AS there was just something extra special about it, the superb grass field at the historic Malacca Club will always be remembered as the place where notable hockey greats trained and played.
Many state and national players from Malacca as well as other states, who played in the Razak Cup, Under-21, Under-23 and other age groups, honed their skills and saw some action on this pitch.
It’s amazing how such a legendary field, which has produced so many legendary players, is located in such a small state. It must be said that all these players are indebted to this humble club for helping them to build up their playing careers.
As it was the first pitch that I started playing on, the boys ─ and myself included ─ would normally start playing from 3pm onwards until dusk in a bid to improve our game.
Since it was a 10-minute walk from my village or kampung, Banda Kaba, the club was easily accessible to me for training, playing and watching hockey matches.
It’s proximity to my kampung was also one of the reasons why the respective pitch, commonly known as the Malacca Club Padang, produced a host of great hockey players from Banda Kaba.
Among them were Joseph ‘Jack’ Johnson, Wong Choon Hin, Samat Sayed, Zainal Abidin Bakar, Tam Chiew Seng, Tam Kam Seng, Ismail Ali, Razak Leman, Ariffin Ghani, Bakar Said, Tam Kong Onn, Teo Hiow Pye and myself.
Some of the great players from other parts of Malacca, who trained and made their names on this pitch were Wallace Tan, Brian Cavalho, Chin Boon Gee, Razak Leman, R. Vijayan, Tam Chiew Mun, S. Vellapan, K. Dhaarma Raj, K. Enbaraj, Eugene Lee, Nor Azmi Abu Samah, Paul Lopez, Benny Tan, Lim Chow Chuan and Harcharan Singh.
Founded way back in 1890, the Malacca Club was established as both a sporting and social institution. A new clubhouse emerged in 1912 with membership mainly comprised of British planters and affluent locals.
Even in those days, the grass pitch became a centrepiece for the club as it offered its members a conducive space for croquet, lawn bowl, lawn tennis and cricket.
However, the club underwent a traumatic transition in 1984 when its lease expired. Efforts to obtain an extension failed as the Malacca state government gazetted the building as a historic monument and its field as Malacca’s Taman Bunga.
Subsequently, a new townhouse was established in 1985 when the club shifted its premises to Melaka Raya.
As a result of Malacca Club Padang’s closure, the game was shifted to the Melaka High School field until Malacca’s very own turf pitch emerged at the MBMB Hockey Stadium in Bukit Serindit.
It is sad that the traditionally-rich Malacca Club has ceased to play a part in the improvement and development of sports, such as hockey and cricket, in Malaysia.
The club would have two hockey fields, which would be covered with synthetic pitch when a cricket match was played.
Before the introduction of a turf pitch, The Malacca Club Padang had numerous opportunities to host hockey tournaments on a national level.
SInce motorists, pedestrians, rickshaw pullers and others would stop to watch ongoing matches at the Padang, the Malaccan crowd ─ being the 12th member of the team ─ became infamous for being hostile and intimidating.
The ambience at the Padang would be akin to a small fiesta as stalls opposite the pitch would sell rojak and beverage to the spectators during a tournament.
The crowd of onlookers, which gathered under the shade of a Sena or Ketapang tree, understood the game well enough to heckle at umpires, who made unfavourable decisions for the home team.
Although there were ropes in those days to stop outsiders from entering the grounds, the fans would storm the pitch in celebration whenever Malacca scored, and what a scene that was.
On the other hand, my kampong boys and myself would always be seated behind the opponent's goalkeeper whenever Malacca played. At times, we would shout out insults with no other intention but to distract him.
Due to the high expectations of the partisan crowd, opponents need to be mentally resilient to play a match at the Malacca Club Padang as skills and fitness alone would not help their cause.
Since it was like a fortress for home team during national tournaments, it proved to be quite a challenge for visiting teams to play at the Malacca Club Padang.
When I was in Standard Four, Five and Six at Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Bandar Hilir in the early 80s, my teacher made it possible for me to be a ball picker at these tournaments.
This was one of the factors that contributed to my interest in the game and the direct contact I had with some of the best players in the country was truly inspiring; what an experience it was, I must say.
Imagine meeting big-name players, such as Stephen van Huizen, Colin Sta Maria, Kevin Nunis, Wallace Tan, Chin Boon Gee and many others during the Razak Cup tournaments.
It's a pity that the Malacca Club and its famous field is no longer around and that our current batch of youngsters will not have a chance to be part of that Malacca Club Padang magic.
For those who had the good fortune of being there, either as a player or spectator, or both for that matter, they ─ and myself included ─ will cherish this memorable experience for the rest of our lives.
Stay safe and Gong Xi Fa Cai, everyone. ─ The Vibes, 12 February, 2021
