03 March,2011 06:14 AM IST | | Madhusudan Maney
Despite being a public holiday, a mere 8,000 people turned up at the Chinnaswamy stadium where Ireland beat England in a World Cup shocker
Officials and police on duty at the Chinnaswamy stadium had a lazy day yesterday, as people opted to stay home instead of venturing out to watch the ICC World Cup match, despite it being a public holiday.
Cops day out: Police on duty at the Chinnaswamy stadium had a lazy
day yesterday, as just a handful of spectators turned out to watch the
England-Ireland match
Spectators missed an exciting match as Ireland sprang a surprise on England by defeating them, and Kevin O'Brien broke the record for the fastest World Cup hundred.
The stands remained practically empty for the match and traffic on the roads surrounding the stadium was relatively sparse. This was just the opposite in comparison to the scenes witnessed during the India-England match on February 27, which saw a fan turnout of over 65,000.
Turnout minimal
KSCA spokesperson and former cricketer Sujith Somasundar said, "There were around 7 to 8 thousand people inside the stadium, which is really not that much."u00a0u00a0The gates were opened at around 11 am, but there was no rush. The police on duty at the gates were seen sitting on chairs looking quite relaxed. "We are free as there are no crowds, but last Sunday we had a tough time. We had to skip lunch, but today our meals were on time and we are resting.
Again, on March 6, we will have to face a similar situation as we faced during the India-England match, since India will be playing Ireland," said sub-inspector Srinivas Murthy.
No profits
Vendors and fruit sellers around the stadium saw bad business as no one turned up to buy flags, caps and or have their faces painted. "Since morning I have not painted a single person, but last Sunday I made a good amount," said Bhutto Biswas, a face-painter from West Bengal.
Bhola Prasad Gupta, a flag vendor said, "Business is very dull today. I earned just Rs 100, but for the previous match, I earned more than Rs 1,000."
Though ticket counters opened early, sale was low. Even the parking lot was almost vacant and the few spectators who turned up were allowed to park their vehicles at Cubbon Park instead of BRV grounds.
