McKAY: My ultimate sporting bucket list

This summer has called for a sporting bucket list comparison here at The Roar, helped along by our good mates at prettyshady.com, and kicked off by our fair Editor and sunscreen connoisseur Patrick Effeney.

Among the revelations that struck me – the biggest being that he’s only 26 – were that I shared two of the four items on his list, as well as a love of green and gold zinc.

If that doesn’t equate to a solid business case for travel budget expenditure, then nothing will.

But before tackling where I want to go and what I want to see, first here’s what I have seen and why it will stick with me.

January 3, 2003: Steve Waugh’s ton
Already, it feels like there were many more than the 40,000-odd SCG capacity on the day Steve Waugh brought up that hundred off the last ball of the day, but I’ve at least still got the ticket stub to prove my attendance.

It’s often forgotten that England not only won this game, but won it handsomely. And realistically, they dominated the game for the whole five days. England made 352 in their first innings, batting into the afternoon session on Day 2, the first day I was there with mates.

By tea, Australia were in deep trouble at 3/67, with Damien Martyn at the crease with his embattled skipper, who was under massive pressure to perform from chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns. Waugh was 9* at tea, looking anything but comfortable, and showing no signs of the memorable innings that was to come.

Fans, as well as Waugh, were sweating on the home favourite to perform.

Waugh lost Martyn about an hour later, but by that stage had brought up his 50 from 61 balls, and with 10 fours. On 69*, he joined Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar in the 10,000 Test runs club, and all attention turned to whether there was enough time in the day to make his get-that-up-ya century.

But though he had a willing ally in Adam Gilchrist – and the two of them built a partnership quickly – Waugh found the going tough as he neared the 80s. English offie Richard Dawson was bowling well, and had done a good job of slowing momentum. From 80* in 97 balls, Waugh took another 25 balls to push into the 90s, with less than two overs left in the day.

On 95* and facing Dawson for the final over of the day, Waugh played the first three balls of the over for no run. He played the fourth ball behind square for three, running harder than perhaps he ever had in the innings, as Gilchrist pushed him toward the ton. But now Waugh was off strike, and with only two balls left in the day.

The second biggest cheer of the day came when Gilchrist duly found the single he needed to get the captain back on strike. 98 not out; one to come.

Preparations were hastily made – “there will be hugging”, one of our group uttered. Nasser Hussein then decided to slow things up a bit and make Waugh think about the challenge in front of him, running from slip to talk to Dawson about anything other than cricket at that point.

Dawson bowled, full and outside off, Waugh went back initially, but then exploded forward with the square drive that was through the gap at point as soon as it left the bat.

Pandemonium ensued. There was hugging, both among us and then with the 15 or 20 people immediately around us in the Brewongle Stand. Gilchrist was carrying on like Santa had delivered on every Christmas letter he’d ever written. Waugh just punched the air and soaked it all up. Still gives me tingles now, putting it all into words.

We’ve been going to the Sydney Test, early morning rush and all, for more than 15 years now, but we still don’t talk about being there when Waugh got out in the first over the next morning…

October 10, 2003: Rugby World Cup opener
The game itself was nothing special; the Wallabies beat Argentina 24-8 in front of more than 81,000 people at the then Telstra Stadium at Homebush, in Sydney.

The tournament opening ceremony was as colourful and vibrant as it was at times confusing, and 12 years on, I still can’t explain what those three-headed things draped in the colours of the participant flags were – I’m sure I’ve seen them used at subsequent tournaments, too!

Wendell Sailor scored the first try – at the end we were sitting, happily – and it became a bit of a penalty-fest for the most part, until a couple of late tries to either side.

In retrospect, this was the first, properly big sporting event that I went to. This was also the night I fell in love with big-ticket rugby too, with regular trips back up to Sydney for Bledisloe and other touring team Tests made over the next few years.

This was the match that made me realise that it was possible to see all the great players from all countries – because they all come to Australia! Now it’s only Scotland and Ireland of the traditional rugby-playing nations that I’ve not seen live.

The summer of 2010-11: My Ashes tour
The timing was perfect for me to fulfil a lifelong dream of following an Ashes summer around the country; Mrs McSport was pregnant, and we were renovating the kitchen at McSport HQ. If I didn’t do it then, I’d never do it.

It then took on extra importance for me, when The Roar suddenly had its first ever Cricket Australia media accreditation approved. Now I had a pass around my neck and the tour became something of a working holiday. Ultimately, it would fuel my move into sports media full time.

Brisbane plied me with freebies and functions; Adelaide turned on an amazing festival atmosphere inside and outside of the ground; Perth was hot and primitive and then played host to an impromptu dinner with new English colleague mates that we all still rave about five years on.

My father joined me in Melbourne for a few days, and Boxing Day was memorable for the mercury not reaching double figures, and for Australia being all out by tea. Months later, it emerged that I asked Ricky Ponting his last press conference question as Test captain.

Sydney brought confirmation that the Barmy Army are the best supporters in world cricket, while in the background, Don Argus whispered to James Sutherland, “I’ve got a few ideas I might send you.”

The result wasn’t brilliant, but the tour was absolutely outstanding. Among the best six sun-soaked weeks of my life.

So what’s on the bucket list, then? I’m glad you asked.

Lord’s and Augusta National
As Paddy mentioned on his list, and for all the same reasons.

Anyone who’s played cricket has wanted to experience Lord’s for an Ashes Test, and anyone who’s ever hacked at a golf ball would love to walk the famed fairways of Augusta for the US Masters.

All the big rugby grounds
Eden Park, Twickenham, the Millennium, Lansdowne Road, Newlands, Ellis Park. Maybe not in the same year, but one day I’ll tick them all off.

Hong Kong Sevens
For the longest time – it probably stretches back to when David Campese used to have a field day – I’ve wanted to go to the Hong Kong Sevens. We even started planning a trip a few years ago that would have allowed us to take it in, but life took over and it’s as close as I got.

Yankee Stadium
This is strange one, as I have next to no interest in baseball. I’ve stood in the cricket field for days on end, yet I find watching baseball to be boring as bat excrement.

But I’d still love to go to Yankee Stadium for a game. Don’t know why; surely the hotdogs aren’t that good?

Suncorp Stadium
This is another strange one, but it’s also the most likely item on this list to be completed.

It’s been standing for more than a dozen years, but for whatever reason, I just haven’t got to the old Lang Park yet. Heck, I’ve been to Ballymore three times in the last 12 months! It has to happen at some point, so maybe this year is the year.

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