Ftbol fever strikes in Thousand Oaks
World Cup draws big crowds to the Crown & Anchor
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers NICE BALL, MATE-Ben Ruffman, left, of Thousand Oaks and Rick Granatt from Sherman Oaks react to a scoring opportunity for England in its World Cup matchup against Paraguay. The match began at 6 a.m. Saturday and was broadcast to a packed house at the Crown & Anchor.

It's 6 a.m. Saturday morning and the Crown & Anchor bar and restaurant in Thousand Oaks is packed with English soccer fans.

Scattered amongst the throng of red and white clothed bodies are men and women who'd come from Los Angeles, Ojai, Santa Barbara and an assortment of neighboring communities to watch England play Paraguay in the teams' 2006 World Cup opener.

The first Englishman arrived at the bar at 3 a.m., but he was turned away and told to return in a few hours, which he did.

When the doors reopened over two hours later, the place quickly filled up, bar manager Russ Parkes said.

"We didn't expect this many people," he said. "We knew it was going to be busy by the phone calls we got, but we were surprised how many people did show up for a 6 o'clock game."

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers RED, WHITE AND BLUE-From left, Josh Parker, Scott Quatro, Forest Lawrenceton, Chadwick Dikfiir, and Mark and Dave Tietjen cheer the Americans despite their 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic.

Ironically, kickoff time also signaled the beginning of the serving day, and once the beer taps began flowing, Stella Artois was the libation of choice, Parkes said.

"Stella's a good, strong beer," Parkes said. "It's served in all the pubs back home, all throughout England."

Not everyone was drinking, though. Some sleepy-eyed folks sipped on coffee, while others ate omelets and potatoes with onions.

Vanessa McGarry, a Thousand Oaks resident who played soccer at Agoura High and Cal Lutheran, frequents the Crown & Anchor with her English-born husband, Tommy.

For the World Cup opener, the McGarrys woke up at 4:30 in the morning and were on the road shortly thereafter.

"Even though it's shown on regular television, we've got to come here for the atmosphere," Vanessa McGarry said. "And you've got to have your English kit ready. You know, put your English stuff on."

England scored in the third minute when a free kick by David Beckham was headed into the net by Paraguay defenseman Carlos Gamarra for an own goal.

After the early fireworks, the match slowed down considerably as both sides had difficulties mounting meaningful offensive attacks.

There were grumblings from the crowd as England looked lethargic throughout the majority of the match. With more than a dozen TVs in the dining, patio and bar areas, the fans peered on waiting for some action.

"Scoring some goals is what we need to do," Crown & Anchor owner Ged Peel said. "Once you start scoring those goals, that's when the atmosphere gets fun."

Peel has owned the Crown & Anchor for 10 years and has been open for past World Cups and European Championships.

This year he's committed to having the doors open for every match of the tournament, which means there will be a lot of early mornings and late nights over the next month.

"Once you make the commitment to open up, you can't pick and choose games," Peel said.

Games featuring England always draw the biggest crowds, Peel said, but many other countries, including the U.S.A., show up in good numbers, too, especially powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany.

Matt McGee, a 38-year-old T.O. resident, stood at the end of the bar wearing an Ireland jersey.

The Boys in Green didn't even qualify for the World Cup, and sporting Irish attire probably isn't the fastest way to make friends in an English pub, yet McGee said he felt very comfortable at his local watering hole. "Eliminated but not forgotten," said McGee of his wardrobe selection.

"The best thing about the World Cup is that it brings everybody out to enjoy the game," he said. "Regardless if I'm wearing an Irish jersey or he's wearing an English jersey or he's wearing a Mexican jersey, everybody can just enjoy the game."

England ended up winning the opening match, 1-0.

It wasn't the greatest effort by the lads from across The Pond, but a win is a win and that's all you can ask for in a tournament like this, Parkes said.

"Typical England," Parkes said. "They start off slow. Expectations are high. But, you know, there's a long way to go yet. They'll get better."