The Oval- a place where dreams are made.
September 28th 2006 09:47
In every country town there is a green oasis that is treasured by its residents and carefully maintained by successive local councils. This hallowed place is the Town Oval. While some towns may also have school ovals and other grassed areas where "minor" games such as hockey are played, the Town Oval is the most loved and respected - and well kept. Any country hockey player will agree that they are the ones that must dig the ball out of the potholes and risk spraining the ankle in the ditches on their lesser piece of earth. But it is the footy oval- whatever code of fotty is played that must be kept in pristeen condition. Come drought or flood all attempts must be made to ensure it is green and grassy. Failure to maintain a safe and smooth surface will only bring ridicule from the neighbouring sporting teams when they come to play.
It is not just the ground that sets the mood of the sporting oval. Nearby is the Clubhouse. Whether it is a new brick building with concrete verandah and steel posts or a weatherboard building with a long history and wooden verandah and posts - the club house must provide shelter from the summer sun, and winter rain and hail. It must provide a good view of the proceedings on the oval and above all the bar must be open throughout the game and beyond. Imperative to the club house is its name and its memorbillia. The name will be either after that bloke who bequeathed his life's savings into the building of the club house, or it will be the name of that local lad that ended up playing for the big league. It doesn't matter if he only went to school to Year Five in the town - he is "our champion" and he will be always welcomed back to the club as the one whose dreams came true.
Not everyone comes to the clubhouse to watch the game. Many country ovals are boardered by pine post and a rail - just big enough to keep the young hoons off the oval in their utes if they are tempted to do doughnuts around the cricket pitch. But cars do venture close by. Bonnets are poked towards the centre and if the weather is foul, the passengers remain in the car, peering though the fogged up windscreen and showing they are aware of the proceedings by tooting their horns when their team gets a goal. If it is fine the spectators will venture out and sit on the car bonnet or the pine rail and shout abuse across the way to their own players, the opposition players and their teams supporters. One should be glad it it is only abuse that is thrown. I know of one story where a rather large women took offense at an opposition supporter and after a brief chase around the oval that stopped the game, folded a tin tray around his head! (Not an incident that can repeated often without involvement from the local constabulary who are usually in attendance - or participating, along with the local ambulance volunteer.)
After the football or cricket matches are over and the players have adjourned to the club house or nearest pub to relive ten stories similar to the lady and the tin tray, or returned home to soak their newly found muscles in a bath of Radox, the oval takes on a new role. Dogs are let off their chain for a free run around the ground and their lessons in obedience (or not). A group of small boys kick their football around and dream of stardom or dad takes his children out in a vain attempt to fly that kite.
When they have returned home to tea the ducks come in from the nearby lake to fossick in the grass or the white cockatoos congregate around the edges before roosting in the old gums or large pines that were thoughtfully maintained by the forefathers who knew that all selfrespecting town oval needed one more thing to make it perfect - shade. This is the life of a Town Oval.
Not everyone comes to the clubhouse to watch the game. Many country ovals are boardered by pine post and a rail - just big enough to keep the young hoons off the oval in their utes if they are tempted to do doughnuts around the cricket pitch. But cars do venture close by. Bonnets are poked towards the centre and if the weather is foul, the passengers remain in the car, peering though the fogged up windscreen and showing they are aware of the proceedings by tooting their horns when their team gets a goal. If it is fine the spectators will venture out and sit on the car bonnet or the pine rail and shout abuse across the way to their own players, the opposition players and their teams supporters. One should be glad it it is only abuse that is thrown. I know of one story where a rather large women took offense at an opposition supporter and after a brief chase around the oval that stopped the game, folded a tin tray around his head! (Not an incident that can repeated often without involvement from the local constabulary who are usually in attendance - or participating, along with the local ambulance volunteer.)
When they have returned home to tea the ducks come in from the nearby lake to fossick in the grass or the white cockatoos congregate around the edges before roosting in the old gums or large pines that were thoughtfully maintained by the forefathers who knew that all selfrespecting town oval needed one more thing to make it perfect - shade. This is the life of a Town Oval.
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