So imagine the school's 7 best football players, an obvious choice for any team. Now add the caveat that players must be no taller than 5ft and no heavier than 40kg. Couple this with India's love for bureaucracy and you have all the ingredients for a rather unique start to a match.
Before I get started on the match itself, the journey there was something to behold. Initially I was humbled by the plan to walk the school's prize players 6km to the ground, but head teacher Gautam, eager to impress, decided that wheels were required. I had the honour of riding with him in his personal chariot, complete with bejewelled prayer wheels and other religious paraphernalia on the dash. Meanwhile the team, accompanied by an entourage of supporters from the upper years, piled into and on top of an ancient 4x4. Flying the school flag proudly, the players were paraded through town before the 6km ascent to Algara... A far cry from seat belts, parental consent forms and mini bus driver licenses... It was brilliant!
An 11 o'clock start was scheduled and we were there bang on time... Maybe India makes an exception for punctuality when inter-school sporting glory is at stake... But no, the tedious scrutinising procedure began in front of the 4-strong committee. Encouraged to stand in their socks on the sodden playing ground to avoid the shame of being too big, each player was called up in turn. First the height, and then the weight was measured and recored in triplicate. In the event of a borderline call that could not be settled, Gautam himself was drafted in to make the final decision. KCS, masquerading as Arsenal in pristine shirts, made the cut, and i could not help but giggle as Gautam proudly gestured to the school 'team kit'...
Weighed, measured... Let's play ball!! Or so I thought... The obligatory blessing of the pitch and players, the giving and receiving of khodors, that's silk scarves to you and I, to honour the VIPs preceded the start and I, the only girl, felt strangely honoured.
Thick fog shrouded the eventual kick-off and at times neither end of the pitch could be seen. Linesmen authoritatively strode up and down the gouged side lines, stripes in the sand replacing the better-known white paint. But these are mere details... There were 14 players on the pitch and they were loving it! Cheering children were joined by enthusiastic adults, most of Algera were out to watch, and the cheers confirmed this to be a significant event as the home side scored the first goal.
With home advantage clearly paying, fingers began twitching in the KCS camp. The head and 2 accompanying teachers frantically chewed gum and leant forward in their seats... I've seen little more tension on the face of Harry Redknap... Then, the equaliser, KCS were back in with a chance, and the screams of delight from the supporting girls reminded me of crushes on school football heroes!
The rest of the game passed with no real drama and so a penalty shoot out was to decide the semi finalist. Just like England, KCS, in all their Arsenal glory, failed to deliver, but with the sportsmanship that any Olympian would be proud of, they congratulated the winners and walked off with pride.
Photos:
1-3. Let the scrutinising begin!
4. The players in action
5. Gautam oversees a borderline call
6. The scales... Just look at the socks!
7. The team in all their arsenal glory
8. En route to the match...
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