The Barmy Army entertains in colourful Cape Town comment count

• News
• January 06, 2010 ∥
• By Roy Barford

Barmy Army commander Vic Flowers, also known as Jimmy Saville, conducts a chant at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on one of the Army’s tours. Picture courtesy Prescott Pym

An English cricket tour would not be the same without its loyal group of travelling supporters, the Barmy Army, as Cape Town residents have discovered during the past few days.

Test cricket’s infamous group of organised supporters got its name during the 1994/95 Ashes tour of Australia. The Barmy Army has not missed a single English tour since then, entertaining crowds and television audiences around the world with its songs, chants and often interesting outfits and antics.

Its most popular chant, a repetition of “Barmy Army!” was originally a Sheffield Wednesday football song, and is now a popular chant at football venues across England.

At the third Test between England and South Africa, currently taking place at Newlands in Cape Town, several thousand English supporters have arrived every day to bask in the city’s glorious sunshine and mingle with the welcoming locals.

The Barmy Army even has a leader, who is responsible for a wide range of tasks, most prominently, conducting songs. Vic Flowers, who is nicknamed Jimmy Saville because of his resemblance to a disc jockey of the same name, is a face synonymous with English cricket tours.

Cape Town hopes to welcome even more members of the Barmy Army during future cricket tours. Not only is Newlands arguably the most scenic cricket ground in the world, but Cape Town offers countless attractions and a wide range of accommodation to suit your requirements.

For more information about the Barmy Army, visit its website.

English sports fans who hope to visit Cape Town should start making arrangements to fly out for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, during which England play Algeria at Cape Town Stadium on June 18.