With a trumpet in his hand and a song on his lips, it was a busy day in the office for Simon Finch. As the hordes of English fans donned the official Barmy Army jackets and cheered for their team from the West Stand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Finch humbly slipped into his favourite genre to cheer on his team.
Since 2021, he has been a professional trumpeter with the Barmy Army, travelling across the world to back the England team, and having played with the likes of Eric Clapton, Paloma Faith, Tom Jones, Paul Weller and Beyonce, Finch has a song for every mood.
“There are a few songs that keep our fans going. One tune is the theme of the famous film ‘Great Escape. That’s about telling our fans that ‘come on guys, let’s get them’,” Finch told Sportstar.
When he replaced Billy Cooper, the orchestral musician, Finch - popularly known as Finchy - debuted for the Barmy Army during England’s Edgbaston Test against New Zealand. Though he has been a trumpeter since the age of ten, he had ‘butterflies in his stomach’ when he played ‘Jerusalem’ - the unofficial hymn of the team - for the first time in front of the Barmy Army members. “But people said it was nice,” Finch said with a smile.
Finch last came to India two decades ago, when he was part of a band. And, this time around, he has crisscrossed from south to north via western and eastern parts of the country with the Barmy.
“It has been a fantastic experience,” he said. “It’s the trip to do if you are an England cricket fan. India and Australia are the two destinations that are always on your bucket list. When I came to India twenty years ago, I did gigs in Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ludhiana, Goa and Bengaluru. This time I got to visit other places, and things looked more formalised, and the infrastructure was better. Culturally, all those places were different, with different food and language,” he said.
The Indian cricket fans, too, have impressed Finch. “They are excellent losers, terrible winners,” he said in a jiffy. “Every time, there will be a long partnership, they will be quiet, and the moment a wicket falls, there will be loud cheers. We are the opposite. When the England team is the underdog, we at Barmy Army start singing to cheer up the team…” he said.
In his long and illustrious career, Finch played the trumpet in Kanye West’s ‘ All of the Lights,’ and the royalties from the massive hot album helped him survive during COVID when musicians struggled without any gigs.
Those were difficult times, but ever since joining the Barmy Army, there has never been a dull moment for Finch. “The Hyderabad Test was the highlight of the tour. A win looked unlikely going into the fourth day, given the fact, that we had two spinners who did not play much before. But we went on to beat India at home. We have competed really well, and this has been a great experience watching how India plays cricket,” he said.
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While the snow-capped mountains and the lush green outfield in Dharamsala reminded him of home, Finch had the ‘best food’ in Rajkot.
“I loved the Kathiawadi cuisine and I had one of the best meals at the Grand Thakkar restaurant in Rajkot. The people there were so good and friendly, and I enjoyed every moment…”
With their beloved Finchy playing some of the iconic numbers, the England fans had a great time in India over the last five weeks, despite the Bazball losing its sheen!
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