Yrae Chronicles

Man it's been a long time since I used this icon. That man has not played cricket in about 15 years.

WE WON THE SHEFFIELD SHIELD!!!

The Sheffield Shield is our domestic long-form cricket competition, which mostly people don't much give a shit about (like they get an attendance of a dozen people through the season) but it is the competition that feeds into the Australian Test team, which is the absolute peak of cricket.

South Australia hasn't won the Sheffield Shield in 29 years. I was 10 the last time we won, and I didn't register it at all. Darren Lehmann, who was babby in that last winning team? His son, Jake, was 3 at the time. Jake was playing in this game. He scored a century in the first innings.

Full context, this has been really building up since we cemented our spot a the top of the ladder and hence hosting the final, which has been like three weeks. Before, even, since like halfway through the season and we were still top of the ladder. Even that is umprecedented. Like still trying not to count chickens etc, but omg hope was ignited. And then we got to host it, holy shit. EXCEPT. Because it's officially footy season now, the AFL decreed they couldn't play it at Adelaide Oval. I mean it's only been the home of cricket in SA for the last 155 years and we haven't hosted the Shield final in almost 30 but fine. FINE. It's FINE. Cricket Australia offered to reschedule it to starting on Monday so it'd have a scheduled finish of yesterday for the footy on Sunday, and the Adelaide Oval staff all said that'd be plenty of time to turn it around from cricket to footy, but nope. AFL said no. Arseholes. The Shield final has always been in March, it's the footy season that keeps getting longer and longer and encroaching on cricket season. We ALLOW you to play on Adelaide Oval in what is still CRICKET SEASON.

So anyway that spat has been dominating headlines since last week, so this final has been in the conscience for a while now. I do wonder if they'd have gotten the same attendance if that controversy hadn't happened. There were like 5000 people there. It was so great.

Anyway.

We'd been pretty much dominating since day one. Yesterday, the Queenslanders fought back somewhat and set us a target today of 270. Tricky in the final innings--the previous record winning run chase was like 200 or something?--and we lost three quick wickets in the first session of the day, but then Carey and Sangha dug in, each made a century, and WE WON. TWENTY NINE YEARS.

As soon as Sangha hit the winning runs, the crowd of about 5000 jumped the picket fence and stormed the ground, swarming the two players as they were laughing and celebrating. We all ran up to the stand where the players all were and waited for presentations. Which. I mean. Normally presentations are done on the ground but, considering how much they've been showing the crowd storming the ground after the 95/96 final win through the week, they really should've expected a pitch invasion. I do hope they prepared for this. Didn't look it but maybe they did, idk. Anyway, they moved all the cameras and presentation stuff up to the balcony, and every new prop that came out got a huge cheer. The Shield itself got a roar like the team had come out because that thing is OURS NOW. For the first time in almost THREE DECADES. The SACA staff who were bringing out all the stuff were laughing every time their movements got cheered. Like, Shield out, big cheer. Carry over to the stand, crowd builds with anticipation, "woahhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH EYYYYYY!!!" It was just so delightful, so much fun, so much excitement from the crowd.

Then the boys came out and they were so happyyyyy just looking out over THOUSANDS of people when they're used to like the echoing claps of like five people. And they each had their chance to raise their hands to the crowd and make us go WOOOO again.

omfg it was so much fun. SO MUCH FUN. I've never stormed the ground before, it was awesome 8D

Hopefully we don't have to wait until Jake Lehmann's son is playing until the next one XD

My ankle is fully functional once more 🥳 I've been walking or running around, so far, three of the parks in the Parklands, with varying levels of interest, but mostly I'm just pleased I can finally use my ankle again and restart my workout. Despite the almost-month off, Garmin is still confident I can achieve the reset goal of 5km in 35 minutes, so that's a relief.

This was a busy weekend! On Saturday morning, caught up with Cassie's friend Maya, who was down for the week-ish, so we went for breakfast down at Brighton then a walk along the beach before it got too arse-bakingly hot. It was already 30°C when I woke up at 8:30 but it was still early enough that the Norfolk Island pines along the beach cast shadows in the beachy direction, so. Coulda been worse?

That evening, Amanda and I went to Orpheus, technically my second show of the Fringe after I won the freebie tix to Tommy's Naughty Forty last week. Orpheus was fantastic. Beautifully written, beautifully told, the little bit of audience participation with a comparatively small audience was so touching and I had a wonderful time 😊

Sunday~ was round 1 of footyball! Wherein Amanda won a free double pass through the Rainbow Crows so I got to go, too =3 We were behind the goals right next to the opposition cheer squad, who were St Kilda (Victoria). Preface: it has not rained since last year. On Wednesday, the forecast for Saturday was 39 with a 70% chance of 5-10mm, which are incongruous in Adelaide. I was dubious, to say the least. By Friday, the 39 hadn't changed but the rain had changed to Sunday, and was now a 70% chance of 0-2mm. By Sunday, it was a 70% chance of <1mm which... idk what that even means. A 70% chance of sweet piss-all? Does that mean a 30% chance of something? (spoilers: no, it doesn't)

So, during the game (which we won by 10 goals, 'spretty sweet), precipitiation started happening. 'Drizzle' would be a lie. 'Spitting' would be generous. When you're standing in the shower and you have that mistiness splashing off of you? That's what started happening. All the Victorians instantly got out their emergency ponchos and waterproof North Faces and being ridiculously prepared for rain. In Adelaide. HAH. None of the South Australians moved, except to knowingly roll our eyes at the Vics and wonder what the hell this weird wet stuff misting down from the sky was. Sure enough, the misting lasted about 20 seconds and that was it. That was our 70% chance of <1mm, not even enough to warrant wiping it off your glasses, it was that nothing.

More importantly, we won a game of footyball! Convincingly! This gives me hope for our season.

While watching, someone mentioned the score at the cricket, wherein we were 5/500-odd. When the footy finished, we'd declared for 600-something and already had two Queensland wickets, so instead of going home we headed up North Terrace to Karen Rolton Oval, during which time the Queenslanders lost another wicket, and turned up in time for the final session of the day. When you've finished watching your South Aussie boys flog some Vics, why not pop across town to wathc your other South Aussie boys flog some Queenslanders? :D Another two wickets fell in the final session of the day and we headed home, promptly forgetting to pop a bottle of Croser for the Crows because it's been so long, whoops.

I just want to breathe warm air again, is that so much to ask?

I find it interesting how Poms always justify why 30 degrees is a scorcher. It's a different kind of heat, they say, it's muggy and we're not used to hot and we have no air conditioning because this never happens and people DIE from this heat!

And Australia's just. We're cold. Yes we KNOW we're wimps. Shuddup and give us summer back.

Also, cricket. What. What the HELL man?

So yes, THAT. OH GOD IT WAS AMAZING. I know nobody on my flist will care but it's my sodding journal so there. I'm still grinning. That last over was EPIC. Every dot ball got cheered as though it was a wicket. Even the singles were applauded because it was still restricting them to less than what they needed. And oh god the NOISE. Slow clapping in for every ball from around the entire ground, and before the last ball the cry of "REDBACKS! *clapclapclap* REDBACKS! *clapclapclap*" which put any AFL chants of "ADELAIDE!" to shame. 10,000 people chanting all at once, even the members stand. It was just incredible. Reason I watch sport, ladies and gents.

AND THEN. LAST BALL. Two runs to win, one to tie. NOISE EVERYWHERE. There's no way the players could have heard each other shouting across the ground. I can't imagine the pressure the bowler must've been feeling, but HE DID IT. Restricted them to that one run, and because we'd finished the season at the top of the ladder, that meant we WON THE TOURNAMENT OMFG.

The sheer joy on all their faces. Jumping up and down like maniacs, waving fists and stumps in the air and just basically going "YEAAAHHHH" at the crowd and alskjghask I love my boys.

Michael Klinger, the captain, thanked us all in the presentations at the end, and from the grin and completely unprepared way he was saying it, bloody obvious he meant it. They were just all so happy and ecstatic and eeeeee!

They absolutely revelled in it. They all came around to do a circuit or two of the Oval afterwards, some running around the boundary giving high-fives to the crowd, at least half stopping for autographs and photos and hugs and general words of congratulations. I got a hug from Cameron Borgas, who had been fielding in front of me for the innings. He was fun :D There was one point where he sorta fumbled a boundary save a bit, so it bounced right up over his head and he was scrabbling over the ground to stop it going for four and generally looking very undignified. He laughed at himself when they replayed it on the big screen, though X3 And yaknow, that save ended up saving the game, so WOO!

I got autographs from several of them, hugs from, as I say, Borgas and Crosthwaite, the wicket keeper, and photo with Crosthwaite, too, and they were all just so happy and, dare I say it of grown sportsmen, squee. THEY JUST WERE OKAY.

Just amazing. I love those boys so much. Beware the parochial South Australian X3

( PHOTOS )

No sporting event I've ever been to--or, likely, ever will be to--could possibly top that. And I was there when we beat Geelong, and various other amazing cricket and footy wins. Seriously, nothing will top last night. It was epic.

I FINISHED THE POLITICS thank god that's over. I could easily have been sitting on that for another year. Loev the cricket. The dulcet tones of Jim Maxwell and Harsha Bhogle make writing flow nicely. Even politics. Even politics of fail.

Number one, happy belated Australia Day! I went up to Mum and Dad's, watched the cricket, had lamb on the barbie for dinner and a rollover pavlova for dessert. The only thing that could've made it more Aussie would have been if we'd won the cricket. Always feels a bit wrong losing the Australia Day one-dayer >>

Number two, I didn't buy the car =( Took Colin's friend, who is a Holden mechanic, to have a look at it and, well. Looooooong list of issues, topped by a cracked manifold, which is close to a grand on its own to fix. In all, it would have cost another $2500-ish to get it back in proper working order, and with that and all the hassle involved--now and probably later down the track--I said goodbye to it. So, back to car shopping for me. Just printed off another seven potentials, yay. I hate car shopping.

Number three, IT'S SUMMER. We're stringing, like, three or four days of 30+ in a row now. Not only that, but 40+ 8D Went to Normanville yesterday arvo and had AWESOME fish and chips for dinner. The sea was so warm, bloody beautiful <3 We have so needed this~ *^^* Only took until the last weekend of January to GET summer, but now it's here, I'm bloody loving it X3

HAH I'm not the only one who uses Maya to cheat get the perspective right.

...I have so much more exciting stuff to update on than that. I just never feel like actually typing it all out once it's done XD;

o Welcomed cousin back to Australia from the UK! She's only here for Christmas til she goes back again for New Year, aww. Big Christmas-esque lunch with her and family, followed by the most epic game of backyard cricket we've had in YEARS. Mostly we just sorta halfarse it out of tradition. No idea what made it go for an hour this time XD

o You're not the only ones who can do snow in December, bitches. DIDN'T I TELL YOU IT WAS COLD? I THINK I DID.

o Graduation was boring as all hell, I was number 29 of about 300 who walked across the stage of the Convention Centre to accept my degree. It took two hours o/ But then we went out to lunch after, which was lovely~ and tasty~ but not as good as Alphutte, where we WANTED to go but they were full.

o It's supposed to be 34 on Christmas Day. I'm dubious.

o Official move-out date is now officially 15-16 January. It was going to be this weekend, but then engagements cropped up to postpone it. Either way, Anna P's current housemate is moving out first week of January, so I'll move in the second weekend :D

o Work Christmas dinner was last weekend! Man that was fun. Jan got us balloons and we had a balloon animal/hat competition. It was unanimously decided that my 'lion' looked more like a poodle with haemorrhoids.

o We actually won a cricket match! Like, a real one, not backyard cricket! I wish we could've had that match here. Day three of the Perth Test was so much more epic than the day three at Adelaide that we went to =(

Cricket tickets~! :DD About a month later than expected, but eh, game's not for another month and a half anyway, plenty of time.

I'm just imagining this in script form now.

Pakistan: You should fence the crowd off and ban alcohol at cricket matches >(
Australia: ... *packs up laughing*