8 SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009 SUNDAY MORNING POST

This Week – Party Time Alvin Sallay

ne thing is for certain, secretary, who is John Cribbin, a chummy with Lalit Modi, the boss Hong Kong’s new long-standing member. of the lucrative Indian Premier boss, Dinesh Tandon, will Ever since cricket was first played League and an influential figure be sartorially sharp. You in Hong Kong in 1841, the people in within the BCCI. can expect nothing less control have come from the two “India is the financial centre of Ofrom the chief operating officer of main clubs. There have only been a world cricket today,” Tandon said. Versace, the Italian fashion house. couple of Asian presidents – Hatim “We need their support, but before But looking good is not the only Ebrahim and John Hung come to we can go and ask them for help we qualification Tandon brings to the mind, but they were also HKCC or need to know exactly what we job. A qualified chartered KCC members. want.” accountant, he comes readymade Delhi-born Tandon, the first And this is his biggest challenge. with an even sharper mind and a Asian to take up the post of What does Hong Kong cricket want strategy for how the game should chairman, carries on this tradition. most? Answer: A high-profile develop. But is Tandon’s presence also a tournament. We have the Hong This week, the Hong Kong sign of change? Perhaps. The Kong Sixes, but for it to grow we Cricket Association executive changing demographics are clearly need a bigger ground and better committee elevated Tandon from evident when you look at the senior facilities. treasurer to the top post of side. It is largely made up of players The Kowloon Cricket Club has chairman. This was expected. The from the subcontinent who have served us well, but it has major job had been left vacant last month made Hong Kong their home. The limitations, primarily being stamp- when incumbent Darren Tucker days when British and Australians sized and failing to meet and challenger Sohail Murshed dominated are long gone. international requirements. withdrew their nominations at the It is a natural order of things that Hong Kong desperately needs a annual general meeting. Asians vie for the top jobs. Saleem is ground that can stage international A twin “Asian” challenge had a Pakistani. Murshed is from games. This will be Tandon’s most been mounted by Pakistan Bangladesh. Tandon is Indian, and pressing challenge. If picking him as Association’s Shazada Saleem and it is this last bond which might help chairman is an interim measure – Little Sai Wan’s Murshed for the top Hong Kong in the long run. even he says he doesn’t have the two positions. Saleem was duly The days when picking up the time to commit himself for more elected president after Terry Smith phone and talking to Lord’s in an than a year – it was a wise one, too. withdrew his bid. Murshed’s bid to upper-crust English accent is of little He has become part of the be the first Asian chairman was use now. It is more useful to know establishment during his tenure as stymied as he also withdrew his Hindi – as Tandon does – as that is treasurer. As such, he knows he nomination. The reason is shrouded the language of power these days. cannot afford to ruffle the feathers Long wait is over. North Korea players celebrate after qualifying for the World Cup finals in in mystery, but there are several It is up to Tandon to develop of the established clubs as the game theories – the most popular being close links with the all-powerful is very much dependent on the South Africa. Their 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia at King Fahd stadium in Riyadh, Saudi that a deal had been struck whereby Board of Control for Cricket in India benevolence of the HKCC and KCC. Arabia, in Asian group B, was enough to see the Koreans through. Their only previous World if Saleem was given the presidency, (BCCI). Maybe he should get A lot of work has already gone his fellow-challenger (Murshed) into getting the government to Cup finals appearance was in 1966 when they caused the shock of the tournament by beating would withdraw, allowing Tandon support cricket by giving facilities. Italy on their way to reaching the quarter-finals. Photo: AP to become chairman for the next The Kowloon Cricket This initiative must be the priority of year. Tandon’s administration. And so it came to pass. Instead of Club has served us The other big goal is to make Monday Tuesday the establishment – two of the well, but it has major sure the Sixes is safe and financially oldest clubs, Hong Kong Cricket viable. Tandon has a better chance Club and Kowloon Cricket Club – limitations, primarily of succeeding here. One of his having to lick their wounds if total former mates was Harsh Sabale, the is like desserts. It tastes The empathy they feel at the moment power had been wrested away, being stamp-sized promoter of the 2007 Sixes, which Tandon’s appointment means they earned the HKCA millions in good but you can’t fill your stomach. will be incredible. Everyone loves are still in control (he is a HKCC and failing to meet revenue. You have to have a main course and Amy. Great things sometimes happen member). international Sadly, Sabale and the HKCA then By top job, I mean the fell out. But now that Tandon is in that’s in situations like that chairmanship. The presidency is requirements charge, maybe bridges can be ...... mostly a ceremonial title. Saleem rebuilt. If not Sabale, then someone India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who spared his body the rigours of playing Geoff Ogilvy sums up Phil Mickelson’s rapport with the New York does not have a vote on the else who can be convinced to invest in the quick-fire format, believes five-day test cricket is king crowd at the US Open, epecially as his wife Amy is battling cancer executive committee. He can only in Hong Kong. Maybe Tandon can give direction and hope the 12- sway contacts in India to back the member executive, now down to 11 Sixes. Wednesday Thursday Friday as Tandon hasn’t relinquished his If Tandon can succeed on both job as treasurer, will follow his these fronts, then history won’t label views. him as just a stop-gap chairman, The real power lies with the but someone who laid a firm The low turnouts must She should go out there One of the big problems chairman and the executive. And in foundation for the future success of be improved upon if we and enjoy it. If she starts now is that when I am this particular case, with the the game in Hong Kong. are to remove any getting nervous just playing, I am thinking WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you agree or disagree with what Alvin has to say? E-mail us at [email protected] doubts about our remember why you more about the knees commitment to the started playing ... go back than the game. It is 2010 World Cup to that simpicity difficult to play like this ...... Jason Dasey Congress of South African Trade Unions on Monica Seles, who won nine grand slams, Defending champion Rafael Nadal after the low attendances at some of the matches tells 15-year-old British debutante being forced to withdraw from Wimbledon at the Confederations Cup Laura Robson to just savour the Wimbledon this year due to injury experience Monday Tuesday n January, we saw Michelle vociferous Venus, screaming should be strictly enforced. Larcher de Brito in Hong Kong for Sharapova and mouthy Michelle. With all its rich traditions and the JB Group Classic at Victoria “You should try to play tennis history of fair play, tennis still has Park. And when Wimbledon with headphones on and not hear some rules where there are grey starts tomorrow, we still might be the ball hitting the ground or hitting areas and ambiguities. Players will Iable to hear the Portuguese teenager. your opponent’s racquet to know exploit them where they can. But you That’s because Larcher de Brito – what it’s like,” said 18-times grand can be sure the courts would given a wild card entry into the grass- slam singles winner Martina suddenly get a lot quieter if an court grand slam – is now officially Navratilova in a 2007 interview. effective “racket rule” were put in the Queen of Scream after having her “They should outlaw it.” place. grunts estimated at 109 decibels. The offenders cleverly paint Complicating matters for officials The noise emanating from themselves as innocent “victims” is that Sharapova is the sport’s Larcher de Brito when she hits the and insist the complaints only come number one superstar. The public ball is roughly equal to that of a when their rivals are losing. just can’t get enough of her, Formula One car. She’s overtaken But despite what they might say, especially in Asia. Tennis needs the Maria Sharapova as the loudest there’s nothing involuntary about a strident Siberian siren more than any player in world tennis. Sharapova backhand bellow or forehand fracas. other female player. was measured a few years ago at 101 They’re up there with toilet breaks Indeed, you could imagine how decibels: greater than a police siren and tantrums as premeditated ways the WTA marketing gurus must have or the landing of a small aircraft. of upsetting an opponent’s rhythm winced when Larcher de Brito Retired former world number and momentum or gaining a complained to the umpire at Roland Penguins Sidney Crosby hoists the Stanley Cup during his Four-year-old autograph seeker Thomas Shaw chases after one Monica Seles registered a psychological edge. Garros that no one ever tells team’s victory parade in Pittsburgh. Photo: Reuters England’s Ian Poulter during US Open practice. Photo: AFP relatively soothing 93.2 decibels. Under the rules of tennis, Sharapova to shut up. She had a Larcher de Brito caused a stir in excessive and intentional noise from valid point. the third round of last month’s a player is deemed illegal and can be The world 91, like Sharapova, Wednesday Thursday Friday French Open when opponent dealt with, resulting in a point moved from Europe to Florida at a Aravane Rezaï complained to the penalty from the chair umpire after a young age and is a graduate from the umpire about the other kind of first warning. But given that the same Bollettieri Tennis Academy racket coming from the opposite definition of “excessive” relies on that also produced Seles and other end. The Roland Garros crowd personal interpretation, officials champions like Andre Agassi and turned against her, Larcher de Brito have rarely intervened. Boris Becker. The home page of the lost the match and it all ended in To end any debate, a noise meter Bollettieri website displays a photo of tears. should be set up courtside at big Sharapova celebrating a victory with When asked about the court tournaments. After one warning, if a a full-lunged scream. cacophony, the 16-year-old player exceeds a reasonable level – Director Nick Bollettieri said protested that it wasn’t say 70 decibels – the point penalty grunting wasn’t taught to his gamesmanship but simply an students but it did help them release integral part of her style. energy and maintain focus. “It’s almost like a rhythm, like It’s part of my stroke. However, he agreed it had become when I hit a forehand or hit a such an issue in the game that clear- backhand, the grunting is almost like When I don’t grunt, it cut regulations needed to be a split step,” she said. “It’s part of my just feels weird introduced. stroke. When I don’t grunt, it just According to former Wimbledon feels weird because it’s just not me.” because it’s just not referee Alan Mills, a counter-grunt For Larcher de Brito and other culture has emerged with some lady loudmouths, including the me lesser players mocking their Williams sisters, grunting has ...... blusterous big-name opponents on become like a war cry, with parallels ‘Queen of Scream’ court by moaning even louder. But to the combative sports of martial Michelle Larcher de Brito one wonders if that practice might arts. actually put the counter-grunters off But, in a non-contact sport like their game more than the ones tennis, boisterous baseliners are they’re targeting. pushing the boundaries of fair play. The players, like the fans and the France’s Remy Martin packs down during a England’s Fraizer Campbell jumps as James The West Indies’ Sulieman Benn is bowled As anyone who’s played at a media, have had enough. training session before the second test Milner scores against Spain in the Euro during the semi-final of the Twenty20 reasonable level will tell you, being One can only admire the skills of against the All Blacks. Photo: AFP Under-21 Championships. Photo: AFP World Cup at the Oval. Photo: AFP able to hear the ball off the strings of these lovely ladies of tennis as well as your opponent’s racquet is almost as their larger-than-life personalities. important as seeing the shot when it But when rallies are in progress on comes to judging pace, spin and the court, it’s better that they are slice. But that sense is taken away by “seen and not heard”.