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Phillip Joel Hughes: Meet me in the middle

Roar Rookie
29th November, 2014
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Australian batsman Phil Hughes left the crease at the SCG unbeaten on 63. He will never be forgotten. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Rookie
29th November, 2014
1

Cricket, like no other Australian sport, typifies what our summer is all about – freedom, sun, slip slop slap, mates, beach balls as far from a beach as you can get and the occasional beer.

And for us in NSW we do that at the SCG. A ground I love. I can take myself to the SCG for the Sydney Test every year, sit all day with my newspaper or book, keep a watchful eye on what’s going on out in the middle, not talk to a soul all day and I’m in a pretty happy place.

And I have been doing it for years because I truly love Test cricket. I love the occasion. Of course I can go with my mates or my stepson and it is equally enjoyable, with the only difference being that I might have a few more of those occasional beers.

And so the SCG is a special place for me. In 1979 my older brother, who was already at boarding school here in Sydney, was competing at the GPS athletics carnival at the old Sydney Sports Ground, located where the Sydney Football Stadium now stands.

I was bored out of my brain and as I sat there with my parents all I could look at was the towering lights stands that flanked the SCG. I was drawn to it so I made an excuse to go for a walk and with the sound of my mum yelling “Chris don’t go far” in my ears I did exact the opposite, exited the ground, turned left down Driver Avenue and headed towards the SCG.

As luck would have it the gate behind the members stand was open so with the confidence of a kid from the country with nothing to lose I strolled on in. A very kind groundsman asked what I was doing and I explained I was from the country and asked if “I could just walk out on to the ground for a few minutes”. I will always be grateful for the next thing he said, “Just head that way” as he pointed towards the ground and walked away.

I’d only ever seen the SCG on TV watching the rugby league or the cricket so I will never forget walking out to the middle that day. The place was empty and the only company I had was a few seagulls. It was, to a 13-year-old, completely overwhelming.

The vastness of the place with those six towering lighting columns and big grandstands made me feel like an ant. But it was also exhilarating. This was the hallowed turf. Where Don Bradman smashed tons and Reg Gasnier carved the opposition up. And I was on it. Alone. Out in the middle. A special place.

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And so it was yesterday when many sought comfort at this same special place. But sadly for very different reasons. One by one players and teammates walked out to the middle to pay their respects where one of the nicest people in the game had fallen.

Taken far too soon from a freakish delivery while playing the game he loved as he laid claim to Test selection. This brotherhood of players are very close and it was something I witnessed first hand in the Australian dressing room at the SCG the evening they wrapped up the 2013-14 Ashes series after a 5-0 whitewash over the English last summer.

I was privileged to be there to see this group of players, coaches and staff pull together in a time of triumph and celebration. They will do the same in grief and come out the other side.

As a lover of the game my heart just completely sank when I heard the news. How could this possibly happen? It’s just a game of cricket and this is simply not how it is supposed to end. But it did and it is no one’s fault, least of all Sean Abbott, who will be going through a world pain and anguish over that fateful delivery.

At the time you knew it was bad. We all saw the vision and photos but something in my head just kept saying “he’ll be right”. But somewhere deep you knew this was headed to uncharted territory.

The outpouring of heartfelt grief and the sense of loss in the past 48 hours has been understandable and it is completely warranted. And why? Because Phillip Joel Hughes, baggy green number 408, was a remarkable player and individual. You didn’t need to know him to know that because it was just obvious.

Twenty-six Tests for his country, the youngest player to play for NSW making his debut at the SCG, the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut and in only his second Test match in 2009 against South Africa, in South Africa, he became the youngest player in history to knock out a century in both innings of a Test match which also made him the youngest Australian Test player to score a ton since the great Dougie Walters.

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He had the goods and had so much more to offer both on the field and in life. But when the lows came he kicked in with the reason I believe that many Australians related to him – his never say never attitude.

Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland summed it up when he said, “He was a classic example of his country upbringing – humble, understated and hard-working. When the chips were down, or he had a setback, he simply got on with the job and worked harder.”

Vale Phillip Joel Hughes. A kid from the country who wanted nothing more then to simply walk out to the middle of the SCG. Forever a very special place.

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