Football and Gravy in Antigua

Labon Kenneth Blackburn Leeweltine Buckonon Benjamin leads a relatively anonymous life these days as he ekes out a living from the hardware store that he runs in St John's. But for 12 years from 1988, Labon was known throughout the cricketing world as 'Gravy', the West Indian cricket teams' number one cheerleader. His antics were the stuff of legend as he danced and sang his way into notoriety, often in drag, as the teams '12th man'. The Antigua Recreation Ground, 'The Old Rec', was his stage. It's said that he retired in 2000 in part because he felt that he'd not been treated with respect by the WI Cricket Board and he wore a white wedding dress on his final day. Cricket has moved down the road to the new Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds, but the ghost of Gravy lives inside the hallowed Old Rec. It was to this graveyard that I set off on a Saturday afternoon in January to watch an Antigua & Barbuda Premier League match between Hoppers FC and Five Islands FC.

The ticket booth is a small hole in the wall just outside the Factory Road End and it cost me $1 to get in. The ticket itself (right) was reminiscent of a raffle ticket. I told the operator that I wanted to be where the 'lads' go and she advised me that I'd be better off elsewhere. Since the entire attendance was less than a few hundred I'm not exactly sure why she was concerned about where I sat, but I complied and took my seat in the Factory Road End stand. There were a few dozen fans in my section and the healthy smell of weed was already present. The Old Rec cricket pitch was famously 'featherbed', meaning that it was hard and dry and relatively easy to bat on. As a football pitch it is hard and bumpy and does not make for a flowing, skillful game. A vendor came around every now and then selling drinks, nuts and other snacks, but no alcohol sadly! From my seat I looked across the field with nostalgia as I took in the view of the stands opposite bearing such legendary names as Andy Roberts and Sydney Walling. This is the ground where Brian Lara, one of the great cricketers of all time, broke the single score batting record of 375 in 1994 and then again in 2004 with 400. So much history.

My fellow spectators spent almost the entire game berating the players and it wasn't at all evident which team they were supporting until I asked. The game itself was entertaining enough, a similar standard to a Sunday game in the park. However, the real entertainment came about 15 minutes from the end when, at 3-1 to Hoppers FC, a scuffle broke out on the field which resulted in two Five Island FC players being sent off. At this point an all-out battle ensued, opponents pushing and shoving, and the referee decided to calm things down by taking the players off. The arguments continued off-field and at some point the referee started running, pursued by a couple of players. My local friends were howling at this and from outside the stadium a police siren started blaring. From the opening to the right of the pavilion law enforcement arrived, two guys running across the pitch to confront the mayhem and restore peace. Once it had all calmed down the game continued without much enthusiasm, meandering to a 3-1 conclusion. The laughter in the crowd was the highlight for me and when I asked my neighbour if this often happened in the Antigua & Barbuda PL, he simply replied 'no' and carried on howling.

I wouldn't go to a game in Antigua if you’re interested in watching high quality football, that is never the only reason for me. But if you want to wile away a few hours in the sun, in a historic old sports stadium, surrounded by fun-loving and friendly locals, then I highly recommend it! The Antigua and Barbuda Premier League was created in 1968 and consists of 10 teams. The season loosely runs between October and April. The Old Rec is the home ground for nine of the current Premier League teams.