Dharmashala days: Tour diary, Part One

Ger Siggins, CricketEurope

IT may be Ireland’s eighth global tournament in less than a decade, but it hasn’t dimmed the ardour of the travelling supporters who make up the Blarney Army. The successes of the side have brought them to the four corners of the cricketing earth and always there to cheer them on have been a doughty band.

Dharamshala, perched in the Dhauladhar mountains, part of the Outer Himalayas, is a wondrous town, but a visiting experience far removed from a game at Lord’s, Kingston or even Bangalore. Reaching here took almost 30 hours and involved three flights. It wasn’t a trip without drama, as our small band of seven supporters and one reporter made their way from Dublin Airport: a lost passport in London; a security scare which saw us taken off the plane for three hours; baggage drama in Delhi.

The city that will be home for the week wouldn’t win any awards for planning, with a chaotic road system and terrifying traffic, but the clearly resilient citizens are welcoming and friendly. It’s a small city – 20,000 people – and they eke out a living in any way they can. It’s hard to imagine how some enterprises make enough to get by, such as the rough shack offering ‘photocopy services’ near our hotel.

We arrived in time to see Ireland take on Zimbabwe, although zealous security meant missing the first overs. Fans were told they would not be admitted at all, then they would but would have to leave bags outside. Coins were confiscated, and the sun-cream one parent had brought for her player son.

Your reporter was held up for an hour at gunpoint, told he couldn’t get in without the tournament pass which he had to collect inside the stadium. Catch 22. Eventually an ICC person was found but the Himachal Pradesh police, army, fire brigade, riot squad and FCA took some convincing. But it was all worthwhile as you will understand if you have seen the pictures of the amazing stadium. The HPCA ground is on a hillock down in the Kangra Valley, dominating the cityscape and, inside, a riot of colour.

Our media centre – the Irish press pool has shrunk to a puddle of Ian Callender and I – is in a three-turreted pagoda and commands a fine view of the ground. On Facebook I posted a photo of the building in all its glory, with the snowy mountains behind, telling followers that this will be my work-station for the week, to which one wag commented: “Are you a Disney princess?”

The defeat to Zimbabwe was disappointing, but followers will know that warm-up results mean nothing and when we bumped into some of the players the next day they were relaxed and confident.

We met in the hillside suburb of McLeod Ganj, which is a magical place and home to the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan government-in-exile. It’s named after a former British administrator, Donald McLeod, who founded Punjab University and a lot of schools in the region, and died in 1893 in a London Underground accident.

Dharamshala is 1,480m above sea level, and McLeod Ganj another 600m higher – twice as high as Ireland’s highest peak – and the thinness of the air was noticeable. The shops were packed with colourful Tibetan scarves and clothing, and fur hats in an area that can be very cold at night.

Our party invested in several pashminas and settled in for a hair-rising bobsleigh ride down the mountain with more switchbacks and u-bends – and far fewer roadside barriers – than the Cresta Run. One of our party spent the trip beneath a cardigan, refusing to subject herself to the terrifying views.

We’ve been out and about in less elevated areas too, checking out some stunning Buddhist and Hindu temples, although we unwittingly visited one on an important holy day and the queues were too long to endure to make it all the way through what looked a fascinating pilgrimage.

Our initial crew is made up of a couple of excellent Men of Muckamore, John and Harry; the delightful Dawn and Sandra from Bready; superfan Kevin Woods from Railway Union, and two of the eminents gris of Irish cricket, Robin Walsh and Roy Torrens. It has made for some great social evenings in the Pint O’ Fun, with the Abbott and Costello antics of the latter pair a source of joy. The stories are often incredible, but always entertaining. Self-imposed discretion means they must for now remain “off the record”.

Both Robin and Roy are men steeped in the game, and who have dedicated huge chunks of their lives to the advancement of Irish cricket. They have both served Cricket Ireland well as president, and in other volunteer roles such as player, selector, programme editor, executive member as well, of course, as Senior Team Manager. They’ve both travelled here off their own bat and will cheer every Irish run lustily this week from the bleachers.

We have been joined too, by two of the Royal Families of Irish cricket: Wendy and Mickey are here supporting the Poynters, while Ginger and Camilla have been ever-presents for a decade cheering on Niall and Kevin O’Brien. Also here are Henry and Pauline from Pembroke, and Elaine from Railway.

But it’s all about the cricket and tomorrow will see the great adventure begin again. The weather forecast is 99% accurate here, says our pal Manoj, and although Wednesday’s game is expected to be dry, Friday will see some of the thunder, lightning and heavy rain that has arrived on cue around 6pm the last two evenings.