All seemed peaceful until the horse sprinted off. - Photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop. The policeman had a pleased expression on his face as he sat atop the gallant steed. All was well with the world as he patrolled the road leading to Sabina Park, attracting stares from children and women alike. It's been decades since horses were a staple on Kingston's roadways, so people were running out of their homes to see the man andhis horse travelling peacefully down the roadway at a gentle pace. But suddenly, there was a shriek and the eyes of the horse widened like it had seen a ghost.
The animal took off with a sudden urgency that seemed to catch the poor policeman off guard. He bobbed up and down for a second with his eyes wide. Everyone froze as the horse charged forward. It was a few seconds before the horse slowed down and, in the meantime, the children who were only just admiring the man's masterful maneuvering of the animal now looked on with glee. "Whoi! Him nearly topple over! Hee Hee," a child shouted while holding his stomach. He was sitting on the steps of a nearby house and his legs went into the air as he laughed. A few women standing nearby made a hissing sound with their mouths and looked away.
This was only one of the many strange scenes in Kingston earlier this week when the West Indies cricket team took on the men from Zimbabwe at Sabina Park. It started early. From about 8 o'clock in the morning the streets around the park started to fill up with people from different parts of the world and different parts of the country. Like Brother Brown, for instance, who is from Malvern in St. Elizabeth and who normally only comes to town when he has business to conduct. "Di last time mi come is when mi grandson carry mi go a tax office. From dat mi nuh come up dah side yah for it too fur. You haffi tek too much vehicle. Mi can't badda wid it," he said.
Brother Brown is quite a spiffy dresser. He was wearing a white collared shirt and a pair of checkered pants, white socks and sandals. He is about 70 years old.
"Is mi grandson send some money and say mi fi come a di match. Mi love cricket bad so dat's why him do it. Mi will watch cricket whole day and night. So mi get a drive from Winston and mi come up here fi watch di match," he continued.
Brother Brown didn't hang around much more after that. He was eager to get into the park and so he hobbled away in a jiffy, with his igloo and towel in hand.
I followed in his footsteps and, after a few minutes, was inside Sabina Park myself. Now, here is where they were really having a good time. The match hadn't even started yet, but there was no way you could tell, because there were signs that the excitement and liquor had been flowing freely for some time now. There were a few Zimbabwean supporters around, but none as loud and dedicated as the two I ran into in front of the souvenir shop.
They were wearing red T-shirts and had flags draped across their shoulders. They were singing and swinging from side to side.
"We are the same brothers and sisters but you aren't going to win this one," the taller of the two said to a short woman beside him. The woman gave a response that I'm pretty sure neither of the men understood and walked off in a hurry. This didn't faze the men a bit, however, and they continued singing their song and walking around starting conversations with random West Indians.
Soon the trumpet sounded and the match began. Everyone went hurriedly inside to see the first delivery. They settled into their seats and made themselves comfortable. Across the street Alfred Donaldson, of nearby Rum Lane, made himself comfortable on the firmest branch of a huge ackee tree."Mi caan really see everything, but mi get a glimpse sometime. Mi caan afford di ticket papa, so mi a gwaan control dah branch yah," he laughed.
An excited fan at the cricket match reacts to a massive hit by a West Indian batsman.
A couple of Zimbabwean cricket fans at the match.
robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com
