probably have launched another no holds barred attack on the organisers.

If Steve didn't have a tantrum, it may have been because he was softened up by the introduction of a bottle to the field of play. Not a bottle thrown at head height from the boundary, but one brought on by the girls manning the Pepsi drinks cart, who have apparently caught the players' eyes. "Sometimes the players chat, depending how stressed they are," says Julia Lloyd, at the wheel of the Oval's drinks cart. According to Julia they don't just talk about the weather. "No comment," Julia said giggling, when asked if the players have enquired after her phone number. In any case Julia is more concerned that she doesn't make an unwelcome appearance on the field. "I went on a over too early at Lords. Pepsi were happy about it but I was quite mortified," she said.

The threat of rain and a delayed start couldn't deter fans from turning up in droves. The entrance was thick with touts offering tickets at inflated prices. "The secret is to wait until the first fiver overs have been bowled," said Mark, over for the week from Sydney. Mark picked up tickets for 60 pounds, 25 pounds over face value, which he thought was a fair price. "Nice ground, great atmosphere, shame about the Gasworks". Anandan Sivamani, who came over from Cheannai for the game, already had a ticket. But the organisers weren't sure they wanted to let him in. Anandan is a well known classical drummer in Tamil Nadu and decided to bring his drums with him. "They let me in here," he said, "but they have told me I won't be able to bring my drums to the game at Old Trafford against Pakistan". Anandan says he'll "take them anyway and play outside if I have to." The crowd in the Peter May enclosure may not have known much about traditional tabla music, but they certainly appreciated Anandan's vigorous contributions.

Unsurprisingly Indian fans dominated the crowd. "We are very busy today," says Barry, who was looking after one of the half dozen stalls selling clothing and books inside the ground. "We sold out of Indian hats within the first 15 minutes of the gates opening. We got rid of 1000 hats at 12 pounds a time." Geoff Boycott books were doing well, as was an Allan Donald biography. "He signed 199 copies but forgot to sign the 200th, we've sold the rest but this one is going to remain lonely and unsold I think". Sadly the English merchandise wasn't such a hot seller. "We haven't sold any England hats at all," said Barry. Perhaps the ECB should forget about staging English games and offer the Oval to India v Sweden in future. At least Tendulkar might score some runs against the Swedes.

But not everyone was glued to the game. By the time of the first drinks break the bars were already filling up, and a handful of spectators were milling around the Ladbroke's tent wishing they were at Epsom for the horse racing. Gurtej Singh Pence, an ambulanceman on duty with London ambulance, was probably the only impartial Asian at the ground. On duty at a game that most of London's Asian and Aussie community would have given their eye teeth to attend he said nonchalantly, "I'm a hockey player and I don't follow cricket, so I'm impartial. May the best team win."