Massa [mister] Compton...” said an old West Indian spectator to England’s star batsman Denis Compton on the boundary during a tour game at Georgetown, Guyana, in 1954. “Massa Weekes, Massa Worrell, and Massa Walcott come first and the Lord above comes second.” This anecdote concerning the three great W’s, is yet another example how cricket-crazy fans in the Caribbean are. 

In Mumbai cricket circles, the word Masa (albeit spelt differently) is associated with the late Jehangir Pithawala, who founded the Dadar Parsee Zorastrian Cricket Club (DPZ CC). The club also known as ‘Zopdi’, is celebrating its centenary this year and deserves accolades for the role it has played in the growth of Mumbai cricket. The term ‘Zopdi’ may have emerged because of the tent, a players’ enclosure/dressing room for most maidan clubs before pavilions came about. The souvenir published for DPZ’s centenary thus describes Masa’s contribution: “Dadar Parsee Zoroastrian Cricket Club was established by Shri Jehangir Pithawala in 1926. A young Parsee, back then holding immense love and admiration for the game, conceived his idea of having a Cricket club for enthusiastic players.”