By the time you, dear readers, read these ruminations of your Eyewitness, the first home game of our Warriors, against the Jamaica Tallawahs, would be over. You would know whether the Warriors won or lost.
But, as all of you should know by now, your Eyewitness is a “cricket tragic” — one who lives and breathes the game in general — and ever more so when the Warriors are involved!! And what else could he be?? For what it’s worth – and, over the years, it’s been worth plenty in winning scads of bets!! – your Eyewitness is possessed of a “black tongue”. So, whatever he wishes for an event to happen, it happens!!
And just so you know, he never uses his gift to enrich himself – he reserves it for important things, like Warriors’ games!! So, he’s going out on a limb here and now to declare that they won!!
Wasn’t he here when the GAW was birthed ten years ago?? Wasn’t he there at the birth, and then attended every home game they played at our Providence Stadium?? Didn’t he shout himself hoarse so many times in egging them on, along with the rest of Guyana (it appeared). And that really wasn’t an exaggeration, because all those who had not gone at the Stadium were glued to their TVs and smart phones following “their boys”. The rest of the Caribbean marvelled at the fervent, vociferous loyalty of the Guyanese fans.
Whatever they might’ve heard about divisions among our people in our politics, those were clearly jettisoned when they pushed through the turnstiles at the gates!! In the stands, and especially on the mound, we were as one, cheering and groaning, and giving each other high fives and hugs as the particular play demanded!! It was cricket – lovely Warriors’ cricket. In the past ten years, the Warriors have proven to be the winningest team in the CPL T20 tournament – but have been the bridesmaids and never the brides. But because your daughter hasn’t gotten married, do you disown her??
This year, they haven’t exactly started out as house on fire – winning 1; another washed out, and losing three. But hey!! They’re the only team with five more games to play, and with this Eyewitness, he believes in the saying “NEVER SAY NEVER!!” He’s going out on a limb to predict that they’ve won last night’s game. But even if they didn’t, he’s a true believer!!
And you know why he can be so confident? It’s because of our secret weapon – you, the Guyanese fans at the games!! We’re like the 12th man ON THE FIELD!! Every opposing cricketer over the last decade who’s played against the Warriors at Providence has remarked about this “F” Factor: the fan factor!!
…and our cricket evolution
Now having expanded from Test Cricket to T20 should tell you that your Eyewitness’s no old stick-in-the-mud. He’s also changed from straight legged jeans to bell bottom jeans to baggy jeans, and now to “skinny” jeans!! But not to ODI. He gotta draw the line SOMEWHERE, and that’s it!!
But he must say he’s having some challenges digesting some of the newer innovations of this year’s CPL Tournament – especially this Cricket Carnival. Up to now, he’s felt that T20 Cricket WAS Carnival Cricket, judging from the way our cricketers played the game with gusto and the way our fans partied in the stands and the mound. So, while he has some issues with our alcohol consumption, he can digest DDL introducing their special El Dorado Master Blender CPL T20 Rum. For good or bad, rum’s always been part and parcel of Guyanese cricket. What did you think was in all those bags the fans always brought to games?? But the carnival outside the stadium??
What’s that got to do with cricket??
