04 Nov 2008 |
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Meanwhile back in Umuahia on match day the unsuspecting student body of GCU who liked to be called "Umuahians" en mass were woken up at 5.45 am by the clanging of the hyperactive School bell Instantly the school was set into “fast motion” - the cruel and oft incomprehensible ritual borrowed from Eaton where students must run everywhere instead of walking. I was in Class 2 then and absolutely hated it. Breakfast consisted of the same runny tea and stone like bread and frankly speaking I can’t remember what the rest of the day was because the excitement that engulfed the whole School was like a faint English fog. Anyway lunch arrived early but who cared because by then the Schools fleet had started to arrive to ferry us to the game. GCU no matter where we went, always arrived in style because we could boast of not 1, but 2 of the Amazu sons in our midst and we all know that at time that their Fathers fleet of Chi Di Ebere buses were the most modern in Eastern Nigeria. Enough said. Arrival simply put was not just arranged pandemonium as well as a wicked act of intimidation but it was an uncalled for display of wealth. 14 Mercedes Benz buses with lights on, fog horns blaring and school and house flags streaming from their windows rumbled up to the Ibeku gates making the ground virtually shake as they approached. Mansa Musa as he approached Mecca for the first time could not have arrived with more sound. To the blare we lent our voices chanting “Nzogbu Nzogbu” the old Ngwa war chant while stomping our feet and mimicking the gait of a great African Bull Elephant. Our South Africans on FGN scholarships had honed it to a new level and we now bobbed our heads in unison as we sang. The effect was stunning as everywhere dogs barked, babies cried and the Ibeku students both male and female sucked their teeth in annoyance as we invaded their grounds trampling flower beds, seizing chairs from their class rooms and arranging them around the bumpy pitch for the main event. Then our team arrived and the decibel level rose to an unimaginable crescendo. As I remember they came by Air-conditioned Peugeots complete with curtains and throbbing 8 tracks pumping tunes like Max Romeos “War in a Babylon” and Fela’s “Shakara”. We went absolutely nuts and called and cheered them by their nick names as they unfolded from the confines of the French cars. There was Man Mountain…..our gap toothed 6 foot 6 Number 5 from Niger House….and then came Okonji the bowed legged supremo from Wareham House….or Owoh Blow …”The closer” from Erekosima House . And who can forget Mr. “Don’t Durty” Torty the goal Keeper from School house ? We felt like an all star team in our stripped jerseys looking more like England’s Sutherland FC than a high school team. And then they arrived. Or at least so it seemed. They came by lorry and HIACE buses which were decked out in young palm fronds - something we Igbo’s only do to our cars when they are carrying corpses – causing quite a stir. As they came past Queen Elizabeth Hospital and commenced their turn unto Ibeku grounds they started their school song but we instantly shut them up by blowing the air horns of our trucks collectively.. The air was suddenly thick with testosterone and malicious intent. The Two and a half Policemen on duty suddenly realized that this may end up being more than what they had bargained for and nervously looked around for more vicious canes. One hopped on his bicycle and headed for reinforcements. And then to our amazement one side of the crowd parted and their team walked on to the pitch. “Good grief “ - when did they arrive?” "How long had they been here?” “Did we just see them walk out of the Ibeku Boys Dormitory?” “What was going on ?” Our questions were as endless as we were puzzled. I must admit though that they did look dashing in an all yellow kit complete with a crooked black stripe in front and yellow dusters around their neck just like Ashanti Kotoko. As I remember even then “Stability” stood out as he quietly tied and re tied his boots with the patience of a gun slinger familiarizing himself with the pitch.
It was into this developing storm that the Refs finally walked into to conduct the coin toss and start the game Piiiiooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmm ! Pioooom Pioooom ! 4. 02 PM Government College kicks off. The game was on with us playing with the Calabar road to our back while facing the Ibeku Class buildings, and immediately we used the slant of the field to our advantage. 4 quick passes and ever quicker crack of the ball at their goal and instantly corner kick GCU. The resulting play was a combination of Kung Fu and Football at its finest. As Owo released a potent in swinger from the right Man Mountain rose like some gargantuan butterfly into the mass of other bodies and soundly introduced the Uzuakoli Goal Keeper to the Iroko like protrusion that was his elbow. "Thunk!!!! At least that’s what it sounded like to me when Umuahian bone met Uzuakoli skull with reckless alacrity and the Uzuakoli GK crumpled unconscious to the ground like a deck of cards in a rain storm. To make matters worse he landed with his face chipping his teeth and gashing his cheeks so that they now featured 2 identical Ijebu like tribal marks. Stunned by the collision it was as if everybody was now operating at a different speed unable to yet comprehend that the ball had slowly trickled into the net. Even the Refs feeble pioooom failed to penetrate our disbelief. 4.06 PM GCU 1 MCU 0 ! Then the trucks horns mooed and the entire GCU school body came out of suspended slow motion with such a roar that the priests in making at the Roman Catholic Seminary at Ahia Eke Miles away claimed we interrupted their Dominus Vobiscuming. Donatus Ihekwaba was sweating bullets in his all black uniform. The salty drops rolled down his forehead and back and from underneath his arm pits like an angry river stinging his eyes in the process. It was going to be a long day........
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