Well, well, well…
As I look outside on this Friday afternoon, it’s 10 degrees, windy and raining. But it’s also late September, and that can mean only one thing, the season is upon us.
A splendid evening last night was the Season Launch held at the Grandstand. Those that could not attend were suffering from the usual afflictions, ranging from representative duties, laziness, general ignorance at the fact that the club put on free beer and food, and of course last but not least, miscellaneous.
As in previous seasons, it was largely run to script. Key takeaways:
- This year’s kit is good quality, however my man on the ground tells me that the XLs are long enough, but a bit tight.
- A lot of new faces in attendance which was good news for emcee James Rodgers, as he was able to tell the same stories / jokes to a new audience. As a career school master, Jimmy relies on regular churn to keep his audience excited.
- Larkins are never too far away from the action when it comes to a free buffet.
- Club Captain H Clark aspiring to greater heights this year, looking to get a ranking of at least 2 out of 10 from his (perhaps overly harsh) clubmates.
As it is ‘In the sheds’ I thought it best to talk about the hallowed turf of University No 1 oval and the luxuriously appointed changerooms that grace the oval. Having lurked around the grade cricket scene for 13 odd years, I have seen the best (probably the SCG, Blacktown International Sports Park among others) and the worst (take your pick, there are so many horrendous ones, Punchbowl and Sutherland spring to mind, Pauls isn’t exactly winning too many awards either) that change rooms have to offer across Sydney.
I would put Uni No1 right up at the top, simply for the wealth of space and activities that are on offer. The following being a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the things that make our sheds great:
- Space. When you can have an entire corner of the changerooms dedicated to the personal effects of Sydney’s Greatest Run MachineTM and his many, many, many accoutrements, you know that you have a substantial amount of free space.
- Tubs. The greatest team tubbing facilities that I have seen. It really has it all, and if you haven’t ventured in as yet, do yourself a favour, don’t be a soap dodger like Stinky Bumford and get involved. Key highlights are:
o the stitch up shower,
o the seemingly unlimited hot water despite all of the showers being on,
o shower beers,
o shower seats, and for the adventurous
o shower handball
- Live entertainment. Over the years this has taken many different forms/guises (some of which are not suitable for publication in this forum). The favourite of mine has to be the musical stylings of our own ‘most improved kit perpetual trophy winner’ Josh Toyer and Max ‘Pope’ Hope who holds the distinction (among others) of being the 2nd most talented sportsperson in his relationship. These two gentlemen excelled last year as a duet in an intimate setting, and set the bar very high for future events. Coupled with Tommy ‘2 plates’ Kierath’s award winning mount gay punch, it was a fantastic night and one to look forward to for this year.
- Sports. Despite the signage advising against it (and I officially do not condone any ball sports in the changerooms), playing ball sports in the changerooms is excellent fun and a must for any rainy day. Whilst the passing/grubbering of the footy and playing some form of cricket are staples, the best and most exhilarating/frustrating game was discovered recently. Without an official name, it essentially involves a group of players taking it in turns to attempt to throw a tennis ball into a tennis ball sized hole in the wall. Despite its simple nature, this game is massively challenging and addictive. The sheer amount of frustration that exists from hitting the rim and bouncing out on what appeared mid-flight to be a perfect throw is one that will linger with you for weeks. Once again, do yourself a favour and get involved. On a serious note though, Henry Clark has offered counselling sessions for those who need it, the desperation of playing the game for two hours straight and not getting any success is not to be underestimated, trust me I know.
And there you have it, another off season down and many things to look forward to off the field as well as on it. Finally, this is supposed to be an anonymous entry, but I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that a few might decipher who your scribe is. Oh well, can’t win em all…
Cheers,