11/3/15

Dear Diary,

It’s the day of the big game. Scotland V. Sri Lanka. Scotland's last chance of causing an upset and gaining some points in this World Cup (I’m not sure I include next weeks game against Australia as a ‘chance’) while Sri Lanka will be looking to get an extra two points to consolidate their place on the points table.

But first there's time for a quick look around Hobart before the game starts. It’s a small city center with only a few main streets comprising is shopping district of the usual uninteresting kinds of shops. The most interesting thing about the city at a glance was the amount of old art deco style building they had still have standing. Most cities get rid of their old building as redevelopment occurs on regular basis but I suspect the slow growth in population down here in Tasmania has seen less redevelopment than most other capital cities leading to a keeping of the original architecture. It’s lovely and gives this city a real old school feel (on the surface at least) even if lots of them could do with some care and attention.

Find a tourist ship, buy a bottle of water and a cloth patch for the collection, then jump on the free shuttle bus from the city center direct to the ground in the leafy suburb of Bellerive on the other side of the harbour.

Security confiscates my bottle of water at the gate,

“What? how come? It’s my one concession to healthy living.”

“It’s been opened sir. can't let it in if the seal has been broken.”

“OK. So I can just finish it here and take in the empty bottle to get it refilled, right?!

“No. You can't take an empty bottle in. The seal would still be broken.”

There is no logical reason why I couldn't take an empty bottle into a ground but give up the argument as a lost cause before he looks too closely at my pepsi bottle and realises that I’ve already opened that to have a wee drink out of it too.

I’m sitting in the Scottish supporters stand for this game and am surrounded by blue shirts, interesting accents and kilts. The ground is sparsely populated, the least amount of people I’ve seen at any game I’ve been to so far but a group of school children cheering for Scotland add some atmosphere.

Sri Lanka win the toss and chose to bat and offered Scotland a glimmer of hope when Evans had Thirimanne caught at second slip in the sixth over. This brought together a partnership between Dilshan and Sangakkara who made batting look effortless as they brought up a partnership of 195 untroubled runs. By the time Scotland broke through the score was 216/2 in the 35th over and a mammoth total looked on the cards and not even Davey picking up two Sri Lankan legends in two balls (and becoming the leading wicket taker in the tournament on the way) could slow things down much. As it was, Scotland did will to keep the Sri Lankans down to 363/9

During the innings I had moved forward to get away from a particularly loud mouth fan and ended up sitting right in front of the drummers whose job it is to stir up the crowd whenever action happens. I end up having a running laugh with them about how often they have to get up to play. Four 6s in an over have all of us laughing . They look embarrassed at the amount of times they have to take to the stage and do a little drumming probably not helped by my "Down in front" heckle. When a wicket falls on the last ball of the over,Mathews going for another 6 in the exact same area, it looks like they weren't even going to take to the stage for it until I yelled for them to "NOW you can get up and drum." Embarrassed they took to the stage again.

As the wickets fall towards the end of the innings I catch sight of myself dancing in celebration on the big screen. Its not a pretty sight but I plough on Ignoring myself and secretly thank all my friends for not liking cricket and therefor not seeing me embarrass myself on TV.

363 is a lot better than the 400 odd that it looked like Sri Lanka were going to score at the halfway point but it still looks like too big an ask for Scotland to chase down. Unless Coetzer can get another 150 odd that is!

He can't. Hes out second ball of the innings falling for a Malinga slower ball that he chipped back to the bowler.

Some unnecessary and obtuse heckling from the drunk loudmouths behind me, particularly against Malinga, borders on racism and I'm embarrassed to be in the Scottish supporters zone. It's only a minority of one in a hundred but it's unacceptable and leaves a bad taste in my mind. This kind of idiocy brings shame and disrepute to my nation and I want no part of it so I move seats to a different part of the stadium with a less good view and am far, far happier. On the way I point out the problem to a steuart who informs me the police are monitoring the situation, which is something I suppose.

There is no place for this in life and certainly no place for it in cricket.

I'm quite drunk as the night wears in and it takes me quite some time to realise that I've moved to the "No alcohol family zone". oops!!! My slurring of the odd word is still less offensive than racism.

Meanwhile on the field, Scotland have crawled to 26/1 after seven overs and look on course to lose this match by 200 runs. MacLeod is bowled for 11 and the deal seems sealed. Mommsen and Coleman join forces to form the best partnership of the match for Scotland and bring up the 100 in the 22nd over. Coleman half century comes up off 44 balls and brings a sprinkling of rain. Scotland 133/3 : D.L par = 195. Stay on the field boys.

The 100 partnership comes off 106 balls but when Mommsen is out to a sharp catch at forward mid on and the usually big hitting Leask is out for 2 soon after there is no hope Scotland can get close to the chase. We battle on though and put in a solid effort to pass 200 runs for the third time in the tournament and the third time in our World Cup history.

Malinga ends up fielding close to the boundary edge to where I’m now sitting and I redress some of the abuse he’s received earlier in the game by giving him some of the respect he deserves by calling out to him and calling him a legend. There's a small smile and a nod of appreciation from him in my general direction. Pushing my luck of interaction with a legend of the game I yell out "I reckon 220 Lasith, what do you reckon?" he has a quick look at the scoreboard then looks back to me and nods in agreement.

A minute later he’s called on to bowl and takes the last Scottish wicket. Scotland all out for 216. Malinga wins. Sri Lanka wins.
The bagpipes start up their lamenting drone and its time for a quick getaway. Bus into town, walk up the mega steep hill to my accommodation (I get a stitch half way up and curse myself for booking a room with a view until I turn around and see the city lights twinkling away over the harbour and life seems full of magic and wonder again. Still have the rest of the hill to climb though which isn't so magic at all. Scotland have a similar mountain to climb in their next game against Australia.




"Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it." Jules Renard - (1864 - 1910)