BASIL SYLVESTER PINTO
PANAJI
The Goa Ranji Trophy cricket team has rarely performed at the domestic level, but this has not deterred a Yorkshireman, who made the State his home for about half the year for almost 18 years be an ardent supporter of the side.
In the past many years, since he has moved to Goa as an escapade from the English winters, 59-year-old Ian Jones has been making it a point to watch every home four-day match of Goa with his better half, Sue. While it has been a few years, since the home matches at the senior level have been moved from the MCC, Margao to the GCA Academy ground, Porvorim, it has not dissuaded him and Sue to travel all the way from Benaulim in South Goa, changing buses to travel a good 40 odd kilometres to the match venue and back. His wife’s passing away in October notwithstanding, he ensures that her spirit accompanies him to a match. He is a familiar sight at Porvorim gazing out on the field intently through his binoculars. Jones was watching his first Goa game for the season last week with the State team playing Jharkhand at the GCA Academy ground, Porvorim when The Goan caught up with him.
“Unlike in England, where you find a few thousands of fans turning up for county matches even on a week day, here you hardly find any,” Jones matter-a-factly tells this daily.
Jones’ interest in the domestic game is divided between Yorkshire and Goa. While he watches his English county team play from April through September since 1970, he is usually down in Goa from October since 2001 to catch Goa in action. “The first time I watched the State team play was in Margao. I recall (Swapnil) Asnodkar get a 254 not out (v Railways, Group B, Ranji Trophy Plate League, 2007) in one of the earlier games I have seen there,” the passionate fan recalled.
Watching Goa cricket men’s team over 18 years, Jones’ impressions of the side has been not forthcoming. “They are unfortunately not producing enough players. They are not able to compete. They had once nearly got promotion (lost to Bengal in Kolkata and failed to qualify on basis of the most marginal of NRR). They have gone down a bit and not quite good at the moment,” the Englishman proudly wearing a Goa team shirt declared.
On the youngsters in the team, Jones believed that they have to start somewhere. He highlighted the younger crop of Goa batsmen’s inability of getting enough runs. While he felt the opening batsmen (Sumiran Amonkar and Amogh Desai) are doing alright, he added that they have to play enough shots as well as their strides up the order is a bit too slow.
With Goa not shaping too well this season, and a few seasoned players not considered at least for the season, he strongly objected the move of dropping State team stalwarts like Swapnil Asnodkar (batsman) and Shadab Jakati (slow left-orthodox bowler) from the probables this Ranji season. “You need the experienced players. Youngsters can play at the side a bit. At the moment, they are playing five spinners (Pandrekar, Misal, Verma, Kahlon and Amogh v Jharkhand). Apart from Misal, who has been playing a long time, they do not have the experience (spin department),” he pointed out. Jones questioned the axing of Asnodkar from the team when the talented young players have been non-performing. “It depends whether they (younger batsmen) are getting some runs beneath the level to push the seniors out. If they (youngsters) are not getting enough runs, you cannot have their (seniors) places,” the avid Goa cricket fan remarked.
The enthusiastic cricket fan has travelled for Goa Ranji away matches in Guwahati (Assam), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi for the Services game, has even been to Bhubaneshwar, two years ago for the neutral venue game against Tripura. While he did not attend any away matches last season, he looks forward to taking a flight to Bhubaneshwar for Goa’s Round IX fixture of the Ranji 2018-19 season starting on January 7 against Odisha. His intense passion and following for Goa cricket stems from the fact that he has even travelled a painstaking two days by train for a Guwahati match somewhere in 2003. While he used to travel together with his wife for all of Goa matches home and away until the end of last season, her passing away will not deter his affection and following for the State side.
Jones is not only a fan of the longer format, but also likes the one-day game too. Unfortunately, he says the Vijay Hazare Trophy has not been held in Goa since 2012 and he does not find sense to travel a long way just for a day’s play.
Quiz him on his most memorable Goa game he has watched, and the answer is not too difficult. “They don’t win too many. They needed to win a match five years ago by 10 wickets to finish second in their group with a bonus point. They won the match but did not get a bonus point,” Jones poignantly recounted. Incidentally, in the match against Andhra, Asnodkar first got out and then Amogh as well with Goa registering an eight-wicket win.
While he may find the Porvorim ground much better now, and the view as well seated on the top floor at the newer GCA edifice constructed some six years ago, Jones is quick to state that the fan-player relation is not quite the same. “Earlier, at the club house, we may have been seated in the sun but amongst the players as well and talk to them. Nowadays, the players seat downstairs and do not come up,” he points out the flip side.
While everybody knows and recognises Ian Jones at GCA, he seldom has got the recognition for being the mascot of Goa cricket. You will always find him reach the ground early prior to day’s play and leave the venue no sooner the last delivery is bowled. Next time, you see a wizened Englishman at a Goa game in the State or elsewhere, do make it a point to exchange a few pleasantries.
