1968 (part 2) - for what is a memory worth?

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What does it really matter what happened 40 years ago in an inter-school football or hockey match? Or that Jaspal and Mahendran were top students and Yoke Kee and Chin Seong were ‘Maths Kings!’. Yet surprisingly it was not R.Pathmanathan who won the prize for General Paper on which I had an eye, but it was Yap Siew Peng who later married our classmate Chew Yoong Fong? Why do I remember rakishly handsome but shy Aw Kok Teng (now Dr.) or Chua Swee Hong (RRI) who was class monitor in my senior year and that Sallehuddin lost to Mike Nettleton in the 100m hurdles clash. I sometimes wonder in the wee hours of the night if these personal memories and markers have any place at all in the greater scheme of things? Maybe, maybe not.

But when you are in your early teens, boys especially, live in a narrow selfish world of their own, defined by wants and needs and gathering glory from shining in the field or in class or being Chairman of the Science & Maths Society or Arts Union. I was no different from my peers then.

It was of earth-shaking importance to me then that I excelled in the football match against Malay College Kuala Kangsar. There was no doubt we had one of the best U15 football squads ever and we played with the confidence of the Brazil Team of 1970 which boasted the great Pele, Tostao, Rivelino and Jairzinho. We knew if the opposition scored 10 goals, we would score 11 and win it! But we underestimated what we had to contend with at MCKK!

As posted earlier, we arrived at KK by train early morning on Friday 15^th March and walked over to the ground floor dormitory at the school hostel. Double bunk beds were neatly stacked around the room for the seniors while we, the juniors, had mattresses with clean sheets and pillows laid out neatly on the floor. There was a small room with bed and amenities for Cikgu Othman, out chief coach. We did not bother to shower, exhausted as we were from the long journey, and flopped straight on to our allotted matresses after receiving instructions on where the toilets and showers were and where to assemble next morning for breakfast which comprised bread, butter, jam and 2 half boiled eggs to which we added light soya sauce, white pepper and dunked our bread in. For lunch and dinner we sat at special tables designated for us in the same huge ‘mess’ as for students of MCKK, which was a fully residential school for Malays only. The food was the usual rice with fried fish or meat with 1veg and curry gravy, mee hoon or fried rice with soup and fruits for dessert; quite forgettable!

The next morning, we had a light work out from 9 to 11. After luch and noon rest, we followed up with shooting practice, tactical manoeuvres and discussions from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m on the field. Dinner was at 7.30 p.m.and the day came to an end with team pep talk by Cikgu Othman and an early night. Our part-time coach, ex-VI School and Football Captain, Tan Kim Chuan, would not arrive until the game had commenced the next afternoon due to some personal commitments. There was no time to walk around the MCKK premises or wander into the town I had never visited before. But ‘Silver’ or Selvaraj, our senior squad goalkeeper and I had a pleasant re-union with S.Ahmad under whose captaincy I had been part of the U11 soccer squad at Pasar Road English School 1 in 1964. Ahmad had won a scholarship to MCKK and played for their senior football team.

Shortly after midnight, we were all awoken by the thunderous noise of a hockey game staged on the wooden floor of the dormitory right above ours by a large group of boisterous, noisy and hyped up MCKK students. Some 30 or 40 MCKK students engaged in this most important nocturnal fixture which was played with several hockey balls. They were poor hockey players, because more often than not, they would crash their sticks on the wooden floor or the walls. This went on for about an hour despite our senior players walking upstairs to confront the recalcitrants. Then Othman tracked down the MCKK Hostel Warden to lodge an urgent complaint to cease and desist, which they did. But after about half an hour, the night hockey game resumed.

Othman, clearly furious at this deliberately unsporting conduct, then got us all to pack up lock, stock and barrel. We staged a 2 a.m. walk out to the MCKK sports pavilion, while Othman proceeded to track down and confront the MCKK HM, who of course, spluttered and sputtered, denying any knowledge of pre-planned underhanded tactics by MCKK. Peace was eventually restored as we went back to our dorm and beds. But when you are that age, you could stay awake the whole night and still perform miracles on the field the next day. We headed for the football field next morning at 9 for an hour of warm up exercises and then back to the dorm for rest as well as oiling aching muscles with Chinese ‘horse oil’, polishing boots and getting stockings, jersey and shorts ready for the match of our lives.

The U15 game kicked off under a blazing mid-afternoon sun at 3.00 p.m. on that Saturday. The senior U20 clash would commence at 5.00 p.m. All players wore Adidas leather boots with short studs. We completely dominated play. Half way through the first 45 minutes came my moment of glory.

I picked up the ball from half way on the right, exchanged a 1-2 with Mokhtar Dahari and then looked up, saw the MCKK goalkeeper strangely out of position and unleashed what I thought was a Rivelino-like thunderbolt away to his far left corner. But horrors, my foot half jammed on the turf and a tame shot headed towards goal. Fortunately for me, the MCKK keeper made a monumental error of judgement. He dived too early and the ball slowly floated to the back of the net. We were 1 nil up! The roar was tremendous from VI supporters as Simon Yap ran on to the field to congratulate me and I could hear from way back the voice of our coach Kim Chuan screaming ‘That’s it! I told you. Take a shot!” as he entered the grounds having just made his way to MCKK from KL.

It was something that Kim Chuan would constantly drum into the heads of those of us in the forward line during practice sessions – Yoong Fong, Sallehuddin, myself, Chung Kian, Mokhtar and Michael. ‘Don’t always do the predictable. If dribbling and passing don’t work, once in a while, just take a wild shot at goal!’ By half time we were 2-0 up courtesy of a header from Chung Kian and coasting home comfortably mid-way in the second half when disaster struck. The local referee awarded 2 penalties in succession to MCKK and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

The reason I complain is that the VI teams of those years were coached to play to the highest of sporting standards, We would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, engage in ANY ‘professional foul’, pull jerseys, dive in the penalty box or feign injury. Deliberately committing the most innocuous of fouls to gain an unfair advantage was unheard of in our ranks! It was a sure fix and everyone on the grounds in MCKK that day knew it!

After the game, we headed back to the dorm and that’s where I encountered the astonishing scene of N.Indran, our U15 Captain and close friend, sobbing his guts out on his mattress, as he was being consoled by Kim Chuan. I mean sure, we had not won; but neither had we lost. Moral victory was ours more so since it was an away game. But 15 year old boys rarely have the mind for uttering healing words and I walked over and mumbled something like ‘It’s okay man, let’s go grab a coke. And oh, I managed to exchange a couple of our jerseys with the MCKK players,” and then quickly grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.

The U20 team also drew their game 1-1, though there were no contentious refereeing decisions in that game.

Two weeks later we encountered La Salle Sentul in the finals of the Selangor Inter-Schools U15 Football Championships. We had defeated them 2-1 earlier in the preliminary games. But Mickey Yap, Raymond D’Silva and Shubon of La Salle were not satisfied that the best team had won and so the re-match had an edge as we gathered at Imbi Road Postals Grounds for the showdown.

Early preparations for the season involved Centralised Training at school. This meant the senior and junior squad members were bivouacked in the junior refectory/study room for a whole week. We slept on thin mattresses placed over long study tables and brought our own pillows, blankets and mosquito coils and burners! Overhead ceiling fans (air-conditioners had not been installed yet) were no match for the mosquitoes at night! More than one player had a close shave with the blades of the ceiling fans as they absentmindedly stood on the table-beds.

The school paid for all our meals. Breakfast and lunch were at the school canteen, with special ‘energising’ meals prepared by tuckshopmanboss’s family. For dinner we were given an allowance of $1.50 per head and would pool our money and head for the ‘Mushroom’ open-air restaurant opposite Stadium Merdeka or further down to the mamak, wan tan mee, chap fan and char koay teow stalls near Rex Theatre and Petaling Street, while cheerfully singing:

Inilah barisan kita,
Yang ikhlas berjuang.
Siap sedia berkorban,
Untuk ibu pertiwi!
Sebelum kita berjaya,
Jangan harap kami pulang!
Inilah sumpah pendekar kita,
Menuju Medan Bakti!
Andai kata kami gugur semua,
Taburlah bunga diatas pusara!
Kami mohon doa,
Malaysia berjaya!
Semboyan telah bebrbunyi,
Menuju medan bakti!
 
Team spirit was fantastic and we truly believed we could take on the world. Wake up call was 5.45 a.m. and after morning ablutions it was off to the field for warm up exercises, cross-country runs or 10 fast circuits of the 400m tracks for stamina building, or up and down the slopes of the school field for strengthening leg muscles and working at ball skills. We would head for the common showers at the school hostel at 7.15 and then to the tuck shop for a breakfast of bread, kaya, half or full boiled eggs and milk, coffee or tea and have to be in class by latest 7.45 a.m which was 15 minutes after classes commenced for other students.

The afternoon training sessions commenced at 3.30 and included shooting practice at the wall and interminable set pieces and tactical plays. No one missed these sessions because a daily report would be handed in to HM Murugasu, who was himself often there from 5-7 in the evenings, monitoring the progress of suspected laggards. It it rained, training sessions were moved to the School Hall. By the second day of these intensive training sessions, the juniors in particular, were ready to cry ‘Mama’ and head for home from the isolation, unfamiliar routines as well as aches all over the body! ‘Centralised training’ excuses were not tolerated by teachers or HM where homework and assignments were concerned!

Part of Centralised Training involved being imbued with the principles of sportsmanship. We not only practiced hailing '3 cheers' at the top of our voices to the opposition after each game ended regardless of who won or lost, we also practicesd '3 cheers to VI' at the beginning of each match as well! More than that, we would shake hands with and thank the referee, linesmen and teacher in charge of the opposing school teams.


But that game against La Salle stands out in my mind for several reasons. For one, coach Kim Chuan put me in the reserves for the first half! This had never ever happened to me before. I had always been a first choice player. Captain Indran and right winger Yong Fong expressed their dissent and misgivings to me privately (we had played together in the same teams for some 6 years) but no one dared question the coach’s decision publicly. My commitment to the team was not questioned either and I had been dreaming of scoring a goal or two in that final game of the season or somehow making a mark. I just knew I had a date with destiny. But this? In the reserves? Kim Chuan never explained that odd decision. Maybe it was reverse psychology?

In any event leftie Michael Nettleton who was great fun during centralised training, came on in place of me as left winger for the first half and almost put us ahead with a stinger that just cleared the bar! Wild horses could not have held me back for the second half as Indran signalled to me to replace Mike after a quick pow-wow with Kim Chuan. As was customary, I had no hesitation in shaking hands with Mike and thumping his back and cheering him up with ‘Well played!” Three years of training and playing together had built up a degree of camaradarie and mutual respect that could not be erased easily. Besides, we shared a common bond. We had both been caned-lashed on the hand by Valentine Manuel for my borrowing a textbook from Mike!!

I had no doubt it would happen. A number of of times I took on La salle's Mickey Yap who played at right back and set him up by making the dash always down the left flank, to his right, and appearing to fail to get past him. Then when the opening came, I looked up at Indran with whom I had an almost  telepathic understanding after so many years. I signalled to him with my eyes to send a through ball to Mickey’s left and in an instant I had left Mickey for dead. I ran round him, collected the ball, cut back to leave Mickey completely bewildered, hared down the flank and sent a low cross to the near post, to who else but Mokhtar Dahari! He did a magical shimmy and coolly slotted the ball over the line to the back of the net amidst a melee of tangled arms and legs and shouts of "block him!”. We had the lead! Ten minutes later Chung Kian made it 2-0 and that’s the way the match ended. The trophy was indisputably ours! Eddy Ee Beng Yew's peformance as goalkeeper was outstanding throughout the season as was the rock solid defence of Indran and Shook Keong, but there is no doubt it was a sterling team effort that led to success!

We sang with gay abandon in the tuckshopmanboss' van all the way back to the school tuckshop where we mixed fizzy concoctions of coke, 7-up and pepsi in the cauldron of the championship trophy and drank to glory while Mike emptied a bottle of Root Beer over my head and we whooped and laughed and talked again and again about Mike’s missed stinger and that through pass from Indran and that moment of wizardry from Mokhtar that justified our 3 months of sacrifice and hard work. Even tuckshopmanboss joined in the celebrations and ordered an extra round of pop drinks and curry puff for us!

Then an hour later, when we had exhausted our mutual ego-massaging, we packed up, broke up and I cycled for home with Mokhtar and Indran.

(Once before, Mokhtar, who lived in Malay Settlement Kampong Pandan Dalam, and I had nearly come to blows over our bicycles. We both had similar looking bicycles parked in the school bicycle shed opposite the swimming pool (this was before it was moved to the shade formed by the side of the swimming pool wall). I had cycled home for lunch and returned to school for afternoon football practice where I found a furious looking Mokhtar and his minder, beefy Prem Sagar, waiting at the shed. It transpired that my bike keys could also open Mokhtar’s bike lock and I had mistakenly taken home his bike! Mokhtar had panicked thinking his precious bike had been stolen and he would have a tought time explaining matters to his father. Anyway we got over that misunderstanding after some choice words from Mokhtar and menacing gestures from Prem! And it’s not surprising Prem Sagar, who later played rugby for school and was noted for his enthusiasm and commitment to the team, ended up working for the Police Force in S’pore).

The next Monday, Kim Chuan and R.Seshan were presented during School Assembly with our trophies of appreciation for their mentoring. 

And that was that. I never played soccer for VI after that year. You could just about manage it at U15 level, but NOT still play wearing spectacles against much bigger guys at U18 and U20 levels.

And, oh yes! Mickey Yap, Raymond D'Silva and Shubon Sinha Roy who were all outstanding footballers and athletes in their own right, enrolled at VI the following year!! Raymond D'Silva will always be remembered as VI's mercurial left-winger whose dribbling skills and bursts of speed drew gasps of astonishment wherever he played. A couple of years later, Mickey Yap played full-back for Malaysian Schools' Football Team which Indran successfully captained in the finals played at Merdeka Stadium.


Shunbon excelled in athletics, particularly in the 400m and 4 x 100 relays.

As for the GREAT Mokhtar Dahari, what is there that I can say about his footballing skills, character, modesty and sincerity as a human being that has not already been documented so extensively elsewhere? It was a privilege to have known and played alongside him! He really began to bloom between 1969-70 when he was first choice in not only football, but also rugby! And, God only knows where he carried weights (it certainly was not at VI), but by the time he was in Form 5, the once '90-pound weakling' looked like he'd been born with body armour. The muscles just bulged out frighteningly!


But I take extra pride in that we knew him at a time when his Malay-ness and our non-Malayness and our religious diversities never ever, not once, ever, came between any of us!!

(to be continued)