The Sydney
Cricket Ground, often referred to as the SCG, is a sports stadium in the Moore
Park suburb of the capital of New South Wales, which was first opened in 1851.
Over the years, it has staged many sports, with cricket, rugby league, and
Australian Rules the most prominent.
Football has
also played a part at the iconic venue. In 1923, one of the earliest notable
soccer events took place at the SCG as a New South Wales representative team
played against the visiting English FA XI. A 3-2 defeat against New Zealand was
the men’s first appearance at the ground in the same year.
The SCG
hosted matches involving the Czechoslovakian club Bohemians on their Australian
tour in 1925. They were presented with a kangaroo as a mascot, which became
their club emblem. The Sydney Showground, next door to the SCG, and now Fox
Studios, became the main football venue in the city.
Occasional
games, usually the ones likely to attract a larger crowd, continued to be
played at the SCG, with matches also being played at the Sydney Sports Ground,
just north in Moore Park. In 1965, Everton played against an NSW team at the
SCG during their Australian tour. Over 26,000 fans attended.
After
Australia's debut at the FIFA World Cup in 1974, interest in soccer soared. The
SCG was used for international friendlies and high-profile club tours. In 1980,
a 2-1 England win against the Socceroos saw 45,000 fans attend, while
Australia’s friendly against Northern Ireland was also played there.
England
returned for a game in the Trans-Tasman Cup in 1983, in what is likely to have
been the last hurrah. The rectangular Sydney Football Stadium opened in 1988 to
replace the Sydney Sports Ground, with most matches being played there as well
as it becoming home to Sydney FC in the A-League.
The Sydney
Football Stadium was demolished in 1998 to be replaced by a new version, which
opened in 2022. During the period of redevelopment, the SCG hosted major Sydney
FC fixtures, including the derby against Western Sydney Wanderers in May 2021, with
a crowd of 17,121 attending.
My visits
Australia v
England (Friday 13th December 2002) Australia VB Tri-Nation Series
Friday 13th
was an apt date for another England defeat. Despite this, it was a decent game
with Australia chasing down the tourists' 251 for the loss of 3 wickets with 5
overs remaining. Nick Knight’s unbeaten century was the match highlight.
I was
staying in the Captain Cook Hotel across the junction from Moore Park on what
was a scorching day as I nursed a huge hangover. I’d enjoyed so much beer the
evening before that I was talked out of getting a Scarborough FC tattoo by some
good lads who befriended me.
My seat was
upstairs under the sun in the Doug Walters Stand. It was hot. Thankfully, a
family sitting by me got their kids to occasionally spray me with water. My
head hurt for the second day running the next day as I headed north on a flight
to Brisbane.
Australia v
England (Thursday 2nd – Monday 6th January 2002) Fifth Test
An
incredible five days spent at the SCG and one of my favourite ever matches. Not
least because England won by 225 runs. Mark Butcher and Michael Vaughan both
scored wonderful centuries while Andy Caddick took 7 wickets in the Aussie
second innings. Steve Waugh dramatically equalled Donald Bradman's century total.
So many
happy memories with my much-missed mate, Crusher, his cousin Paul, and his son
and friend. We travelled to town each day from Helensburgh, had drinks at the
Captain Cook and generally had a great time. It was Crusher’s birthday on the
final day, adding to it all.
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Happy days with Crusher, RIP
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The SCG was
a wonderful cricket ground back then, with the legendary Hill and the two
magnificent pavilions, which should be there for many more years to come,
adding tradition. I was lucky enough to meet Derek Underwood on the tour. He
said unequivocally that the SCG was his favourite ground.
Australia v England
(Tuesday 2nd – Friday 5th January 2007) Fifth Test
The final
Test of a real Ashes hammering as the Aussies completed a 5-0 whitewash,
winning the game by 10 wickets. There were still plenty of consolations for this
tourist to grab hold of, as I went along with a party organised by Middlesex
wicket-keeper David Nash.
It was fun
and the group were good company. Melbourne had been a capitulation on the pitch
but a hoot off it, sometimes a parallelled shambles. Our Sheraton Grand Hotel
by Hyde Park in Sydney was superb, as were our seats upstairs in the Brewongle
Stand.
The nights
out were good too, while the Test also provided some memorable moments, with
the legendary Aussie stars, Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne all
playing their final Test. A second innings collapse did for the tourists,
predictably enough.
Australia v
England (Tuesday 9th January 2007) T20 International
I was
nearing the end of my tour and my tether by the time I got to bed. The day
started well enough as I met with John, and we headed to the Captain Cook Hotel.
We met the remainder of the Nash family, who had organised the tour
I went with
David Snr, as he needed to collect some signed pictures that John Buchanan, the
Aussie coach, had got signed for his sons’ benefit year, and he didn’t know
where to go, as I remarkably found the right place. I was sitting apart from
the rest of the group, but had paid a lot less for a better seat by using the
ticket agency in charge.
Cricket
Australia had kindly charged the Barmy Army a surcharge for each ticket. The
atmosphere was uncouth. KFC sponsored the game and had a group at the front.
The leader had a loud hailer to try and “pump up the atmosphere” as we had made
far more noise than the Aussies throughout the series, which was a standing
joke amongst England fans.
England
somehow managed to plummet to new depths and took a proper hiding, losing by 77
runs. I was not happy. The Aussie PR machine did not aid my mood. In England,
there is a bit of music played when there’s a 4, 6 or a wicket. In Sydney, the
music only stopped when the bowler ran in.
It was
noticeably later when England were batting to disrupt any semblance of
concentration. If you didn’t like modern dance music, it was murder. I may as
well have watched it at a Kings Cross rave. The Aussies hadn’t missed a trick
throughout. They had earlier banned the Barmy Army bugler in Brisbane.
They split up all the England fans to minimise volume. The press had been spiteful, and
the umpires had bordered on being tapped up. Every time the Aussies scored a
boundary, which was a lot, an image came up on the scoreboard saying “Tonked”
followed by an image of Matthew Hayden, who was disliked intensely by England
players and fans alike, gesturing as to how far the ball went.
It was part
of the “Tonk a Pom” campaign sponsored by Ford. On the lesser occasions that
England scored a boundary, the scoreboard remained blank. Other witty campaigns
included a big electronic board high on a building on the way to the SCG, which
constantly changed and gave the number of alleged Pom complaints about Tooheys
beer.
Nando's
slogan was “Our chickens are like the English. Big, white and plump. The PA man
was brash and biased. I longed for Johnny Dennis’s professionalism back at
Lord’s. The players had been poor, but
circumstances didn’t help. I avoided the pub after the game and left before the
end. I received abuse on the bus back into town instead. It was a CRAP night.
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