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A concrete cricket story

• The Marian concrete pitch. Photos by John Lloyd.

Test cricket moves to Queensland this week when Australia takes on Bangladesh in Mackay. 

I decided to feature pitches from that state on the abandoned cricket pitch site on Instagram and went to the vaults where I found the pitch at Marian nicely located West of Mackay. The photos came to us via John Lloyd via Spirit of Cricket.

A quick visit to Trove to get some historical information unearthed a gem. A story about the revamped pitch at Marian in which the word concrete is used six times. It’s from the Daily Mercury and was published on 21 April 1922.

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Abandoned cricket pitches milestone by Les Everett 

• Shackleton: the original abandoned cricket pitch. Photo by Les Everett

The idea was hatched at the Western Australian Wheatbelt town of Shackleton in October 2019. Forty or so years earlier I’d played cricket at the place. The pitch was still there along with the practice nets and even the footy goalposts but live sporting action had long since ceased.

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Not the Boxing Day Test at the MCG by Les Everett

I’ve been to an Ashes Test at the MCG. It was the third Test of the 1978/79 series played during the World Series days with the weakened Australian team captained by Graham Yallop and England by Mike Brearley. World Series didn’t seem to have much of an impact on England. Can’t remember why. I just ignored WSC and had great affection for those who played for the real Australia team.

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Vale Derek Chadwick 22 by Les Everett

• In 1971 my friend John Patroni (also a loyal Royal) went to Perth for a game. I suspect it was the second semi final against West Perth. This photo is from that trip. Photographer unknown.

Derek Chadwick was my boyhood sporting hero. He played for East Perth of course so that helped. But he was also a cricketer, so I could follow him all year..

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