Average cricketers are forced to live their dreams through others. For all of us on the north coast, Phil Hughes was definitely one of those who we followed closely. He was one of us.
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His success lifted cricket matches in every park from Forster-Tuncurry to the Tweed. His failures saw more dropped catches and easy wickets on all those same ovals. The brain, and pride, made sure of it.
So Saturday's games will be hard. There will be a lot of sadness. I suspect it will feel like a funeral for a while. Maybe it’s best for all of us if the rain just keeps tumbling.
But if we are on, I do hope my captain, and all teams, put the black tape on the arm. It is the least we can do.
And as a bowler, I also want to ask my captain to agree that my first ball should be a bouncer.
I want to do this to get the whole “bouncer thing” out of the way. To respect cricket. And to respect both Sean Abbott and Phil Hughes as participants in a game, where something freakishly terrible went wrong.
Something that could have just as easily been a misdirected throw from the outfield, a trip of the feet, or any number of dangers that are part of the game. And part of life.
Personally, I don’t want the bouncer blamed. I’d be interested to hear if other bowlers think the same, and whether every game on the north coast should even start with one this weekend?
I will remember Phil Hughes as someone with the greatest of talents, who also recognised he had it, and was willing to work at it. He chased the dreams that the rest of us are forced to give away. He was one of the lucky ones who got the chance to catch those dreams for a while.
He proved the pathway to national success exists for those who go for it - regardless of where you live in Australia; regardless of how you grip the bat or ball.
Nothing about his death will change that feeling of pride that many of us enjoyed when Phil Hughes did well. Indeed, we’ll forever remember him by it.
RIP Phil Hughes.
Our thoughts are with your family and friends.
* Rob Oakeshott is a born-again cricketer in the Hastings River District competition. He resumed his cricket "career" this season after an elongated absence.