MS Dhoni visits Madrid CC
Madrid CC finished its cricket season as per every year at the end of October. So the players were quite surprised when we announced a session for this Sunday (heavy rain forecast the day before and the day after) and with a surprise VIP.
The morning arrived and the lads all turned up on time, for once, at 10am a little surprised to see the amount of drink I’d bought for the day and the fact we had two barmaids at hand to boot! Not an everyday occurrence at Madrid CC.
We spent a good 60 minutes preparing the ground, as always, laying the pitch and the boards out and putting out the boundary markers when the first coach arrived. The faces were quite a picture as the second, third and fourth coach arrived all at the same time. When the seventh coach finally arrived, followed by four nifty looking black cars, we finally revealed the secret. They all thought I was joking at first but soon realized I was completely serious. Their faces were a picture!
We spent the next couple of hours watching Dhoni play and serving the 400 spectators at the bar. Some of us had the privilege of bowling at him (I can happily say he didn’t hit me for a boundary!) and before he left we got the chance to meet the Indian legend up close when he signed a few shirts and some of our Madrid CC merchandise.
It was an amazing day and one that is hard to beat in cricketing terms. A day that brought a living legend to the home of Madrid CC and saw him actually play on the ground we worked so hard to get over the past 15 years. A day we’ll never forget!
A special thanks must go out to Manny who helped coordinate the visit and the Madrid CC Committee who continue to pull off miracles with just a few days notice! Thanks a million!
Jonathan Woodward
President Madrid CC
