Members of the Barmy Army enjoying themselves in the Red Stripe Mound yesterday at Sabina Park. - Photo by Keisha Hill
The chorus of voices can be heard echoing around Sabina Park. England's Barmy Army is here to give full support to their team.
These men are the really loyal fans, who accompany the English team on tours to give added support and entertainment.
One member of the over 100-strong contingent, Les Foulger from Birmingham, had dreamt of watching cricket in the West Indies for over 12 years. He is here with his three sons - Matthew, Tom and Gavin - and is excited that his dream has finally come true.
Overall, he is expecting England to win the series 2-1, but win or lose, he stated that as long as it is a good performance, he will still enjoy the game.
A very comical man indeed, Foulger indicated that he was around when Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were playing cricket and, according to him, the West Indies had a good side then.
"The West Indies have been on a down and out for the last few years. They still haven't got the batting and bowling capacity to win this series. Their bowlers are youngsters and in a few years' time, they will become very good bowlers and, hopefully, in a few years' time the West Indies will get back up the world ladder," Foulger said.
Carnival-like atmosphere
Amid the noise and banter, James Taylor, 24, of Manchester, England, is basically here to enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere.
"We have seen cricket games in England and we just wanted to be here in the Caribbean and appreciate it for what it is here," Taylor said.
He stated that he will only be here in Jamaica for the first tour and then he and his friends will head off to South America.
"It has been an amazing experience. We have had fun and danced around. We heard about Kingston being a rough place but as far as things go at the moment, everybody has been welcoming," he explained.
He, too, favours England to win but states that whoever wins the series, the tour is going to end on a high regardless and he just wants to see plenty of shots and have some fun.
"The England team started out slow and then Pieterson came in and saved us. We got a respectable total. Hopefully, we can bowl West Indies out for maybe 200 or 250 runs and perhaps, get a chance to bat again. Maybe, we can go one up," he said.
The Irish, too, are not to be outdone as they also make up the many fans supporting the English team. Three young men from Silgo, Ireland - Karl Tuffy, Jason Cawley and Tappout Lilcullen - are soaking up the warm Jamaican sunshine and enjoying themselves.
According to Tuffy, "The English have it in the bag. Freddie got the first man out 18-1. It was big shot and the West Indies will do very well to recover from that. The West Indies are doing ok, but I would be surprised if this continues until Sunday."