GCI Wallops GCU In First Eleven Cricket

Government College Ibadan (GCI) Wallops Government College Ughelli (GCU) In First Eleven Cricket In 1965

Cricket was played during the third term of the academic calendar. There was intense rivalry between GCI and GCU in cricket. The match against GCU was as eagerly anticipated as that against King's College Lagos. I was in Form Four, and the youngest and most junior member of the team. To put it accurately, I was a bloody rookie! I believe that Adegoke (aka California Papa), a fantastically skilled batsman, joined the team the following year.

The match and our impending departure for Ughelli was announced during the morning assembly of the entire school. We were driven to Ughelli in our vehicle complete with its wooden seats driven by the legendary Alansaka.

Hospitality at Ughelli was adequate. What I enjoyed most was their meal of fried plantain. GCU boasted fine cricketers such as Garen Siekpe (later a pillar of Nigeria's cricket team) and Tosawunmi, among others. Our team list was as follows: Johnson, Enobakhare (aka 'Jesu'), Onafowokan (aka 'Fonso'), Osibo, Orunmuyi, Johnson, Odukoya, Williams the captain (nicknamed Pastrano after the former light heavyweight champion of the world Willie Pastrano), Banwo Smith (then the Head of School), Ezem and myself.

We batted first and were skittled out for a paltry score of about 60 runs. With such a meagre score to defend, it seemed that our cause was hopeless. The boys from Ughelli certainly believed so, as they commenced to gloat and toast their supposedly imminent and incipient dominance and superiority which they believed would lead to ultimate victory.

Remember the famous saying - “It is not over until the fat lady sings.” This adage was to prove prophetic and would return to haunt our adversaries at Ughelli. Our captain Williams, gave us a pep talk before we went to field. As Williams was telling us that victory was achievable, I kept thinking that his hopes would be impossible to achieve. Then our bowlers Onafowokan and Odukoya went to work. Odukoya particularly bamboozled GCU’s batsmen with his offbreaks, which they found impossible to read or decipher.

From the other end, Onafowokan’s seam and pace bowling presented puzzles that our opponents could neither fathom nor diffuse. The batsmen from GCU found themselves “on queer street.” It must have seemed to them that the pitch was constructed with quicksand! They were in a complete quandary. They were the puppets with our inspired bowlers as the puppeteers. Try as they did, they could not extricate themselves “from the bottomless pit which our bowlers had dug for them.” We also complemented our bowlers by fielding excellently. Virtually every catch was taken. Suddenly, what seemed impossible ab initio began to look probable. As GCUs wickets tumbled, the shouts, moans and cries of despair from their students became palpable and audible.

Finally, their 10th wicket fell when they were still about 22 runs short of the seemingly meagre target that we had set for them.

Garen and Tosawunmi were the strike bowlers for GCU. They had played their part in restricting us to a low total. Strictly speaking, it was not their duty but rather that of the top order batsmen to make the runs. That top order failed woefully.

As we celebrated our famous victory, GCU made an incredible proposal to us. Since there was still so much time left, they suggested that we should immediately commence a second innings which had never been part of the plan for our encounters. Their proposal was emphatically turned down! It was clear to us that they were seeking an opportunity for redemption in the face of our crushing victory. There was no immediate return match clause and they would have to redeem their dented and battered reputation the following year, this time on our home turf.

Meanwhile we the triumphant ones would wear our crown of glory during our year-long reign. How sweet indeed is victory?! As someone said, “the surest way to remain champion is to retire immediately you win the title”. No way were they going to get an immediate rematch. We had to ‘seize the day’ and celebrate what we had earned.

A friend of mine with a caustic sense of humour once said of a similar situation - “That we have we hold.” Someone tried to suggest that it would be in the spirit of sportsmanship to play a second innings which we had rejected. That did not bother me personally. Neither did the expected encounter the following year. As a philosopher said — “Happy the man who having enjoyed himself today, can say tomorrow do thine worst because I have enjoyed myself today.” Another said, “There is no tomorrow, Today is the day of man’s salvation.” Even the Bible appears to support this philosophy through the Lord’s Prayer — “Give us THIS DAY, our daily bread...” It adds in ultimate wisdom — “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

There was great joy in my heart as we drove back as conquering heroes to our great school. It would appear that the news of our conquest had already reached the school as the long route from the gate to the assembly hail was lined by students who cheered deliriously as we made our majestic entry, with Alansaka executing his famous honking of the horn of our school vehicle. I was so happy just as I was when the school formally welcomed us during the morning assembly the following day.

Written by Chuka Momah, (1272, Swanston, 1962), and culled from his book, Sports Spectacular.

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