07.10.07

Ascot Days

Posted in Miscellaneous at 10:47 am by BangaloreTalks

It is a Saturday late afternoon in Ascot and I am at club grounds watching a practice game since League game on this Saturday afternoon is washed out due to rains .

Every time I visit the club, it takes me back to an evening in summer of 2002 .I had veered into the Ascot Racecourse one late evening. A cricket game was on and Ascots were fielding.

As the game proceeded, thoughts of reviving my old cricketing ties were crossing my mind .I asked someone in the onlookers crowd if I could play for the club .They wanted to test me in the nets before making a decision .On that note when I was leaving the grounds and about to leave the main gate, I saw a shout from behind .Some one was waving at me and running towards me .

“I am Simon “.He introduced. “Captain of seconds Team .Would u please come on Thursday evening for the nets.? “

I went in and it was not an issue to get into the team.

A long association began and has culminated me having friends at the club .Sports associations are different in nature as they say.

Summers often start in England and at the club washing away plentiful of games .The points table would be discussed in the clubs after a rained out game in the evening over a few pints of beer and I have not had a better entertainment than being part of those discussions.

Images dance and flip over in my mind of the dark monsoon evenings those we used to spend in “Shiroda” , a small southern Konkan Village very close to Goa . We were an avid cricket fans even then .Listening to BBC commentary on a radio on a wet evening is an experience only a true cricket fan can reveal and vouch to.

Club discussions vary in size and flavor of intellect. After all the club members come in with backgrounds ranging from Cab drivers ,Disc Jockeys , Management stalwarts of big companies .

Willy is an old club mate of mine .I see him at the bar counter arguing with his girlfriend on the 20 pound bill that is missing .He is “keeping” the bar for the night .They can not find the Bill and that has upset the couple so much that they are not talking to each other ,just sipping the beer and looking into empty space .

Mikey (Mike king ) does not care about my sudden showing up in to the club after a year .For him it is just another day for me at the club .I saw him last in the last summer when I visited the club

“Would u be available to play at Swansea mate ? I mean the next week end ?
I think the weather is going to be OK there and before we return to the big games in the league back at Ascot, it would be a fun to play in SwanSea.”

A heavy Welsh accent throws all of these questions at once.

Mikey is a Welshman .Separated once in married life and leaving with possibly 2 nd girlfriend .Later in the evening when I spoke to Wendy (His current Girlfriend ) at the club ,I realized that the new relation ship is not working either .

Mikey is unmoved .He talks to me about cricket and his Son .He loves his Son from the first marriage and he takes him to all of the cricket that he can offer to see and play.

In fact after initial introduction at the club , I remember we met at Lords watching a Glamorgan Game one Sunday afternoon and that is when he started changing opinions on me and Asians I believe !

Mikey was banned once or twice on the club cricket circuit for racial references against Asians .Another friend at the club (Asian ) had warned me on that .After a few initial interactions however I found Mikey to be a completely different animal .He is like a plain and transparent kid .Had his views on Asians and such but as we developed interactions all the perceptions are melting

As I sip the pint of bitter ale, sitting in the door gazing into the empty grounds now filled by discussion groups of player’s , I also see a white hairy Puppy dog standing out against the lush green Fields and the darkness that is sinking in on to the cricket fields

“This must be Jeremy’s?” ,I ask someone next to me

“Yes,In fact the last one that u must have seen last year when u were here, died already .He has got this one new “

Jeremy is a character .With 5 wicket hauls every now and then with his Off spin, he is an important element for the first’s team .At the club though the Dog that accompanies him attracts more attention than Jeremy himself .The Relationship between Jeremy and the dog is astounding .I have never seen Jeremy without Dog for past 5 years .I remember in fact having seen Jeremy leaving the games in fact because the host club did not allow the dog in the club house.!

In the Corner I see Nick tallying the club collections from the game that is just over .Everyone needs to contribute 8 pounds except for the players who are hired for a season .He is currently not happy with the attitudes of some.

“How can Pixy pay for his multicolored shirt which goes so badly with Cricket tradition and not pay the game dues? I am just sick of it .”

Nick has never liked the Cricketing attire taking diversions from the complete white.
I call him complete Englishman.

Nick and Ann are a couple .He used to own an Indian restaurant in a partnership with an Asian .Like many he English friends those I have ,he too likes Indian food .but would admit to it only “subtly” .That is what I called English stiff upper lip attitude. But we both laugh this off .

Nick always insists that it was he who convinced me to play for the club .

I am thankful to him for that. I did not play competitive games after college and I was concerned on the fitness and Injury front before starting all over again .But everything was ok once I got on with the Game at the start of Summer of 2002

When I look back , I think Nick handed me my childhood dream of playing cricket in England .I see now that the dreams those filled my mind in early seventies while in Shiroda a very remote village in Southern Konkan region of India were actually helped to become a reality by him .

I am grateful to him for that .Nick and Ann have agreed to plan to visit India in near future .That is what at least he tells me .

“I think u are lying .The dirty India bothers u Nick .U are concerned on the health, traveling perils and in general whatever u have seen on damn BBC . Don’t u?”

He has a big laugh and switches the discussion by asking me if he could buy a pint for me

Discussion goes on .It is getting darker and colder .Some are leaving for the day .Some are getting ready for the partying.

Mikey jumps into Changing room and emerges with a look of Casanova .Pixy is spraying something all over him .The guys who went home to change have just returned and Car pooling is being organized .Every body is heading to the Ascot Jazz club a pub close to the Ascot station where they will finish the day at 11 pm when the pub shuts close .

By 11 PM when we have sipped a couple of more pints and martinis, we walk on the empty Ascot streets under a light drizzle and in dim street lights.

It is a nice feeling eh!

“I will be around soon crofty .Take care “

“Make sure u get me a good Woodworm Wand Bat from India, mate  .The last one that u gave me was Awesome .The ball just flew of it “

He fades into the darkness with his son and girlfriend.

The drizzle intensifies into a downpour as I start walking back.
I am sure to Return to Ascot.

Jagdish Naik has worked through out India and has travelled to over 20 countries in thepast 10 yrs on work and has had long stays in US ,UK ,Japan and Korea. His hobbies include Portrait photography ,Jazz (Classical) and longer versions of Cricket

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