The Roar
The Roar

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The sounds of summer are all coming back

M. Hossey new author
Roar Rookie
16th December, 2014
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Australia's two best batsmen are out of action for the foreseeable.(AFP PHOTO / GREG WOOD)
M. Hossey new author
Roar Rookie
16th December, 2014
0

KFC's Home Cricket Ground logo

There’s never been a Summer quite like it. Phillip Hughes was a talented batsman doing what he loved, but his tragic passing has served as a poignant reminder the men who dominate this seasons schedule are so much more than that.

Hughes and his teammates are more than the sum of their statistics – they are brothers, they are sons, they are friends. Phillip will never be forgotten as a man or a player by friend, fan or foe, the affable country boy a constant reminder of what makes Cricket such a special sport.

The mythical Spirit of the Game was embodied by this young man who despite numerous setbacks never looked like losing his fervour for the game.

Michael Clarke spoke for the game when he so elegantly wrote, “I will miss you forever, but I will not forget”. Nor will the Summer – the Summer remembers, and the Summer will remember Phil Hughes.

Despite this sad prologue, all the memories that make summer feel so familiar are starting to shine through again.

The sounds of summer when you switch the radio on for an update, only to find yourself lost in a cloud of “What’s the score?” and “Was that a wicket?” from the family while the dodgy camp site reception crackles in and out. In the end, all you get was ‘Who Was That’ bowled by ‘Shut Up I Can’t Hear It’ for 32.

Even when parked in front of the television with every fan in the house pointed at you, you can’t help but be just as drawn to the iconic voices as the action on the field. The familiar voices that colour the plays are as a part of the game as the crack of bat on ball.

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The only times they’re drowned out are when your father is off his seat for an LBW appeal, usually knocking his beer over in the process. While your father cracks another, the rest of the room takes turns giving their renditions of “marvellous” and “cracking shot that” which such bombast they almost sound like spoofs of 12th man spoofs.

Those around you enjoying the game at home, in front of the TV set or in a break in the backyard, may not be bowlers or batsmen, but they play have their own roles to play in the summer.

The Statistician, who will recite the averages of even the most obscure of Australian cricketers; The Newcomer, who will be baffled by just who exactly is the player Covering Point’s Fine Leg; The Historian, who can vividly recall tours and matches Wisden long forgot; and of course the most prevalent of all the summer participants The Coach, who knows exactly how the players could’ve avoided getting out or taken a crucial wicket much earlier– always after the fact, of course.

In the summer, what you can’t see is as nostalgic as what you can see out on the pitch. And whether playing for club or just a social game with friends, we all struggle to see the most important thing: the ball. We can hear the roars of “Catch”, we can see our hands desperately trying to block out the sun, but we just can’t see that little red ball through the Summer glare until it’s too late.

Not only has the Summer given us a near encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules for the real game, but also those classic backyard doctrines handed down through oral tradition. In the Summer, one hand-one bounce, six and out and not out first ball can be as official as LBW or four for hitting it to the boundary.

Summer is also defined by absence. Tony Greig, legendary commentator, is gone but his contribution never forgotten: a voice that for many of us there wasn’t a summer without. Likewise Richie Benaud, a staple of Summer who we hope will overcome his ill health.

Men like Brett Lee and Michael Hussey move in to stand on the shoulders of these giants and the summer cycle continues. Like the people who raised the last generation speaking of Benaud’s prowess as a player to those who had only heard him, the young fans just beginning their journey will hear of the heroic feats of Hussey and Lee that we were raised on.

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The fabric of the summer has be changed as the grin and the slash of Phil Hughes joins the memories of the season. A smile on his face whenever he had a bat in his hand, Phil Hughes’ legacy continues to show us all the Summer isn’t about runs.

Perhaps in summers to come the most important sound for the younger generation will be hearing the tale of the Macksville boy who epitomised the spirit of the game, cut down in his prime but immortalised in summer memories.

Welcome to the Home Cricket Ground

KFC, the masters of the Home Cricket Ground, want all cricket lovers to celebrate the best of summer from the comfort of your couch.

Everyone has a bank of great memories built around the cricket over the years, and it’s time to share what makes the Aussie summer so great with the world. It’s great to have the cricket back.

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