Cheers To The Club

Gideon Haigh, the current best of a cricket writing tradition in Australia which goes back as far as the game, chose the occasion of the tenth Bradman Oration to honour the cornerstone of cricket in this country ... the local club.

William McInnes has previously covered much of the ground Haigh scampered over last night but in novel form. His "The Cricket Kings" (Hodder 2006) tells the story of the local team and the ability of its individuals to look after each other and to find pathways which skirt the inadequacies of men to connect with each other meaningfully. In spite of cultural and gender handicaps, the distractions of the week and personal crisis, the thirds rise above it all and win against a far stronger opponent ... but its not the winning that sustains them. As the fella said, its not about the destination. Life is lived in the journeys.

Haigh's address wasn't a work of fiction. His use of history - a strength - and anecdote, built a rich homage to an entity which is so much more than the sum of its parts. He used his own experience in playing more than 400 games for his beloved club - the mighty Yarras - as the practical basis for his oration. In doing so, he moved the listener/reader from an appreciation of Haigh the writer to Haigh the club cricketer, who by his own description is no more than handy. His description of the difference between a Michael Clarke cover drive and his own is that Clarke's is expected where his is always a "pleasant surprise".

He outlines both the trials and rewards of being in a club and the tradition in Australia of clubs who have struggled on, the till often empty and the ranks thin every Saturday, some of them never needing to find places for premiership trophies.

Its a great talk and one all should read (as you should the McInnes book).

We each have a story to tell about the club that was special and for me, it was Waratahs Cricket Club in Armidale NSW. Every element described by both McInnes and Haigh were present during the 1980's at Waratahs, plus even more. I watch my son play today and listen to talk more widely on the game in our town and too often now, there is no club - just four teams that play in the same colours. 1st graders don't know the names of the kids in the 4ths and the kids are too scared to talk to older blokes. No one older than 25 trains any more and there is rarely time for chat about the play and a few drinks after stumps. There are exceptions ... those clubs who have dominant older players still insisting on the old ways because they know them to be better. These changes are an accurate barometer of the social health of male Australia.

Haigh holds more belief than me. I'll cling to his hope.

"Amateurism Endures Mightily" - Gideon Haigh, The Bradman Oration 2012