Sports Letters
Tie decision was most unfairDear Sir, First of all I would like to apologise to the sporting (cricketing) world which witnessed the non-conforming behaviour of my contrymen during the one-day international game between Australia and the West Indies on Wednesday. In the eyes of the casual observer there was no reason for this kind of behaviour (although I would disagree). What followed was the most blatant d demonstration of bigotry towards not only the Guyanese people, but also the entire West Indies. It is true that the fans should not have invaded the pitch, it is true that the impotent and unprofessional police force should have demonstrated a little more insight into crowd behaviour and be spread around the ground rather than being concentrated in pockets around the one pavillion that they need not have been worried about. However, afer having said all of this, there is an explanation needed from Match Referee Raman Subba Row as to how on the evidence that was clearly captured on the cameras he could insult an entire cricketing region of the world (and others) by declaring this match a draw. In my mind, this is a blatant demonstration of unfairness. What the referee is doing is penalising the entire West Indies for a socio-economic problem, the half of which he does not understand, and using warped logic in the face of visual evidence to kick the West Indian people and especially the Guyanese in the teeth. There is no evidence that was shown on the TV screen that would indicate that even unimpeded the players would safely have completed the second run much less the third. The ball was recovered cleanly, it was returned accurately to the bowler who proceeded to dislodge the bails in a very efficient manner. Where, I ask, is there the justification for declaring this match a tie, except of it is punishment of the entire cricketing West Indies for the crowd behaviour. Every fair-minded cricketing fan, while deploring the impatient behaviour of the fans, should feel affronted by the decision of Mr Subba Row.
Yours faithfully
Shameful behaviourDear Sir, For the first time in my life I am ashamed to be Guyanese. It was indeed a sad day for cricket and this country when over 100 morons invaded the field at Bourda on Wednesday even as the last ball of the last over was bowled. It is my opinion that those invading the field were not genuine lovers of cricket and they did not care in the least whether West Indies won or not. This crowd was in a haste to get to the players before they left the field. The fact that one of the hooligans held onto the Steve Waugh's bat as though he had loaned it to him, could only leave one to conclude that the aim was to take whatever they could from the players. I agree that school children were part of the crowd, but they followed the adults so as not to lose out on the excitement. Much has been said about the security, but I was sitting in rails and saw the hopelessness of members of the force present at the ground. A large number of persons including women had climbed onto the roof of GBTI stand. Several policemen attempted to get these persons down, a few complied, but the majority openly defied the lawmen who stood helplessly by. Even if the police ranks were in the right place, there was not much they could have done, except maybe prevent the crowd from getting to the pitch as fast as they did. I had openly criticised Australian commentator David Hookes for describing as "idiots" spectators who invaded the pitch in Jamaica and Trinidad. I still hold that position. However, if he described the Guyanese in that way on Wednesday, then I agree with him one hundred percent. If he did not, then I so describe them and without any apologies.
Yours faithfully, From the Guyana Chronicle Shame, disgrace and lunacyI AM disgusted at what happened Wednesday at the Bourda cricket ground. Wednesday, April 21, 1999 will stand out as another black day for us as Guyanese and West Indians. It is a tragedy for Guyanese sports, cricket and culture; for West Indian cricket and world cricket. What we all saw and heard on TV on that day will not be forgotten easily, especially now that we have two tied One Day International matches in the world and both at Bourda, Guyana. Maybe Bourda does not need cricket, maybe it should have been Albion. However, all the beautiful highlights of our beloved Guyana as shown on television have gone down as negatives after that crazy spectacle. We here were just enjoying and boasting of our Guyana and Bourda, about it being green compared with other Caribbean and even international grounds; how it is one of the best anywhere. Then suddenly all our heads went down in disgrace. Those few hundreds who went on to the ground after the 29th over should have been dealt with more severely. The police on foot and the mounted ones were alerted as to what would have come after the last ball. But they failed to heed the warning. After the 29th over incident, the police went back to bunch up together to watch cricket and not the crowd. They should have been scattered around the boundaries but instead went to an area where there was no threat - as usual. Fences were even torn down and some spectators were still inside the fence area in the last over, ready to go to the wicket. The police sat on their horses and their laurels. We should have gone up 3-2. Clearly Steve Waugh and the Australians are the benefactors of this incident. They would have lost this match but the idiots running on the ground have given them the tie. What a loss! What a tragedy! What a shame! Our boys showed that they still have the fight in them. Congratulations West Indies. Even though the result is a tie we know you won and the Australians know it too. I wonder how Steve Waugh would have lived with the loss since he had to make six runs in the last over and had wasted four balls? Anyhow, the series is still 2-2. And Guyanese all over the world are holding their heads down in shame and disgrace for this. If the West Indies Cricket Board should refuse to send international cricket matches to Guyana again, then Guyanese would lose. Why not consider another venue in Guyana? Albion is a very good ground and has hosted international matches already. All Guyanese should not suffer for a few. MITCHELL JASON CHAND BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
AshamedAS A West Indian I am ashamed of the behaviour of the bunch of hooligans at Wednesday's cricket match. They behaved the way a certain political leader is expected to behave. When Ivan Pavlov did an experiment on conditioning with dogs, he got them to react to the sound of a bell consistently. Maybe the king of barbecues has conditioned a certain segment of the population to be Pavlov's dogs. WATCHER
That's the pointA FEW suggestions (that is, if Guyana is EVER allowed to host an international match again after a most embarrassing spectacle at the Bourda cricket ground Wednesday). The next time there is an international game it should be by INVITATION ONLY, or, the MINIMUM ticket cost should start at G$10,000. Discrimination you say...OOH YEAH, that IS the point! (Leave the ruffians at home!) LISA HOOSEIN
Not shockingBLEAK and gloomy. Hopeful, promising, expectant...YES!!! Thrilling and exhilarating, electrifying and tense, unacceptable, outrageous, terrible, disappointing, disgusting, lamentable, dreadful, appalling, shameful, atrocious, disgraceful, deplorable, unpardonable and scandalous. Not shocking. Cricket and politics. Goodbye Guyana.
Mob mentalityI CANNOT disagree with you. The Wednesday fiasco at Bourda was a disgrace. The world was looking at us when that mob mentality overpowered us. Now we are limited in our ability to explain this shame away. How and when did we become like this? I think it began on the streets of Georgetown in the PNC anti-government demonstrations from last year and now finds its way on to the play field. This mob mentality has contaminated the innocent minds of Guyanese and what was once morally unacceptable is now okay. TERRY SINGH BOSTON
An awakening callAS AN ardent cricket fan, I viewed with horror and great embarrassment the debacle which Wednesday transformed the serene and picturesque Bourda cricket ground into a scene of the most primitive behaviour unleashed by my fellow Guyanese during the two remaining overs of the cricket match between Australia and the West Indies. I asked myself the searching question: from whence came this new culture upon a people who were once world-renowned for decency, goodwill, hospitality and respect? This question should be researched by each of us and more so by some of our mainstream political leaders who have taken advantage of the many poor and ignorant in our society and have been leading them down a path of lawlessness and barbarism for cheap political mileage. This nation needs a heritage for which our generation and its political leaders will be well spoken of in the annals of history. The event at Bourda should serve as an awakening call to all of us. WESLEY TROTMAN
Subculture of lawlessnessTHE Wednesday display of mobbing on the field at Bourda while the ball was still live, the attempted taking of Steve Waugh's bat from him, and the loss of victory for the West Indies, have drawn all sorts of reactions, and many people are blaming the crowd. I do not blame the crowd. This is a more fundamental problem that goes beyond the crowd or Bourda itself. We have developed a subculture of lawlessness and disregard for other people's rights and property. It is quite a norm now, and perhaps fashionable, for people to disregard laws and norms of civil behaviour. I blame those who are responsible for fostering this subculture of mob rule, not the poor pawns. My only regret is that this has manifested itself at the sacred turf of Bourda, and that this country will now become uncricketable. A. R. B. Stabroek News April 24 This self-indulgent oafishness is not part of West Indian cultureDear Sir, The West Indies Board and their local agents should be hanging their heads in shame at the debacle which overtook the end of the fifth One Day International Cricket match at Bourda. That this would be the denouement was obvious to anyone long before it occurred and should have been obvious to the authorities also. That the end of an exciting match should be ruined in this way by the reluctance or the inability of those in charge to deal resolutely and condignly with this kind of hooliganism bodes ill for their hopes to be allowed to stage the World Cup in the near future. It is also a sort of come-uppance that Mr James Adams should have been the captain on the field at the time of this sad occurrence since it wasn't too long ago after a similar episode in the current series that, when asked to comment, he brushed the question aside with words to the effect that this was just a part of West Indian culture. Well, this self-indulgent oafishness is not part of West Indian culture and to suggest that it is nothing but a slander on the vast majority of West Indians. Leading sportsmen should lend their weight to the effort to stamp out this deviant behaviour and not appear to give it their blessing. How did he feel having to give up, at a meeting of the officials convened after the game, that which he and his side had fought so valiantly for and likely won, on account of this quaint 'cultural' practice? International sporting venues no longer tolerate patrons who indulge their anti-social mores at the expense of others and not only do they eject them from the ground but invariably now they are banned from returning thereafter. At Bourda an announcement was made that patrons who remained on the roof of the GBTI stand would be ejected but, in the event, the patrons remained where they were and no one was ejected. It is pointless proclaiming such a policy if there is no intention or will or ability to carry it out. No West Indian can accept with equanimity that we have had to settle for a tie because an invasion of the pitch made the evident West Indian victory an unacceptable outcome. It is now past high time that heavy sanctions should attend these routs that too often mark the end of matches in the Caribbean.
Yours faithfully,
I felt ashamed at the Bourda invasionDear Sir, On Wednesday 21st April, 1999, the day of the fifth One Day International Cricket match between Australia and the West Indies, large clouds hung over Bourda delaying the start of a much anticipated game. The clouds eventually gave way to brilliant sunshine paving the way for a shortened game. But alas, a darker cloud, in the form of the invasion of the pitch, descended in the last over of a keenly fought and exciting match. A match which should have done our West Indian cricketers not to mention all West Indians, proud, was overshadowed by another day when chaos erupted at Bourda. My joy at the performance of our cricketers quickly disappeared to a feeling of shame which I am sure was the feeling shared by the majority of Guyanese. Unfortunately, this cloud is here to stay unless or until the authorities are prepared to take a positive decision and not just shirk it off as a 'West Indian thing'.
Yours faithfully,
Give us enough and we will behave normallyDear Sir, The threatening early morning showers had subsided and over thirteen thousand Guyanese tried to gain entry into the eleven thousand capacity GCC ground. Thousands, many with legitimate tickets held high, were refused entry when the gates were locked before the start of the reduced thirty over game. The trees were filled, and hundreds had discovered that the only way in was via scaling the North Road rail. The rest of Guyana was glued to TV sets. Long before Steve Waugh won his ninth consecutive toss, liquor, beers and a wide assortment of typical Guyanese snacks were being consumed. The die was cast when Sherwin Campbell and Ridley Jacobs began their encouraging start in front of a pumped up audience that cheered even a "dead" bat. The first signs came when a section of the flag waving, bell ringing crowd booed the arrival of Stuart Williams to the crease. All of this is considered Guyanese and rightly so. Never has so many Guyanese women graced a cricket ground. It is not often these days when the colour of your skin or the texture of your hair don't mean a darn, as was experienced throughout the country at street corners, beer gardens, in homes and market squares late into Wednesday night where mixed groups discussed and traded opinions on the outcome of the game. Yes - it's traditional - Remember when a cricket game was one when the owner of the bat and ball was given out? Remember when three LBW decisions were required for you to be given out at the street game. Remember in the fifties when the first ever cricket disturbance - the throwing of bottles onto the field of play took place? Yes it was at Bourda. Remember in 1993 when spectators, for the first time in the history of the game, invaded the filed of play and caused an international One Day game between the West Indies and Pakistan to be declared a tie? Yes, it happened at Bourda. We may have forgotten our British heritage. We may be considered as hooligans by many. Our young people may be considered ignorant. But, like when apples came back to Guyana, give us enough and we will behave normally. Forgive the police, they were also caught up in the atmosphere of international rivalry that did not require guns and beating of women. Yes they are Guyanese. Call it what you like - the party will continue until our thirst is quenched. God, please give us some days for cricket. Thank you God for the sixty overs, we know we won and we thank you - Yes it's traditional
Yours faithfully,
Police at Bourda should be disciplined, invaders of pitch chargedDear Sir, What happened during the final two overs of the 5th One Day International, Australia vs West Indies at Bourda, was a potent reminder of: 'the ineptitude and indecisiveness of our police force; the indiscipline and irresponsible attitude that our society is plagued with.' I feel really ashamed and disgusted, as a Guyanese, at the mayhem that broke loose. Ashamed because the world viewed us at our 'best' and our hopes of hosting another international game is put in jeopardy. Disgusted because of the lack lustre, unprofessional, attitude of the policemen on duty at the scene. In spite of being forewarned by the first invasion at the end of the penultimate over the officers in charge did absolutely nothing to avoid what happened. Disciplinary action should be taken against those responsible. I suggest that the Guyana Cricket Board and police should use available technology and extract clips from the video tapes available to bring those persons that invaded the field to justice. Have these clips posted in every newspaper and offer a reward for their identity and place those identified before the courts. What happened should not go unaccounted for and should not be allowed to happen again. Our nation was embarrassed. That aside, I also saw one of cricket's best bowled overs of all time. Best, because the last over was bowled against high calibre and currently #2 World batsman, Stephen Waugh, with only six runs to win by part time and non-recognised bowler Keith Lloyd Thomas Arthurton. Only four runs were yielded and the rest is history. Arthurton bowled the over of his lifetime and one that will stand out in my mind as the best there ever was. We denied him his glory.
Yours faithfully
Police completely failed to cope at BourdaDear Sir, Wednesday, April 21, 1999 will stand out as another black day for us as Guyanese and West Indians. It is tragedy for Guyanese sports, cricket and culture; for West Indian Cricket, and World Cricket. What we all saw and heard on television on that day will not be forgotten easily, especially when we now have two tied One-Day International matches in the world and both at Bourda, Guyana. Maybe Bourda does not need cricket, maybe it should have been Albion. However, all the beautiful highlights of our beloved Guyana as shown by the commentators have gone down as negatives after that crazy spectacle. We were just enjoying and boasting of our Guyana and Bourda, about its green as compared with other Caribbean and even international grounds; how it is one of the best anywhere. Then suddenly all our heads went down in disgrace. Those few hundred who went onto the grounds after the 29th over should have been dealt with more severely. The police were alerted as to what would come after the last ball. But they failed to heed the warning. After the 29th over incident the police went back to bunch up together to watch cricket and not the crowd. They should have been scattered around the boundaries but instead went to an area where there was no threat--as usual. Fences were even torn down and some spectators were still outside the fence in the last over, ready to go to the wicket. The police sat on their horses and on their laurels. We should have gone up 3-2. Clearly Steve Waugh and the Australians are the benefactors of this incident. They would have lost this match but the few idiots have given them the tie. What a loss! What a tragedy! What a shame! However, our boys showed that they still have the fight in them. Congratulations West Indies. Even though it is a tie we know you have won and the Australians know it too. I wonder how Steve Waugh would have lived with the loss since he had to make six runs in the last over and had wasted four balls? The series is still 2-2. And Guyanese all over the world are holding their heads down in shame and disgrace for this. If the West Indies Cricket Board should refuse to send cricket to Guyana again, then Guyanese would lose. Why not consider anther venue in Guyana? Albion is a very good ground and hosted international matches already. All Guyanese should not suffer for a few.
Yours faithfully, 
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