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Deadcember?
Nineteen seventy eight. Thirty five long years ago. I was a gangly youth back then suffering through my first job with a major bank, learning (rapidly) that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was; that the world didn’t seem to want to offer me any favours; and that it wasn’t a good idea to make enemies of people who had power over me. All this meant that life was somewhat miserable, and I found myself living for the weekends, and also realising that this was no way to enjoy, or get ahead in life.
One of my solaces was cricket, but even that was a wretched affair back then...Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket had robbed the Australian official test team of its best players, and what was effectively our second XI was being summarily slaughtered by the West Indies, and then again by England. That England side of the summer of 1978/79 was one of the greatest. The top six were Boycott, Gooch, Randall, Brearley, Gower and Botham, and as well as Botham the bowling attack included the likes of Bob Willis and Peter Lever. In response, Australia could muster only a second-rate side. With our best players – the Chappell brothers, Lillee, Thompson, Rod Marsh etc. all contracted to Kerry Packer and therefore banned from representing Australia, we had very few class players to choose from. Of the side that took on England that year only Kim Hughes and Rodney Hogg are still household cricketing names today.
The second test of the Ashes series was played in Perth just prior to Christmas, and England had no trouble then accounting for the Aussies, winning by 166 runs. My Christmas was ruined. The cricketing depths of despair then were as keenly felt by me as the wretchedness of my job at the bank.
I wasn’t to know it then of course, but that was to be the very last time England would win a test match in Perth. Followers of cricket will now understand the relevance of this post - England go to the third test on Friday in Perth two-nil down in the current series and needing to win to keep the series alive. And they do so without a Geoffrey Boycott or an Ian Botham in the team, and with 35 years of history against them. To add to their torment, each day of the five-day match is forecast to be 38C or higher. For this, and a variety of other cricketing reasons, it will be decidedly unpleasant for the visitors.
I mention all this only to make me feel better, because since recovering from the Achilles/calf strain, I’ve been laid low with hay fever that has given me swollen, painful joints, a constantly bleeding nose (for four days!) and annoyingly clogged, waxy ears. This morning I did feel well enough to climb into the running shoes again, but after only half an hour of very careful jogging my left calf was once more very sore and left me in some doubt as to what the hell is going on with my legs.
The only solution I can see is to rest and treat it still further, and to take some solace in the cricket. With 123 days to go until the Canberra marathon I at least have the luxury of time on my side. Even so, it’s annoying to be waylaid by calf soreness which has no apparent raison d’etre.
So, for the moment, I’ll sit back and enjoy the current resurgence of Australian cricket. Hopefully normal MLCMM running service will resume in the near future... stay tuned, especially you cricket fans.
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Deadcember?
