New South Wales vs Victoria, Day One, Morning Session ( att : 86 approx )

February 14, 2020

It’s Valentine’s Day so how better to reward Mrs Fatbear than spending a couple of hours at the cricket ?

Today is the first day of a four-day Sheffield Shield cricket match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the competition resuming after a break for the Big Bash T20 tournament. NSW is the State of unloveable ( well, to many England supporters at least ) Steve Smith, David Warner and Nathan Lyon, whereas Victoria have the likeable and all round good guy ( by Australian Cricket standards ) Peter Siddle. At half-way in the tournament NSW are runaway leaders, whilst Victoria are bottom of the table. Make of that what you will……………

There has been a lot of rain in Sydney in the past few days, but this morning is bright and sunny, and the forecast is good with a dry day, 26 degrees, and a full day’s play expected.

The SCG is pretty central in Sydney and we take a short journey on the Light Railway ( or tram as we would call it in the UK ) to Moore Park and have a short walk to the stadium, passing the Sydney Swans Australian Rules Football team, who share the SCG, having a pre-season practice session on the oval nearby.

Only one gate is open for today’s match and the entrance is free. This makes me start to wonder how Australia’s domestic cricket is financed, as the Country Championship equivalent in England would cost a non-member at least £10 for a day’s play, and nearly all the countries seem to be loss making.

There is security at the entrance but it is pretty superficial and we make our way to the stands. The Members Enclosure has a dress code of trousers and shirt collar, and as I am wearing t-shirt and shorts we have to make do with the Ladies Pavilion. These are the only two stands where access is permitted today.

The SGC has recently been rebuilt, but retained both the Members and Ladies pavilions, which have an old fashion charm and give the stadium some character. 

However, the rest of the ground whilst big, modern and imposing, has a bland identi-kit feel to it. But there appear to be plenty of Corporate Boxes included, and what looks like a very large Press Box area. I expect the views from the seats will be good though.

Victoria have won the toss and have chosen to bat, and the NSW players are walking onto the field as we take our seats. 

For the first ball of the day there are less than 50 people in the 45,000 capacity stadium. I make a count after an hour’s play and total 86 spectators ( 35 in the Members enclosure and 51 in the Ladies Pavilion), although by lunch this has probably increased to just over 100 spectators. A group of Sikhs enter the ground just before lunch and take lots of selfies, and seem happy to be able to say they have been to the SCG, but I don’t think any of them actually saw a ball of cricket being played before they leave !

County cricket in England is widely derided as being watched by three men and dog, with the majority of the crowd being OAPs. Looking around at today’s crowd it seems a similar jibe could be applied to its Australian equivalent.

The huge scoreboard lists both teams and with all the data it includes there is no need for a traditional scorecard. For NSW there is no Smith, Warner, Cummins, Starc or Hazlewood, who are touring South Africa with the Australian team, although Lyon is playing. They are captained by ex-test Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and Moises Henriques, Kurtis Patterson and Steve O’Keefe all have test experience. Nick Larkin has played a couple of ODIs for Ireland but has been discarded. However his form in the Big Bash has raised speculation that he might be recalled for the World T20 later this year, although such selection might ironically put his Big Bash future at risk as he would most likely have to be registered as an overseas player !

Victoria are missing Finch, Maxwell and Pattinson with the Australia team. Their captain is ex-test player Peter Handscomb, and whilst Siddle is selected, their only other experience amounts to Nic Maddinson and Marcus Harris having played a small number of tests ( Harris played in the Ashes series in England last summer ), whilst Scott Boland and Chris Tremain have represented Australia in ODIs.

For nearly 20 years, Victoria were marketed as the Bushrangers, but this moniker was dropped last year and they are now known simply as Victoria Men. NSW are the Blues, but in red ball cricket the Blues wear white !

Marcus Harris and Travis Dean open the batting for Victoria with Trent Copeland, who has played for Northamptonshire in England, opening the bowling for NSW. He begins with a maiden and Harry Conway does likewise from the other end. The first run is scored in the fourth over and is ironically applauded.

The openers are watchful against steady, unspectacular bowling until Copeland strays outside off stump and Dean takes ten from the over. 

Conway though soon gets some rhythm and the increase in his pace and carry to the keeper is quite noticeable and soon left- handed Harris plays all around a full delivery and is plumb LBW for 7, and it is 19 for 1 in the 8^th over.

The next over sees Dean hit in a very painful area by Copeland, which is met with very little sympathy from the NSW fielders. As it becomes apparent that he is in a lot of distress one or two of the fielders make a little bit of an effort to show some concern, but with the physio coming on it is clear that play will be held up for a short while. I nip out to the one food and drink outlet by the gate entrance and order two coffees ( 4 AUD each ) and learn that a bottle of beer would be between ( 7-11 AUD depending on the brand ), a glass of wine would be 10.40 AUD, a pie would be 4.90 AUD and burgers/hot dog/sandwiches 12.50 AUD.

I return to the stand to see Dean being helped off the field, retiring hurt for 11 and Handscomb striding to the crease. Both he and Maddinson see of the new ball and after the first hour of play the score has reached 40-1 of 13 overs.

When Liam Hatcher comes on as first change, 15 is plundered off his first over. Whilst the ginger haired Hatcher has a bustling run-up he is nowhere near the pace of Conway and anything short is murdered. NSW seem to have a theory that left-handed Maddinson is weak on the short ball and send two fielders out behind square for a mis-hook, but two short balls are confidently despatched between the fielders to the boundary.

Nathan Lyon is then brought into the attack, and in his first over Maddinson jumps down the wicket and sends the ball sailing high over the bowler’s head for six. The score has quickly accelerated to 62 for 1 off 15 overs. In Lyon’s next over Maddinson lifts him over extra cover for three. Clearly the Victorian batsmen see this as a chance to get some easy runs.

NSW soon settle upon a strange field for Lyon, with 3 close catchers and 3 men on the leg side boundary, and the batsmen simply pick off the singles and twos with little pressure. Handscomb pads up to a harmless ball outside off stump and Lyon goes into his familiar appeal with one knee on the ground and an arm pointing to the sky. It looks obviously not out from where we are, and the TV pictures, available both from screens in the roof above us in the stand and the giant scoreboard, confirms it was nowhere close.

15 runs come from another Hatcher over, with Handscomb distainfully square cutting two deliveries for boundaries and the 100 comes up in the 22^nd over. The crowd show no obvious sign of home bias and the good shots all morning are politely applauded, and there appear to be a handful of Victorian supporters amongst the crowd. No need for segregation though !

Batting looks to be very easy and with figures of 0-39 in 5 overs, Hatcher is replaced in the attack by left arm spinner O’Keefe. This is the cue for both batsmen to remove their helmets and bat in cap or sunhat. Lyon then has another over the top appeal against Handscomb, who is hit high on his back leg. It looks to be going well over, but the umpire’s finger goes up. The TV replay shows it is a terrible decision, probably given from the strength of the appeal, but Handscomb has to go for a well-made 41, and takes a long time to walk off. Nelson strikes and it is 111 for 2 in the 25^th over.

The new batsman is Matthew Short, and O’Keefe is removed after just one over with Harry Conway returning. However, he doesn’t have the same pace as per the end of his first spell and Victoria safely see out the last few overs to go to lunch at 119 for 2 from 28 overs. Maddinson remains unbeaten on 44 and Short is 5 not out.

Just before lunch a young blonde lady with what appears to be a bag of shopping arrives and sits near to us. After the players have walked off the field, Nathan Lyon quickly reappears from the dressing room and receives a kiss and a big hug from said lady. So it seems there is somebody who loves him !

As we prepare to leave the ground there is still time to see Seb Gotch, the next Victorian batsman due in, having a net session during the lunch interval.

Overall it has been a very enjoyable morning’s play to watch.

Postscript : at the end of the day’s play Victoria reached 318 for 5 of the scheduled 96 overs. Maddinson was stumped for 95 and Short made 44. Dean resumed his innings to be 35 not out at the close, supported by Gotch on 59. Lyon with 3 for 86 off 28 overs had the best bowling figures.

Highlights : https://www.cricketnsw.com.au/video/watch-nsw-vs-vic-day-1-highlights/2020-02-14