When Malinga bowled the last ball in the innings against RCB, he ensured his team
the Mumbai Indians would win by six runs. What he did not know immediately was
that he had bowled a no ball. Which was made worse by the umpire missing it
completely thus ensuring Virat Kohli had suffered his second loss in as many
matches. The match was littered with exciting incidents like Yuvraj Singh
hitting Chahal for three consecutive sixes lighting up the proceedings. That
was just on Wednesday, in an earlier match Rishab Pant hammered team Mumbai for
seventy odd runs off a mere 25 odd deliveries.
More importantly the spectators loved it all. And yes, more
importantly the large number of viewers on television sets across the country
loved it too. In Goa, football country according to conventional wisdom, there
has been interest too. The average Goemkar has warmed up to cricket too. And he
does not mind spending an evening in a sport bar watching an intense game of
cricket. Of course, his love for football remains intact. Over a weekend it
will not be just cricket that he will be following but his attention will also
be on the progress of his favourite team in the English Premier league as well
as the Spanish league.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The landscape of Goa is dotted with bars and now increasingly
with sports bars. Where young men and women can come and relax and watch a game
anywhere in the world after a hard day at the office. Lionel, the owner of the
Roof Top Lounge at Colva has witnessed an increase in the number of domestic
tourists dropping in to watch the cricket matches since the tournament
commenced. He said “There has certainly been an increase in the number of
domestic tourists watching the cricket as compared to last year. I would say
the increase would be around 15% over last year. I am not complaining.
We have three screens in the outlet and they are always on and
there are people watching cricket of football on them”. When asked about the
code of conduct, he said the rules were being followed and alcohol was not
served after 10.30 but people were allowed to watch the match till a result was
generated. The general season, he said was good for him and he was not
complaining.
But not all are scoring this season. At Mcleod’s Sports Bar And
Grill at Cavelossim, business had taken a dive in the last seven odd days much
to the surprise of the owner, Stephen D Souza. He said “No one is coming for
the cricket, it is unbelievable. Last week was really bad, people usually come
for the football and during the recent football tournament in which FC Goa
reached the finals, I had very good crowds. I have however now changed the menu
and I hope for the best. Maybe perhaps, it is the code of conduct which means
bars have to shut down early and it’s also Lent, it has meant a hit to the
business”.
At 3 CrownzSportsbar n karaoke, Goa’s largest sports bar which
boasts of 12 screens and seven television sets, business is booming. Jerry
Coutinho the owner of the sports bar at Candolim said he also had the ability
to stream matches so the paying customer would not be disappointed. Jerry said
“We have crowds that include Indian as well as international tourists watching
the cricket. The Brits love their cricket and they come in numbers every
evening to watch the game. Our Indian tourists can’t live without their fix of
cricket and they are present too. Due to the code of conduct, we close the bar
at 11 o clock and we let the patrons watch the game till it ends. We have
customers who have no qualms in telling us that they would post online of their
experience if they were not allowed to watch the game. We have to also be
sensitive but firm with our foreign patrons who have to be informed of the
restrictions in place due to the forthcoming elections”.
Sports bars based in the city are doing well too. The Hub based
in Teleigao has a crowd every night that watches the game till it ends. Rajesh
the Manager of the outlet said they had five tables for the games and they were
always occupied till the end of the match. He expected the numbers to increase
as the tournament progressed. He said the code of conduct meant, liquor was
stopped at 11o clock and the bar was effectively shut. Rajesh said the
customers were always local with the odd domestic tourist coming in.
As
a long time, restauranteur who did not want to come on record for the story
said “Business will be good, because cricket means a good time and also an
opportunity to gamble. As the tournament progresses, local interest will
increase, its not been a good season but this will be of some help.” Time will tell.
