Test Match Sabina Park

Test Match Sabina Park Proudly wearing the rosette of my skin _______________________________________________________________________ I strut into Sabina _________________________________________________________________________________________ England boycotting excitement bravely, _______________________________________________________________________ something badly amiss. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Cricket. Not the game they play at Lords, ______________________________________________________________________ the crowd – whoever saw a crowd ____________________________________________________________________________ at a cricket match? – are caged ______________________________________________________________________________ vociferous partisans, quick to take offence. ____________________________________________________________________

England sixty eight for none at lunch. __________________________________________________________________________ ‘ What sort o battin dat man? __________________________________________________________________________________ dem kaaan play cricket again, _________________________________________________________________________________ praps dem should-a-borrow Lawrence Rowe!’ _________________________________________________________________

And on it goes, the wicket slow ________________________________________________________________________________ as the batting and the crowd restless. __________________________________________________________________________ ‘ Eh white bwoy, how you brudders dem ________________________________________________________________________

does sen we sleep so? Me a pay monies ________________________________________________________________________ fe watch dis foolishness? Cho!’ ________________________________________________________________________________

So I try to explain in my Hampshire drawl ______________________________________________________________________ about conditions in Kent, ______________________________________________________________________________________ about sticky wickets and muggy days __________________________________________________________________________ and the monsoon season in Manchester ________________________________________________________________________ but fail to convince even myself. _______________________________________________________________________________

The crowd’s loud ‘busin drives me out _________________________________________________________________________ skulking behind a tarnished rosette ____________________________________________________________________________ somewhat frayed now but unable, quite, _______________________________________________________________________ to conceal a blushing nationality. ______________________________________________________________________________

Stewart Brown