August 28, 2002

Hurrah for Headingley

- Jonathan Dyson

Earlier in the summer during India's Natwest Series game against Sri Lanka at The Oval, there appeared amidst the extensive Indian support a huge flag with the words "India's Barmy Army" written boldly in the middle.

At Headingley on Sunday and Monday, a similar flag appeared with the words "Bharat Barmy Army." It was unclear whether there was any connection between the two flags, but the enthusiasm and volume of support on the final two days at Leeds certainly brought memories flooding back of those unforgettable one-day parties.

As usual, I attended each day of the Headingley Test. With the ground less then an hour's train ride away from home, and my father and I being Yorkshire members, it is a convenient and enjoyable experience for both of us, with value for money almost guaranteed - dull Tests are few and far between here. At various points during the game I met up with a few university friends and some England fans who I travelled with in India and New Zealand. Beers were drunk and banter exchanged as we reminisced about the exploits of the winter.

The most pleasing aspect of the crowd however was the vocal and enthusiastic gathering of Indian spectators that emerged on the final two days. The pattern was very similar to that at Trent Bridge. During the first three days, there was a scattering of Indian fans round the ground, but their presence was not really felt until Sunday, when air horns, whistles, chanting and cheering could be heard throughout the day from a close-knit group of fans towards the back of the West Stand. Their huge flag enveloped across the empty seats in front of them, and most of the group were brightly dressed in orange, green and white.

The following day, with prices a very reasonable £5 for adults, and under-16s allowed in for free, an even bigger group of Indian supporters appeared in the same area. Each wicket was greeted with wild celebrations, as the fans enjoyed the doubly thrilling moment of seeing their team claim a rare 'away' Test win, and doing so amidst a joyous atmosphere that they had created themselves right from the start of the day.

After the match had finished, several of the fans paraded round the cycling track which circles most of the outfield, with one fan beating a large drum, surrounded by fans dancing and chanting. What was particularly pleasing was that no-one attempted to halt their celebrations, even though the use of flags, banners and musical instruments - as at each Test ground - is officially prohibited. I guess it helps that here, unlike at Lord's, spectators' bags are not checked according to the country you are supporting.

The stewarding in general at Headingley has transformed over the past few years. Where there was once uncompromising and sometimes violent behaviour from stewards, now there is an easy-going approach. The key has been the revamping of the once notorious Western Terrace. Before the rebuilding, fans were squashed together, with little leg room between seats. Now the stand is organised into neat rows of attractive blue seating, with much wider gaps between each row. The result has been a crowd that is much more at ease, with noticeably less frustration and aggression.

This easy-going atmosphere has been reflected in the stewarding, with harmless fun encouraged rather than harshly treated. In 1997, two fans dressed as a cow were hurled into advertising hoardings. Five years on, a toy rabbit was being lobbed across the stand on Saturday afternoon. When it came a steward's way, rather than confiscating it or searching for incrimination, he simply caught the toy and threw it back into the crowd with a broad grin on his face.

The only discernible problem during the Test was the quixotic policy on which food and drink items were allowed into the ground. On Monday morning, the man in front of me in the turnstile queue was allowed to take in two full cans of coke, which seemed fair enough until I was refused a half-empty plastic water bottle. Earlier in the Test, a thorough search through our cool bag had found two forks which were clearly intended for use with our pasta dish. The stewards instead saw them as potential weapons, and had them confiscated. Later on, my dad sneaked back in with them in his jacket pocket.

As ever, the English fans present enjoyed themselves. Us Yorkshire folk are renowned for appreciating good play, whoever performs well, and this was especially evident on Friday evening when loud cheers greeted each of the boundaries unleashed by Tendulkar and Ganguly. Everyone clearly recognished that we were witnessing two fine batsmen assert their team's authority in brave and enterprising fashion, against the new ball and in poor light.

As at Trent Bridge, fancy dress was prominent, with characters represented including Spiderman, the Flinstones, and Star Wars' Darth Vader. There was also a particularly large group dressed as nuns, who went round half the ground towards the end of play on Saturday, walked up each gangway in turn, and waved to the rest of the crowd, much to their amusement.

Another feature was the construction of what are called "beer snakes" - a pile of empty plastic beer glasses that tends to bend, and resemble a snake. This is becoming increasingly popular at English Test grounds. That great modern English tradition, the streaker, also made an appearance on Friday and Saturday. The England fan to attract most attention however was a Yorkshireman called John Bunton, who made such a hash of trying to catch a six hit by Ganguly, that the ball slipped straight through his hands and badly bruised his head. He was interviewed by Simon Hughes on Channel 4, who asked if he'd played cricket before. "Only casually" was the predictable reply. Channel 4 also came up with the witty caption: "Sourav Ganguly - 80*, dropped on 79 by Robert Key, and 51 by John Bunton."

On the final day, during the match post-match presentation, Dermot Reeve asked Ganguly about the Indian support. He replied: "It's been fantastic right through the series. It's great to see them turning up in huge numbers and making a lot of noise. I don't think we've disappointed them so far, and I hope we don't do it at The Oval."

Also read:
- Final day feast
- Grounds for concern
- India score a double at Lord's
- India rule on and off the pitch
- India's 'home' support

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Illustration: Bijoy Venugopal