Barmy Army, a big hit in Vizag

A creative lot, the Barmy Army has many innovative ways of cheering for the Lions. In the ongoing Test series, the fans sing songs, exclusively written for each player. And, thanks to the Barmy Army, every English cricketer has a song after him. The crowd joins them and over the last three days at the Dr. YSR ACA VCA Stadium here, the Barmy Army have undoubtedly become the ‘fan favourites’. 

 

Andy Thompson is the travel coordinator for the Barmy Army for their team’s India tour. “We have about 3000 registered members but around 200 of us are here. We expect the number to go up to 1000 in Mumbai,” Thompson said. 

 

The group is a closely-knit one. “We almost know everyone here. About 70 or 80 percent of the people who are here, have been with us for a long time and on many tours. It’s a kind of a jelly really, but a cohesive jelly,” quipped David Laing, another core member of the group. 

 

There is an interesting way how the Barmy Army comes up with a song for a player. “Whenever a player gets a cap, it all goes around social media and the fans, everybody is trying ideas out. We are creative songwriters but we take popular chartbusters and twist the lyrics to suit the player. For example, we have taken Blondie's hit Denis and changed Denis to Hameed, Hameed! We sing the song when the batsman comes in to bat and when they reach certain personal landmarks,” Thompson said, adding that Joe Root is most popular cricketer among the Barmy Army, as he has five songs to his name. 

 

The hero of the group is Billy Copper, the trumpeter. The crowd at the stadium go ballistic when Billy plays his trumpet. “A professional musician with one of London's top orchestras, Billy is here only for the one Test match and has limited time off. He’s probably the trumpet-equivalent of Virat Kohli,” Thompson laughed. 

 

According to Laing, the Barmy Army is a pillar of support for the team at any time. “It (the support) is important. It’s not essential bit it gels everyone together. The sound of the trumpet carries out in the middle and the team know we are there, cheering them on. So, every morning when we sing Jerusalem, the team turns around and applauds,” Laing said. 

 

The Barmy Army have about 15 custom made tee-shirts for the tour. “We have a tee-shirt with a picture of a packed train with people hanging onto it, with the emblem of the Lion on the top, symbolising that we're thinking about being back in England,” Thompson said.