beware the parochial South Australian...
Sun, Dec. 13th, 2009 11:22 pm
Okay, so I've held off since the last Test to properly develop my thoughts, but nope, not changing. Still makes me grit my teeth, narrow my eyes and start a fire in my stomach.
( This was my Oval )
Tradition is a big thing in cricket, you must understand, and possibly even more so at Adelaide Oval than the rest of the country. Commentators, players, officials, ALL of them comment on how gorgeous the Adelaide Oval is. Everyone ranks it as the most picturesque cricket ground in the world, with only Newlands in South Africa, which I'll admit has a pretty stunning aspect with Table Mountain behind it, being mentioned in the same breath. I promise you it's not only home bias saying this, Adelaide Oval is beautiful. Les Burdett, the curator, is well-known enough in this city that he's been on a beer ad. We are so bloody proud of our oval. People rarely ever have nice things to say about Adelaide (because, let's face it, we have bugger-all and the eastern states hate us), but the Oval? That's one thing we have got. Where the rest of the country has faceless, generic stands around boring stadium grounds, Adelaide Oval has beauty and character.
However, ( this is my Oval )
( And this WILL be my Oval )
This new development is shit. It's going to destroy everything I love about my Oval. The only reason commentators and players are going to talk about it now is to lament it. I could handle it if it was just the members stands that were changing. Just. But none of it is going to be left. The Bradman Stand's going, and it's only about 15 years old. Members stands already gone. All but the tiniest corner of the Hill, where the scoreboard is, will remain. You won't be able to see the Moreton Bay figs behind it, or the cathedral, or little kiddies playing cricket on the Family Hill section with mum and dad on a picnic blanket. I'm so glad I've taken my camera to pretty much every match for the last four years or so, because all that is as good as gone.
... Winamp as scarily fitting as ever.
( This was my Oval )
Tradition is a big thing in cricket, you must understand, and possibly even more so at Adelaide Oval than the rest of the country. Commentators, players, officials, ALL of them comment on how gorgeous the Adelaide Oval is. Everyone ranks it as the most picturesque cricket ground in the world, with only Newlands in South Africa, which I'll admit has a pretty stunning aspect with Table Mountain behind it, being mentioned in the same breath. I promise you it's not only home bias saying this, Adelaide Oval is beautiful. Les Burdett, the curator, is well-known enough in this city that he's been on a beer ad. We are so bloody proud of our oval. People rarely ever have nice things to say about Adelaide (because, let's face it, we have bugger-all and the eastern states hate us), but the Oval? That's one thing we have got. Where the rest of the country has faceless, generic stands around boring stadium grounds, Adelaide Oval has beauty and character.
However, ( this is my Oval )
( And this WILL be my Oval )
This new development is shit. It's going to destroy everything I love about my Oval. The only reason commentators and players are going to talk about it now is to lament it. I could handle it if it was just the members stands that were changing. Just. But none of it is going to be left. The Bradman Stand's going, and it's only about 15 years old. Members stands already gone. All but the tiniest corner of the Hill, where the scoreboard is, will remain. You won't be able to see the Moreton Bay figs behind it, or the cathedral, or little kiddies playing cricket on the Family Hill section with mum and dad on a picnic blanket. I'm so glad I've taken my camera to pretty much every match for the last four years or so, because all that is as good as gone.
... Winamp as scarily fitting as ever.
