Geoff Lawson’s letter to Bill O’Reilly.
They say that the ultimate teacher is life itself. The naivety of youth is often confused for ignorance and hence ignorance is the refuge of the incompetent, or so preach the elders of the tribe. The elders are often full of it, just ask Gen Y.
My cricket education on the grounds of Wagga Wagga and district was instructional. To commence a game you first had to lay the coir matting over the concrete or malthoid slab. The two pieces of mat had been delivered on the back of a ute or maybe stored among the rusting corrugated iron stacks at fine leg . Then bang in the loose ends with the discarded engine valves making sure of the tension best suited to your team balance and particular pursuit of the day. Finally, shoo the brown snakes down their holes and identify the bindii patches to be avoided when diving in the field. East Wagga Oval – not the watered AFL ground but the dusty oval beyond centre wing- taught me much about adapting to the conditions, not whinging and getting on with the job. It did not prepare me for my early games of Sheffield Shield on the Sydney Cricket Ground during the World Series Cricket hiatus.
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