The good, the bad, the beautiful of Sabina's 'party mound'

Saturday, November 21, 2009 9:45 AM

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Saturday, July 04, 2009

Everyone remembers the firestorm when Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan appeared on the mound right after the West Indies were bowled out by England for a meagre 47 runs back in 2004. They lost that Test match badly and the British and Caribbean media caricatured the team as only interested in partying. West Indies Captain Chris Gayle recalls the furore.

West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan is surrounded by a pair of 'beauties' on the Appleton Mound at Sabina Park on Sunday following the home team's impressive eight-wicket win over India in the second ODI.

"People wrongly thought we didn't care that we had just lost but that couldn't be further from the truth.

We were devastated. We needed to be with family and friends who we knew cared for us. Looking back it wasn't the best thing to do because of how it was perceived. But at the time, we were very, very depressed." Gayle added: "Now we only go into the mound after we win, to show appreciation to the fans for their support. In a way, it's an added incentive to win."

Noticeably absent after the West Indies loss in the first Digicel ODI on Friday, members of the team celebrated with the moundmaniacs after the second ODI on Sunday, continuing a tradition which started back in 1995.

"That was pretty cool," said Carly Cushnie, a New York fashion designer who had flown in for the game and was coming to the Appleton Mound for the first time. "I got to meet Chris Gayle and took some pictures with him. You would never get this opportunity to celebrate with the stars at any kind of game in the States."

Other members of the team who celebrated with the moundmaniacs, which included stunningly beautiful ladies, were Ramnaresh Sarwan - who along with Gayle created the controversy back in 2004 - Jerome Taylor, Dwayne Bravo, Suleiman Benn and Runako Morton.

"The team has made a bit of a tradition of coming over to the mound, both to celebrate victories and commiserate losses," said Chris Dehring, one of the founders of the mound. "They know win or lose, moundmaniacs are always here for them. They got some stick from the press when they came over in 2004 when we lost, but now they know they can only come over when they win."

Dehring recalls the first time the team came over to the mound. "It started when Ritchie Richardson was captain and he came over with a number of the players during a tea-break in the Test against Australia in 1995. We were honouring Roy Gilchrist and the players wanted to show their support. They just kept coming back after that. They know it's an open invitation."

Since then, the WI team routinely make their way over to the mound after matches to soak up the adoration of the moundmaniacs. Said Dehring: "I don't know of anywhere else in the world this happens and I suppose it's one of the things which makes the Appleton Mound special. We're proud that they consider us as family."

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