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Author Topic: Aussie Cricket Tragedy  (Read 8152 times)

Peter Fitness

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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2014, 10:10:47 pm »

Phillip Hughes' funeral was held yesterday in his home town of Macksville. All funerals are sad, but that of a young person, in the prime of life, is especially so. It was broadcast live on TV from the sports hall of the Macksville High School, the only building in Macksville big enough to hold some of the crowd of mourners. It was broadcast on big screens at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Hughes was struck, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba in Brisbane, and the WACA ground in Perth, and each ground had large numbers of people in attendance. As was to be expected, just about all current Australian national team players were in Macksville, plus many from the state sides. Many past players came from around the world to attend, as well as members of the touring Indian team. The effect on the current players was plain to see, and I don't know how they are going to prepare themselves for upcoming matches. The Australian Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition put aside their political differences to attend.


Eulogies were given by members of the Hughes family, as well as some close friends, and Aussie captain, Michael Clarke gave a speech on behalf of the team. He was a close mate of Phil, and the distress it caused him was very obvious - I don't know how he managed to carry on.


Cricket has lost a fine player, and a great young man, a country boy whose interest outside of cricket centred on his Angus cattle. He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends, and cricket world wide.


Peter.


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Footski

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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #26 on: December 04, 2014, 07:14:25 am »

A very very sad day indeed. I am not sure if Michael Clarke will ever be quite the same player again. I do hope so.... <:(
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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #27 on: December 04, 2014, 05:06:16 pm »

A very sad day indeed, what a tragic loss. England and Australia are fierce rivals in the game of cricket but I shed a tear when I heard about his death, so young very tragic. My heart goes out to his friend and family, he was too young to leave this world.
I watched a recording of Michael Clarkes speech total respect for the man that is something I could not have done, the grief was etched into his face but he kept going in respect at the loss of his friend.
The world of cricket has lost a great player, with huge potential. I feel sorry for Sean Abbott, I hope he does not give up the sport it was after all a freak accident

R I P Phillip Hughes 63 not out!


Brian
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #28 on: December 04, 2014, 07:37:20 pm »

I have just been reading a very interesting article in the Times about this.

I suspect that, like many people in the UK, it has been a little difficult to understand the national outpouring of grief in Australia about this tragic event. The nearest thing for comparison appears to be when Princess Diana died.

On the face of it to someone like myself who is not particularly into sport or cricket, the whole thing has seemed to be a bit over the top. After all, two other cricketers have recently been killed in accidents, one in Israel, but these seem to have just been news footnotes.

Obviously the death of Phillip Hughes has touched a chord in the Australian national psyche which is difficult for uninvolved people like me to fully understand given all the other mayhem that is taking place in the world today but Matthew Syed's article did make an effort to explain the particular importance that cricket has in Australia, even to the extent that the national cricket captain is regarded as only second in importance to the prime minister.

To me it is something of a revelation in the different attitudes between Australians and ourselves but you learn something new every day. You can never be quite sure just what a nation considers to be of fundamental importance to itself and this has been quite illuminating.

However, I don't really go along with the reports that Australian cricket will never be the same again. It was indeed a tragedy but how much of that was due to the fact that it occurred on a cricket field? If he had died in a road accident would there still have been the same reaction?

I am sure that Australian cricket will recover after a due period of mourning and go on from strength to strength. Sean Abbott will feel dreadful about it but it was chance in a million accident and he should not blame himself. Things happen, sometimes that is just fate.

Colin
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Peter Fitness

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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #29 on: December 04, 2014, 09:43:30 pm »

If he had died in a road accident would there still have been the same reaction?


Probably not to the same extent, Colin. It may well be because nothing like this had ever happened before in first class cricket, or perhaps many of the players felt "that could have been me", I don't know. Had he died in a car crash I'm certain that there would have been the same grief, but the fact that it happened on a cricket ground somehow made it very different.


Australia is a sport loving nation, as you may have guessed, but there are also many, like yourself, who are not very involved, however the vast majority are. The Australian cricket captain has, for as long as I can remember, occupied a special place in people's minds, far greater than the captain of any other sport's national team. Perhaps it's because cricket is the common denominator in sport. It could also be that the sporting press has made it so. There are four main codes of football played in Australia, Australian Rules, Rugby Union, Rugby League and the real football, or soccer as it's widely known here, but all states play cricket at first class level. There is a saying here that sport is not a matter of life or death, it is far more important than that.


I also don't believe that Australian cricket will never be the same again. It will take time, but the cliche, "time is a great healer" is true, and it will recover. The early part of this season will be extremely hard for some, but they will get over it eventually, and move on. That's not to say that Phillip Hughes will be forgotten, far from it, in most cricket lovers' minds he will always be 63 not out.


Just as a footnote, there was a story in the news a couple of days ago of a young lad in a junior match who scored 37 then walked off the pitch. When asked why he replied, "I have just completed Phillip Hughes' final century".


Peter.
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Footski

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Re: Aussie Cricket Tragedy
« Reply #30 on: December 05, 2014, 07:40:28 am »

Colin,
The death of Phillip Hughes has not only affected those in Australia. It may be difficult to understand, but cricketers and fans from around the world, consider themselves a part of the "Cricket Family". The "Family" has just lost one of its loved ones. That is the best way I can describe it and yes, me, a Pom, shed a tear at the news and again on the day of the funeral. It will take some time for cricket to recover, but recover it will.
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