Batting between De fresh and De salt

Sad to say dat West Indies and Afghanistan, my two horses in de ICC T 20 World Cup Cricket didn’t mek it. Tell Team Manager Darren Sammy, doh set foot in SVG right now, dat Lie-Za have she bull- pestle handy and yuh know wha’ dat mean. Not me, ah belong to de “Cocoa-Nut Bat” family, swing me bat wild like Poor-run, “Bawl-after-Bawl” either six or out! Poor-run has convinced Lie-Za dat dey’s lots ah vacant MT space between his two ears.

My come-play’n however is on de field of play, just “beyond de boundaries.” Our Arnos Vale Playing Field is undoubtedly de Most Picturesque in de Carry-Beyond, if not de World. It’s uniquely enclosed by an estuary way “de River and de Sea” meet. Ole time Christian people does say between “de Fresh and de Salt,” (de Living and de Dead), dah’s de place way dey does baptize dem “Bad-John Sinners” playing “Bully”, ley dey go meet dey “Breaker” down by de riverside. So is de same way de Arnos Vale playing Field wid de river on de East, de sea on de West, low-waiting foh all dem Bad John Cricketers, bowlers and batsmen, come fee dem Bat-is-him!
We done know as long as West Indies lose, look out foh de biting comments from de experts on de wickets. Eric Whaul says he “has never seen or heard of pitches as ridiculous as what has been prepared for the World Cup. Bridgetown and Gros Islet were ok, but the others are disgraceful to say the least.”

Ah hear what he says, but Arnos Vale is no disgrace, it’s de testing ground foh players, both batters and bowlers who use or do not use dey head. Yuh doh drive wrecklessly wid yuh new car on bad roads, except yuh’s ah WI Cricketer. Arnos Vale wicket and SVG’s bad roads are synonymous. Nuff Big Ups foh de Ground Staff, Nic-son, Sell-win and de soil Technicians.

But back in 1970 when Arnos Vale Playing Field was being built, de Engineers were aware of de effects of de water table, tide, current etc. due to de Field’s closeness to de sea and river. De rectangle containing de batting strips was drained like ah sewer (soak-away). Ah doh know bout de soil used today, but we were advised by de wicket experts to select ah “clayey-sandy loam” dat we have in SVG.

De effects of de tide is unbelievable, Dennis Mounsey, my 90 year ole Sage uses to take friends to witness de increase in de water level in de river when de sea tide changes during de different phases of de moon. It is high tide during new and full moon and low tide during first and last quarter moon.

Lie-Za ready to bet anyone dat if she digs ah hole deep enough (4 to 6 ft) on de Arnos Vale Playing Field dey will find Water. Simply put, ah bath sponge in a washing bowl. The sponge remains wet no matter the elevation of the bowl above sea level. So expect changes due to extra moisture in de wicket at Arnos Vale during de new and full moon phases. Please doh ridicule me when it happens and doh boast too early when it does not.

Those of us who lurked around Arnos Vale Oval in earlier times, are aware dat de wicket responds accordingly, depending on Tide variations. One moment de short ball will squat, and full lengthy balls will bounce. Spinners will get close to 90 degrees turn, and batsmen will experience awkward changes in pace and swing.

Night games are new to SVG, but ah tek note dat during full moon as de tide rose, impatient cross-batters and brainless sluggers, got out cheaply. South Africa are thru to de Finals. My girl seems con-fee-dent dat South Africa came to de West to seize and carry back everything de White Man stole from dem, during slavery, in particular “Respect, Pride and Dignity”. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.

•  Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.