OCLife | around the grounds with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
BARRACKER THE
Racist incident that haunted cricketing larrikin Symonds The tragic death of sporting larrikin, Andrew Symonds is the third recent sudden passing of one of our old-style knock-around cricketers in a couple of months. It follows the demise in quick succession of 1970s Test wicket-keeper, Rod Marsh, and cricket legend, Shane Warne, probably the greatest bowler of all time. But while Warne and Marsh both died from natural causes, Symonds’ had an element of self-destruction, as his car left the road and rolled over after he had been drinking in north Queensland. More tragic were the persistent media reports that his life “had spiralled out of control” in recent times.
Shoaib Akhtar to turn the opening game of the 2003 World Cup, and the tournament, Australia’s way — and his hilarious shouldering of a drunken British streaker onto the pitch at Brisbane during a one-day match. The innings in South Africa followed the controversy over Shane Warne being sent home on the day before the match after testing positive for a banned substance. Warne’s laughable excuse was that his mother had given him a diuretic so that he would look slim before the cameras for a major television interview he had planned.
To my utter astonishment, I read that the key event that led to this downward slide, was the “Monkeygate” scandal of 2008 when an abrasive Indian cricketer, Harbhajan Singh allegedly used a simian reference to Symonds, who had African heritage, in a Test match in Sydney.
Warne weathered enough incidents of boorish personal behaviour including smashing the camera of a child in New Zealand who took a photo of him smoking; systemic and intentional bullying of opponents and umpires; his “can’t bowl, can’t throw” slagging of one of his own team-mates during a Test match in Tasmania; and petulant public displays at the slightest criticism; to fill a rather enjoyable book.
Despite evidence from four Australian players, Singh’s three-match ban was overturned on appeal, when he claimed that the phrase he used was actually a less offensive Hindi term and not that for an arboreal primate.
Yet he never seemed to take any of it to heart, and was just the same roughand-tumble, loveable, jack-the-lad as a man of mature age as a blonde bogan, mullet-haired cricketing prodigy in his early twenties.
It is said that Symonds felt terrible guilt over the sporting fracas, and although he later played with Singh in the Indian Premier League, never got over the controversy. My disbelief that the altercation had led to such a profound impact on Symonds, was due to it not being in the top ten memories that I have of this one-off sporting giant. Those would include his freakish fielding, including once running out world-class batsmen at the far end while lying on his side on the turf, brilliant batting displays like that in South Africa where he smashed a world-class Pakistan attack — including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and 38 ORANGE CITY LIFE
|
Symonds, despite his footballer’s swagger — so talented was he, that he had an open contract with the Brisbane Broncos NRL team, which he nearly took up when cricket palled him — dreadlocks, confidence, and outgoing personality, was obviously a far more sensitive soul. Loving a drink and fishing, he once attended a Test Match in Darwin with his boat and fishing gear in tow, the intentional racist abuse that he received from not just Singh, but allegedly from Indian crowds generally, obviously told on him in ways that cricketing authorities could not, or would not, foresee.
MAY 26 — JUNE 1, 2022
Western Premier League action Waratahs too strong for brave Mudgee Wolves Waratahs eased past Mudgee Gulgong Wolves 2-0 to make it three straight wins on Saturday afternoon at Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium, Mudgee. The Sky Blues looked fresh after their bye in Round Six while Mudgee came off an impressive 2-2 draw against topside Orana Spurs. Despite the Wolves putting up a decent and brave fight against the competition’s premier side, Waratahs still managed to find the net twice through their experience and quality in the forward line. The win sees Waratahs remain in second on 13 points, three points behind the unbeaten leaders, Panorama FC.
Orange A/B grade football Late Barnies YADS comeback denies KWS victory On Saturday, Barnstoneworth YADS snatched a late 2-2 draw against KWS Firsts after producing an emphatic comeback at Kinross Wolaroi. With both teams struggling at the bottom section of the table, this KWSYADS contest was always going to produce a tight and thrilling battle. Both sides did an excellent job of passing and holding the ball, despite the challenging conditions on a muddy surface. KWS struck first after a clever pass near the 18-yard box resulted in one of their attackers hitting the ball cleanly into the net. Minutes before halftime, the home side failed to double their lead after missing an opportunity from a penalty. But in the early stages of the second 45, KWS scored their second goal, capitalising on some defensive errors in the Barnies box. With the students growing in confidence and dominating the possession, it appeared they were closing in on a 2-0 victory. Despite lacking the ball, the YADS mustered an incredible fight in the final 15 minutes. Barnies pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute after a delicate through ball from their midfield reached the striker, chipping his shot into the net. Six minutes later, YADS stunned their opponents by scoring an equaliser. The visitors almost found a late winner, but the KWS keeper made a heroic save to deny Barnies YADS from leaving with maximum points.
AFL Central West first-grade action Dubbo Demons down Orange Tigers Dubbo Demons defeated the Orange Tigers 74-52 in the fourth round of the AFL Central West Tier 1 at the Waratahs Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Demons came out fast, kicking nine goals in the first two quarters to take a commanding 34-point lead into halftime. Despite a powerful last-ditch comeback from the Tigers, Dubbo held on to record a 22-point victory and jump into second spot in the standings.
Rugby Union: Blowes Cup first-grade action Orange Emus fall to Cowra Eagles Orange Emus suffered their third defeat in the Blowes Cup, going down 32-10 to Cowra Eagles at Endeavour Oval on Saturday. The Emus may have defended well in the first 15 minutes, but Cowra soon established their attacking dominance by scoring two quick tries to take a 14-3 lead into halftime. But in the first five minutes of the second stanza, Emus restored some hope after scoring a converted try to narrow the scoreline 14-10. But the next 30 minutes saw Cowra score three more tries to run away with a comfortable 32-10 victory.
Bathurst Bulldogs inflict further pain on winless Orange City The Bathurst Bulldogs thumped Orange City 43-5 on Saturday afternoon at Anne Ashwood Park, Bathurst. The Bulldogs scored six tries to City’s one, piling more pain on the young and inexperienced Orange City side. With this heavy defeat, the Lions remain bottom of the first-grade Blowes Cup ladder. And they are yet to register a win in this 2022 campaign.
Orange Netball: Senior Women’s Division 1, Round Four Orange City Our City Real Estate edged out a nail-biting 44-43 win over 2020 premiers, OHS Hornets. The upset win keeps Our City Real Estate in fourth place, locked with six points. LIFE Studio thrashed seventh-placed Hawks 65-32. The 33-point win sees LIFE Studio keep the pressure on the top-two sides, Vipers and Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical. KWS Firsts secured their first win of the 2022 season after defeating last-placed LIFE Studio West Eyes 43-42 in a thrilling battle. LIFE Studio West Eyes are yet to pick up a point. Competition leaders Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical were set to take on second-placed Vipers, but the Vipers forfeited the game. The undefeated Craig Harvey Mechanical girls gained the two points.