The Wardman Wire

Recently my wife had a planning meeting for her work at Adelaide Oval. I went along at lunch to have the tour, which was part of the days activities. It is a beautiful ground and a great place to watch cricket. At this time of year it is used once a week for Australian Rules Football and being prepared for next years cricket season.

The ground is similar to the Sydney Cricket Ground in that the stands are relatively small compared to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Gabba. The teams walk out from the dressing rooms through the members area and down onto the ground.

By far the most interesting part of the ground is the scoreboard, dating back to Edwardian Times, first seeing action in 1911. It is almost completely hand operated, with four working levels to allow all the information to be updated. It smells like an attic from an old house with everything made from wood. There are two electronic features, a light to identify the bowler and one to identify the fielder. Six people, all groundsmen are needed during test matches and it must be incredibly hot in there on Adelaide summer days.

Nobody has hit the scoreboard although Gary Sobers bounced it up to the bar under the score board during one of his test match appearances. The Barmy Army like to stand near the scoreboard because of the proximity to the bar.

I was there just below the score board for the England Test Match last summer. On that Saturday it seemed inconceivable that there would be a result. We just sat back and enjoyed the beer. Little did I know that the result would be so decisive. Some of my colleagues left work and rushed over to see the conclusion of the game when the gates were opened for free on the last day. They were witnessing a piece of history being crafted by an incredible cricket team in a fantastic cricket venue.

I came home and watched it in the garden with a beer. It would have been good to have been there for the conclusion, but Daddy duties prevailed.

Developed from a post on Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe