Cricket
Cricket in Penang - from 1900
by Dr Gitu Chakravarthy
Cricket
Cricket in Penang - from 1900
by Dr Gitu Chakravarthy |
|
THE
ELEPHANT TROPHY SERIES Symbolic of
the efforts to keep the game alive is the Elephant Trophy, played
between Royal
Bangkok Sports Club and Penang Sports Club. This series is but one of a
number
of series that It is
interesting that Perera (1980) points out that when “the history of
Inter-port
cricket comes to be chronicled in the future, it will record that the
oldest in
the Asian region is the encounter between Royal Bangkok Sports club and
the
Penang Sports Club, which began in 1931” (p. 9). The survival of the
game
through 71 years is an unmistakable tribute to the commitment and
untiring
efforts of players and administrators concerned. The term
used for this series is Interport. The term was used for matches
between port
cities, such as between
While the origin of the inaugural
game between the two Clubs is not clear, it is a fact that the Elephant
Trophy
(picture 3) was one that the RBSC put up for competition.
In keeping with the tradition pointed out
earlier of the cricket season starting with Easter, the inter-port was
fixed
for this time of year. With the relatively heavy schedule of games
played by
both clubs, it has not been possible to maintain this tradition.
Perera points out that the “1932
Easter match between the RBSC and PSC has been recorded in the Bangkok
Times as
‘The Ashes’. One wonders which part of
the elephant was chipped off for cremation to justify the title! Suffice it to say that despite the half
century of being carried to and fro, the elephant itself has lost none
of its
luster, and even today, causes much amusement whenever the holders
carry it
past the Customs at both the
Picture:
The Elephant Trophy made of teak wood, and beside it, the Hayati-Nana
trophy,
on the occasion of the1995 match.
While the early encounters between
The RBSC, under R.E. Bentley,
visited
From then on, there is a period of
RBSC dominance that lasted until 1964, when PSC finally regained it.
Both the
1958 and 1959 games were won by the RBSC. The 1959 game was highlighted
by a
great spell of seam bowling by RBSC’s Mike Forshaw, who in
In 1960, Mike Wilson’s 80 runs is
supposed to have been decisive in RBSC’s win. In 1961, there was a
drawn game.
For RBSC, Mike Forshaw returned the remarkable figures of 10 for 96. Nana top scored with 45 in the second
innings, while O’Connell’s 36 .
In 1962, PSC visited
In 1963, PSC, had one of their
strongest sides ever. With a number of
State players in Hayati Meah, Wilson Doss, Alex Delilkan, Noel
Monerasinghe,
Roy Walton, Tony Bromage and Graham Long, they were quite confident of
a win.
On the first day, they declared at 245 for 7, with Long unbeaten on
129, there
was good reason for their optimism. Mike
Forshaw took 4 for 74 and skipper Mike Spink 2 for 48. Any ideas In 1964,
after a long hiatus, PSC finally beat RBSC. Batting
first, RBSC were skittled out for 59 with Peter
Tett taking 4
for 21, and that man Hayati Meah 3 for 4. PSC,
however, did worse, and were bundled out for a mere
56 runs, thus
establishing a new low score for themselves, after the RBSC had
established
theirs. Eustace Labrooy made 29. Stewart had the magnificent figures of
7 for
13 that stood as the best Interport bowling figures in a single innings
for
quite a while. RBSC, the home team
totaled 120 in the second innings, with Hayati Meah again taking the
wickets, 7
for 33. When
While the 1965 game was drawn, both
in 1966 and 1967, the RBSC was outplayed. In
1966, Anton Perera top scored in the RBSC’s first
innings of 162 with
48, while Fred Cummings made 39. PSC
replied with 147 (Alcock 38 n.o, Cumming 4 for 31). RBSC lost the
initiative
when Patel took 5 for 18 in RBSC’s total of 89. PSC won by two wickets
after
despite Charles Stewart’s 3 for 22 in
PSC won easily by seven wickets in
Between 1968-72, the Interport
stuttered, and only two games were played in 1969 and 1971. Both were
played in In 1971,
PSC trounced the RBSC by an innings and 25 runs, once again retaining
the
elephant.
After another gap in 1972, Penang
finally made the trip by rail to
The 1974 game was drawn. In 1975,
Adrian Gundlach captained the RBSC team in
The 1977 game was drawn. In the 1978
game in In 1979,
PSC were comprehensively beaten by an innings and 48 runs in So finally
in 1981, the Elephant was 50 years old. A great carnival like
atmosphere
surrounded this match at the RBSC ground. On a newly laid pitch, RBSC
found
Johnson Doss’s pace and lift unplayable. They tottered on 28 for 5,
with their
best batsmen out. When the next man was felled by a bouncer, the two
captains,
Myles de Vries and Dr.J.S.Gill agreed to call off the game for reasons
of
safety! A pity, because PSC had the team to win, whatever the wicket. Mention
must be made of some wonderful cricketers from RBSC. The irrepressible
Anton
Perera, batting wonder M.C.Nana, M. Forshaw, C.Stewart, R.Endley, the
Seghal
brothers Ravi and Satish, M.Balani, Edward Thangarajah, Pradeep Gulati,
Mohidin
Abdul Kader and the one and only F.A.Malbari. The last two have in fact
been
made honorary members of the PSC because of their performances on and
off the
field.
Perera (1980) points out what has
characterized these matches ever since the 1931 inaugural encounter has
been
the spirit in which the rival teams have met both on and off the field. Gone are the days when the players used to be
the guest in the home of their counterparts in both Penang and One major
change has been the introduction of one-day games, replacing the old
two-day
format, thereby forcing a definite result in each encounter. This has
done away
with the acrimony resulting from late declarations, and dour batting to
play
for a draw. The last drawn encounter was in 1985, after which the
format has
changed in line.
Today, the hallowed Interport
between the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the Penang Sports Club has
moved
inexorably into the new millennium. It still continues to stir passion
and
performance among players and supporters. One sad piece of news,
however, is
that the revered Elephant that survived a war and the ravages of
travel,
finally succumbed to carelessness. On its way back to RBSC in 2001 from
In a paper
such as this, it will not be possible to focus on all historical
aspects of the
game in It is
indeed series such as the Elephant series that are keeping the game
alive, as
schools stop playing, and clubs run out of replacements. The Penang
Sports Club
is the last consistent and enduring bastion of cricket in the North.
Coaching
of young cricketers is ongoing. If this club folds up or stops playing
cricket,
then it will be the death knell for the grand game in REFERENCES: Anton
Perera. 1980 A Cricket Golden Jubilee: 50
not out, Gitu
Chakravarthy. 1980. PSC vs. RBSC 50th
Anniversary of the Elephant Trophy; 17th Anniversary of the
Tiger
Shield, Khoo Kay
Khim, “How soccer became a popular sport”, New Straits Times,
April
2000. Eustace
Labrooy. 1993. Cricket in Manicasothi
Saravanamuttu. 1970. The Sara
Saga. Penang: Penang
Cricket Season Reviewed, The Straits Echo, an undated cutting
(circa
1951) Interviews
in March 2002: Eustace
Labrooy N.Sarvaeswaran, Frankie
Cheah, P.Aiyathurai. . |
| Federated Malay
States and other important matches. He captained the first colony team
to beat the Federated Malay States in Penang in 1907, by an innings and
96 runs (p.570). The origin of the sports and the chief players in the sport evoke a certain mystery and romance in its own way. Khoo Kay Kim points registered in 1947, leading the club itself to conclude that it’s beginning dates |
| from then only. The
issue of course is whether registration with officialdom is the point
of inception, or whether participation in like-minded activities
constitutes the beginnings of the club. It is likely that registration
was a new strategy of control over associations and various clubs
imposed by the British after the end of the Second World War. Labrooy (1993) points out that the administration of cricket was in the control of Penang Cricket Club/ Penang Sports club, with a little assistance from other clubs. He suggests that it was in 1950 that there was the realization of a need for a Cricket Association to be formed, one that would cater to the needs of the various clubs. He points out that the Penang Cricket Association (PCA) was formed and registered in 1953. Playing members and supporters paid a nominal sum of $2 per season for the “privilege of being associated with cricket”. Contributions, especially from the Europeans, were quite liberal. One form of fund raising even in those days was that of Life Membership. Cricket was played on Saturdays (a half day match), Sundays and public holidays (full day matches). In Penang, the tradition was that clubs played a one innings match of second elevens on Saturdays, whereas Sundays was usually for the first eleven. Public holidays would usually be left free either for friendly matches, or special annual matches such as Civilians against the Services. Friendly matches against teams from other states could also be played on these days. On Sundays, most matches were not ‘limited’ to specific overs, and sometimes involved either one, or two innings. In these matches, the side batting first would declare their innings closed when they felt they had scored enough runs if they had not been bowled out. Thus, it was expected that the captain of the team would declare his innings closed while the team batting second an equal and fair chance of scoring the required runs necessary for victory. ‘A’ team matches were played over Saturday and Sunday, either as a two day match or a one and a half day match. These would usually involve two innings. N.Sarvaeswaran points out that Good Friday was the signal for the cricket season to begin. Cricketers would wait eagerly for Easter, because all the friendly rivalry and camaraderie would begin anew. Details of cricket in Penang will not be complete without reference to one man who had great impact not only on cricket, but many other aspects of life in Penang and Malaya – M.Saravanamuttu. He was the editor of the Straits Echo from 1931. During his student days, Saravanamuttu, who learnt his cricket in Ceylon, had played at Oxford. On one occasion in a match against Trinity College for St.John’s in 1919, he made 40 and took 5 for 40. Trinity, included D.J Knight of test standard and a South African, Nicholson, who later played test cricket, were left to chase 200 for a win in the second innings. Sara bowled both of them, as well as F.A.G.Nauman (an Oxford Blue), and St.John’s won easily. In 1920-21 he was playing for clubs in London, as well as for Indian Gymkhana. In fact in 1921, he captained the team against Marlyborne Cricket Club. His team-mates included S.Ramasamy (later an Indian test player) and the great Duleepsinjhi, and he recalls having got South African cricketer G.A Faulkner out caught and bowled. He points out that when he came to Penang, he was already past his prime in cricket, but standards being lower than in Ceylon, he was able to do well. His entry into cricket was easy because people whom he had played club and varsity cricket with were here. He mentions Dr.H.O.Hopkins (an Oxford Blue and a player for Worcestershire) who was captain of Penang, and Malcolm Orr who had played |
| with him in
St.Joseph’s College in Colombo. Others of repute in Penang were
P.N.Knight and H.B.Muriel. In his first match for Penang against Perak,
Sara opened the batting and made 40 runs, and in Perak’s second
innings, took 6 wickets for 9 runs. Perak was all out in 40 minutes. Sara considers the 1932 encounter against Selangor to be unique. Both teams had full teams, and Selangor made 300. Penang’s reply was 280. Selangor made 150 in the second. With Bostock-Hill, the best spinner of that time operating out of the rough, Penang were 4 down for 25. Sara patiently made 51, and Penang had two wickets in hand and the scores were level when last over was called. As Bostock-Hill came to bowl, the clock in the tower struck 6 o’clock, and the bowler promptly refused to bowl, saying time was up, and walked off. The rule of course is that the last over, which has been called by the umpire, has to be completed! Among his many feats were a hat-trick against Selangor, as well as several scores of 50 and over against other states. His last occasion was in 1937, when he made 79 against Selangor, which included L.J Thomson, a team-mate from his High Wycombe Cricket club. Selangor, captained by Kit Foster scored a daunting 330. When Sara went in to bat at 128 for 8, Penang needed 53 to avoid the follow-on. For Selangor, Jock Hunter (Malaya’s fastest bowler at that time) and Bertie Mayo did the damage. Lawrence Robless (122) and Sara saved the day for Penang with a partnership of 179 for the ninth wicket. He was 42 years of age then, and decided to stop playing thereafter. Saravanamuttu, however, speaks very fondly of his playing days with Old Xaverians (his son Lakshman had attended SXI). The team included Frank Reutens, Willy Williams, Poppy A.J.Williams, Tan Kim Lum, Lim Seng Khim, Yeap Hock Hoe and Chris Danker. Among others, the team made a playing tour to places such as Parit Buntar, Taiping, Ipoh and Teluk Anson. Teluk Anson had state players Bahaudin, A.S.Jansen, and C.Foenander., but Sara and Williams skittled their opponents out with exactly similar figures, down to maidens – 5 for 29. GROUNDS Today, Penang can have three matches played at any one time on the island. These are at Penang Sports Club, Penang Free School and Universiti Sains Malaysia. On the mainland, two grounds are available at Kilat Prai and Bukit Mertajam High School. This is certainly a far cry from the days gone by, when there were numerous grounds where the game was played. In the late fifties and sixties, on Penang island alone, cricket was played, at least, on the following grounds: Anglo Chinese School (Suffolk House), St.Xaviers Institution, Penang Free School, Day Training Centre, Malayan Teachers College, Minden Green, Padang Brown on Dato Kramat Road, Chinese Recreation Club (also known as Victoria Green), Indian Association, and Penang Sports Club. This makes for ten grounds. Minor games were also played on Westlands Secondary School, Hutchings Primary School, Wellesley Primary School and Francis Light Primary School. On the mainland, there was the Royal Air Force Base that became the Royal Australian Base at Butterworth, |
| Kilat Prai,
Bukit Mertajam High school, St.Mark’s School in Butterworth and
Butterworth Recreation Club. Padang Brown on Dato Kramat Road was
the lung in the city where football, hockey and cricket were played.
The scorer’s table used to be placed under an Angsana tree (which is no
longer there now) near the food court, and the same Angsana tree acted
as the scoreboard, because someone had quite cleverly put nails in it
so that scores could be hung
up there. Players were constantly chasing away people who thought it
only
proper to cross the field using the shortest route possible! In the
70s,
with the development of the pasar malam phenomenon, and the digging by
traders
in order to plant their poles, the field and the grass pitch was no
longer
a viable or safe proposition for both hockey and cricket. Only soccer
continues
to be played on it. MATCHES There were usually a number of competitions. The major competitions used to be, and still are the league matches. These matches were part of the Penang Cricket Association League, which commenced with the formation of PCA in 1953. From the fifties through to the early seventies, there used to be two divisions. Division one used to include the heavy weight teams, while the weaker teams used to play in the second division. Furthermore, Division two matches used to be played on Saturdays, starting at 1.30pm or 2pm. Division one matches on Sundays would start at 10.30 or 11 am. By the sixties, placement in the two divisions was a matter of choice and preferment, rather than playing ability. In other words, it was not a matter of getting promoted or relegated, but rather, it was a matter of what was convenient to the teams – playing a half-day or full day match. There were occasions when some teams fancied themselves against the better-known teams, and considered playing in Division one, but officials would often talk to the teams to assess their playing abilities and their ability to sustain participation through a few months. It was also important that there were enough teams to balance the number of teams taking part so that competition in both leagues was relatively substantial. In most cases, the competitions used to be on a home-and-away basis, with teams visiting each other’s grounds. By the 80s, there was only one division. The other competition used to be the knockout competition. This competition used to be played later in the season, after the completion of the league competition. By the mid-80s, this competition was no longer a regular feature. TROPHIES The major trophy that has been competed for is the Martin Khor Shield for the PCA league. The Saravanamuttu Shield was the trophy at stake in the Inter-Community Games, and involved great competition among the Indians, Ceylonese, Chinese, Malays, Eurasians and Europeans. This was one competition that was a victim of the May 13th riots. In the aftermath of the riots, national policy dicatated that henceforth, there should be no more inter-communal games. What a pity. The harmony and camaraderie of those days pay eloquent tribute to the socializing and inter-communal friendships that developed through sports, even inter-ethnic games. The annual match between the Europeans and the Rest was played for the B.P.de Silva Cup, while S.T |
| Stewart
is supposed to have donated a trophy for Non-Benders versus the
Rest. Patrick Aiyathurai recalls last playing in that series in
the sixties at Minden Green (now USM). In 1990, Dr.Jaspal Singh Gill
donated a trophy for an annual match between the Royal Australian Air
Force Commander’ XI and Penang. The Clark Shield was for primary schools, and the major contestants were Hutchings, Francis Light, St.Marks, Westlands and Wellesley. The D’Ircy Irvine Cup was for secondary schools. In one memorable match, Free School trounced SXI by ten wickets in the 1962 finals, after scuttling out the Saints for 4 runs. Chong Soon Kean was the chief wicket taker. By the mid-sixties, there was an attempt to expand the scope of the competition, and Sultan Abdul Hamid College, coached by Patrick Augustin, took part in 1965. The team, captained by Dickie Gooi, elected to bat upon winning the toss. In less than an hour, College was all out for 9 runs. Suryamurthy took 6 wickets, while Zainudin Meah took 3. PFS romped home by ten wickets in ten minutes. CLUBS AND TEAMS It will be correct to say that you had two types of team participants. One type of participant was the team with club and ground facilities, while the other was the team without grounds, and therefore played every game away. As such, it would be true to say that all the grounds mentioned earlier had ‘resident home’ teams. It was usually the case that the clubs with grounds were heavy weights. These included Chinese Recreation Club (founded in 1893 and reorganized in 1901), Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force (Butterworth Base) after the RAF pullout, Minden Green Jackets or Barracks, Indian Association, Butterworth Recreation club and Penang Sports Club. The other participants were institutional teams such as schools and teacher training colleges and government departments. These were teams such as St.Xavier’s Institution, Penang Free School, Anglo Chinese School, Day Training Centre, the Malayan Teachers College, City Council (Padang Brown would be the home ground), Kilat Club and Bukit Mertajam High School. Teams that traveled because they did not have their own grounds included the Crusaders, Police, Penang Malays Recreation Club, International Club, Stragglers, Eastern Smelting Sports Club, Authentics, Eurasian Sports Club (also known as Penang Recreation Club earlier), Young Cricketers, Royal Australian Air Force School, and Royal Australian Air Force Hostel. The last two mentioned teams were essentially Penang Island based. Other noteworthy teams were Post Office Recreation Club, Sepoy Lines Recreation Club, Young Men’s Sikh Association, PWD Athletic Association (PWDAA), International Club, Green Haulers, Non-Benders, Penang Recreation Club, Bukit Mertajam Recreation Club, Malay Regiment, Royal Engineers, King’s Own Light Infantry, Old Xaverian Association, Old Frees Association, National Union of Teachers and Ceylon Sports Club. PERSONALITIES No association can survive without devoted administrators, and cricket in Penang, too, owes much to many individuals. Many of these individuals are no longer with us, but I believe it is important that their contributions should not be forgotten. Some Presidents of the Penang Cricket association were Lim |
| Khye Seng (50s),
Martin Khor (50s), Hayati Meah (mid-60s), Don Jesudason (1968), D.Joshi
(69-74), Lakhbir Singh Chal (l970s), Lee Seng Chye (80s) and currently,
Dr.Jaspal Singh Gill (since 89). Dr. J.S.Sidhu was Vice-President of
the Association for numerous years. Much of the day -to-day hard work is done by Honorary Secretaries. These have included Don Jesudason, Nanda Gopal, Gitu Chakravarthy, Marcel Emmanuel, Frankie Cheah, V. Selvarajah, and Jeyasegaran. One interesting way of recapturing the enduring cricketers of the past is through association with their teams. Senior cricketers still talk with awe of the Chinese Recreation Club teams of the fifties. Eu Cheow Teik is considered to be the most eloquent batsman and astute captain of his time. His late cuts are still recalled fondly by contemporaries. Saravanamuttu (1970)called him the “outstanding Chinese cricketer in Malaya in the 1930s…” (p.49). Koay Koon Leong was a big hitter. Cheah Teow Keat frightened opponents with his pace. Lim Kai Soo and Lim Kai Seng were mainly bowlers. Teh Kew San was a good batsman, apart from being a good hockey player, as well as being a national badminton star of Thomas Cup fame. Wooi Kean Tatt is supposed to have been a good organizer who endeared himself to the Free School boys of those days whenever they played at CRC because of the sumptuous meals that he produced! Other names that come to mind include (Dr) Lim Chong Eu (ex-Chief Minister), Cheah Boh Ai, Choong Eu Leong and Liang Kheng, who was a wicket-keeper. Teoh Chye Teik was a respected leg-spinner, and he played in the Northern team that played the visiting Commonwealth Cricket XI in the sixties. There is also a story circulating to the effect that a certain Tan Ah Tah hit a huge six over the pavilion, and in order not to forget the shot, is supposed to have bought the plot of land where the ball landed and built his house on it! Penang Eurasian Association had A.J Williams (known as Poppy), the son of Willie Williams who played for St.Xavier’s Institution. Others included the spinner Joe Andres, Anton de Silva, Tony Danker, the famous Augustin brothers (Cecil, Stanley, Patrick, Tony, John, Edgar, and Philip) and Campbell. Ceylon Sports Club is considered to have been a formidable side that included M.Saravanamuttu, the Labrooy brothers (Douglas and Eustace), Noel Monerasinghe, K.L.Lawris, A.S.H Jensen, Eric Wirasooriya, and S.Dorairaja. The Indian Association team was always a force to reckoned with, especially in the sixties. Their first success in the league was their win in the finals against the Royal Air Force in 1960. Some of their stars include Jagjit Singh (the lawyer), George Aiyathurai, Dr.Bhoopalan, James Vanniasingam, N.Sarvaeswaran, Alex Delilkan, V.Selvarajah, Inder Singh, Rattan Singh, Hardial Singh, Santiago Devadass (son of the famous Groundsman Santiago), N.Monerasinghe, Patrick Aiyathurai, Achu Menon and D.S.Ramanathan, the City Mayor, who kept wickets. Butterworth Recreation club was led by S.T. Stewart, the District Officer, a stylish left-hand batsman who opened for Penang. Others in the team were K.H.Cantrell, Suppiah, Tambirajah, Sarvaeswaran and L.R.Shori, who had played for Pahang prior to this. |
When mention is made of Penang Malays, the first name that springs to mind is Hayati Meah, a fine gentleman and cricketer. He was the backbone of the side for many years. His son Zainudin Meah was a strong influence in the side, which included the Hashim brothers (Ismail, Ishak and S.Hashim), the Rejab brothers and Ismail Bakar. The Malayan Teachers College in Glugor had the benefit of a constant supply of students. Their team depended on two stalwarts, their groundsman Ganapathy, and lecturer Dennis de Silva, who also played for Malaysia in the sixties. Others included Mathan Lal Bangah, and Don Jesudason. Day Training Centre were relatively late in taking up the sports, but they were an effective unit made up of L.R.Shori, C.Navaratnam, Nelson Doss and Jesudason. In the late sixties and early seventies, Crusaders were a force to reckon with Jesudason, P. Aiyathurai, D. Joshi, Wilson Doss and many young players who might not have had a team to play for without this organization. These included Ariaratnam, Jaffar, the writer and Nand Singh. Where the schools were concerned the major players were Bukit Mertajam High School, St.Xavier’s Institution and Penang Free School. Names that spring to mind for High School are Dorairaja and Sivaraja, Cheah Boon Teik, the Rejab brothers, Darus and Wilson Doss. Penang Free School had the Vanniasingams, Chang Ming Kee, Mathiavarnam, N. Sarvaeswaran, Poh Beng Kong, Teh Shek Meng, Anwar Fazal, Lee Khoon Lok, Hayati Meah, Zainudin Meah, Chong Soon Kean, N.Suryamurthy, Ong Eng San, Frankie Cheah, Chew Poh Soon, Tang Hon Yin, Goh Hock Jin, Johnson Doss and Tan Poh Seng. Tan Boon Soon, a CRC stone-waller, was their coach through the sixties. Other coaches were Wilson Doss, P.Aiyathurai, L.R.Shori and Teoh Chye Teik. St.Xavier’s Institution had the Ang and Hung brothers in later times. But the names that must come to mind are the Augustin brothers. In the sixties, their coach was Ng Chee Heng. Old Xaverians has already been detailed. The Police team included Joshi, Mathiavarnam, Satkunam, Kulasingam, Jeganathan, Tony Lopez and Doraisamy. Royal Air Force had John Mortimer, who opened for Penang in the sixties, and RAAF had numerous enduring cricketers and officials. Names like Brendan Smith Tom Hart, N.Knott, Bruce Tapp, and Dave Herbert come to mind. ‘Padre’ Jack Pilgrim was a regular umpire for them, as well as for Penang state cricket together with ‘Bill’ Harbajan Singh. If the early years belonged to RAF, CRC and the Ceylonese, the sixties belonged to Indian Association, and the seventies and eighties poised between Penang Sports Club and the Australian sides. The PSC personalities are not described in detail, as they are highlighted in the description of the Elephant series. But some have to be mentioned. Hayati Meah and his son Zainudin (a triple international sportsman, having represented Malaysia in cricket, tennis and hockey) were dominant cricketers who led by example. Yap Yoen Fah (who had played for North Malaya) was the oriental gentlemanly charmer. L.R.Shori and Patel were reputable spinners. Syd Coulbeck and R.Kularasa |
| never let the side
down when called upon to play. J.S.Sidhu has turned losing situations
into complete victories, as would the Labrooy brothers, Eustace and
Douglas. Eustace Labrooy recalls the first match between
Penang Cricket Club the RBSC in1931. He first played for PSC in 1949 as
an associate member and against the RBSC in 1964, when the trophy came
back to Penang. He
finally stopped playing in 1979. Douglas Labrooy played most of his
cricket
in Singapore, and is reputed to have amassed very many runs. ‘Cess’
reports (circa 1950) that D. Labrooy had the highest score for the
season in Penang with 140 runs for International Club against RAF
Butterworth. He was given a trial to play for Worcestershire, but upon
arrival in England, found
it too cold and promptly returned. Lakhbir Singh (who was President of
PCA for quite a few years) introduced class and controversy into the
side, and Noel Monerasinghe was a hard hitting cricketer, who was
suspected to have
a weak bowling elbow! V.Selvarajah was late coming into PSC after his
Indian
Association days. C.Ramanathan, athletic coach for state and country,
was
the club hockey captain as well as opening bowler. Dr.J.S.Gill has
foxed quite
a few with his gentle spinners. But the dominant personality and player
of
pedigree has to be Dr. R. Ratnalingam, who captained club, state and
nation. A Rhodes scholar, he captained the Malaysian team to the first
ICC trophy competition in England, and has scored prolifically for the
club. # Go to the top (to be continued) REFERENCES: Anton Perera. 1980 A Cricket Golden Jubilee: 50 not out, Bangkok. RBSC. Gitu Chakravarthy. 1980. PSC vs. RBSC 50th Anniversary of the Elephant Trophy; 17th Anniversary of the Tiger Shield, Penang, Jelutong Printers. Khoo Kay Khim, “How soccer became a popular sport”, New Straits Times, April 2000. Eustace Labrooy. 1993. Cricket in Penang. In V.Selvarajah, Penang Cricket Association Newsletter, September 1993, Penang . Manicasothi Saravanamuttu. 1970. The Sara Saga. Penang: Cathay Printers. Penang Cricket Season Reviewed, The Straits Echo, an undated cutting (circa 1951) Arnold Wright ed. 1908. Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya. Singapore: Graham Brash. Arnold Wright ed. 1989. Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya. Abridged version. Singapore: Graham Brash. Interviews in March 2002: Eustace Labrooy N.Sarvaeswaran, |
| Frankie Cheah, P.Aiyathurai. (Presented at the Penang story – International Conference , Penang)  |
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