Part 1  (It All Began at Padang Besar)

By Badrulhisham Othman

The breeze that graces the rising sun after the morning drizzle still brings that serene feeling of old Kuantan.

The pleasant smell of fresh grass rekindles memories of sitting at Padang Besar watching my hero, Chud, on the football pitch.

This time, however, there are no thunderous cheers. No more words between us…

That morning, the wind was listening to my tahlil recital, and etched on a gravestone is “Rosmaini bin Mohamed Shah… Lahir pada 3-2 1954, kembali ke rahmatullah pada 8-4-2021“, signifying Chud’s presence at the Muslim gravesite of Hutan Setali, Kuantan next to the kampung I was born.

The legendary Rosmaini Mohamed Shah

The tombstone of the late Rosmaini

The passing of this Pahang football legend after a brief spell of illness during the PKP was mourned by many whose life was touched and inspired by his graceful plays on the field.

To admire him, one must go back to the era of the 70s and early 80s when Kuantan was not even half its size. Life was not a mad rush then. You can literally walk from one end to the other, while the tallest structure is the eight-floor Wisma Sri Pahang.

The site of Stadium Darulmakmur was still a mere coconut plantation and swamp. Lots of trishaws were on the road, and medicine sellers still command a large crowd at the ‘Pokok Buloh’ bus stop near to the mosque as they listen intensely the stories or were mesmerised by their magic show again and again.

 P. Ramlee and John Wayne movies were still shown as cheap matinées at Capitol, while Hindi movies Sangam, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Bobby dominated REX (pronounced as R. E Pangkah by some villagers) for months. Hong Kong blockbusters were a must-see at Cathay.

Only at this cinema could you see people getting rowdy and nasty, hustling at the counter to buy tickets, and once in a while, you hear a story of so and so getting involved in brawls in front of SuSu Bar at Jalan Bukit Ubi – which was among the only such outlet at that time. Otherwise, Kuantan was a peaceful town near a river and sea.

Despite all these, a vast field in middle of the town is set as the centrepiece of Kuantan. It has an abundance of stories passed down from generation to generation, and that field got a name – Padang Besar. It is sad to see how a historical place, which can fit 4 football pitches and surrounded by historical buildings, is now just known after a number (MBK 1) as it lost its soul.

It was where the declaration of Kuantan as the new capital of Pahang was made in 1955 and proclamation of Independence on 31 August 1957 was read in the state.

During the 60s and 70s, Pahang was just a minnow in sports, especially football.

But we, as Pahang fans, never lose heart and Padang Besar is where Pahang football evolves.

Either rain or shine, the then Regent of Pahang Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Shah would always arrive at Padang Besar on Saturday afternoon for the football game. We remember well the protocol. Players will form a line once the police motorcycle siren is heard. The Regent alighted his car and was introduced to the players, later posed for a group photo. He then moved to a chair near the by line, the referee blew the whistle and the excitement began.

 In later years, Almarhum Sultan Ahmad, too, took charge as national soccer supremo. His passion for football is inherited by his sons, Seri Paduka Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Tengku Muda, Tengku Abdul Rahman.

Despite losing 2-0 to Kelantan that day, we could still smile because it was a much better result compared with the thrashing 8-0 we had in Kota Baru previously. There were also myths that if they played very badly, they were made to run around the polo field, which is about the size of nine football fields.

Those days, Pahang Malaysia Cup campaign never passed the group stage, comprising Kelantan, Terengganu and one team from the west coast either the Police, Armed Forces or the Prisons Department. Most of the time, Pahang were at the bottom of the table.

Match day was always an adventure for me and other boys who were brought to the game by their fathers. Poles which hold large black cloth was erected around the football field to block people from watching for free from the roadside. People who want to watch the game must buy a ticket, which is around RM1.00. The poles were erected five feet from the by line of the pitch. This gave enough space for spectators to sit under the shades and space for the linesman to run up and down the field.

The very thought of how the town board workers put those pieces of cloth, which look like a sail and measure 400 metres, to create a cordon of curtain around the football field amazes me until now.

Behind those curtains, all the tackles, elbowing, dribbling, cursing and fighting happened in front of your eyes, and we, as fans with a very basic understanding of tactics, would cheer on those who kicked the ball harder, higher or run faster.

 In one friendly between Pahang and Selangor, Mokhtar Dahari let a salvo from outside the penalty box, and the ball bolted like a torpedo and struck like a lightning thunder that sent the home team goalkeeper sprawling to the ground of the famous Padang Besar.

Padang Besar, which is situated in the centre of Kuantan town, is also a place that hosts state and national events or cultural shows.

During flood disasters, it became a staging area for the distribution of food for flood victims as well as a landing pad for TUDM Nuri helicopters tasked with the mission.

During the Japanese invasion and later the bloody 14-day reign of Bintang Tiga, bodies were found hanging from the trees around the Padang Besar, according to an old towkay who had a photo shop across the field.

After Stadium Darulmakmur was built, Padang Besar still plays a big role as a venue for the local football league game. It is still a place for people from all walks of life to celebrate or witness important events. Now, it is also famous for hosting buka puasa events during Ramadan.

The Padang is now a favourite spot for berbuka puasa with family and friends

NEXT: Part 2 – The Emergence of Rosmaini Mohamed Shah and Cikgu Ishak Taib boys)