Boxing Day Test

The real event for me around this time of year is the Boxing Day Test, although people do get a little testy if I call the day before Boxing Day Test Eve too many times! Jessie and I caught the early train from Ballarat to Melbourne on Boxing Day, and I headed to the cricket.

Thanks to the Lees family, I had the Ladies ticket, and the privilege to walking into the members stand each day for free. I joined the Waving The Flag crew just after the first over, for some concentrated cricket viewing, and general banter.

Popping over to the members for a full strength beer or two at lunch with Ash, and then back to the sun baked public section with the Flaggers, before the silly session till the end of play, and we headed off in search of a venue with sangria. Drinks at The Corner, then we found Mexicana Rose along Swan Street, before moving down that street to The Swan, for a very large night.

The next session of cricket I saw was not the first nor the second session of Day 2, but I did make it in eventually, for another beer with Ash, and a session of play with Melissa and Clinton and Steve. Joining the Flagger gang for drinks at Transport that evening, I certainly didn’t last long out and about!

Day 3 attendance was much better, however I stayed out of the sun after catching too much on Day 1. Love sitting at the MCG with not a care in the world except where the little red ball is, when to put sun screen on again, and where the next beer is coming from. That night we walked in to Bridie O’Reilly’s for drinks, before an Indian dinner at Navaskar in Queen Street, and more drinks at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow, for a full lap of the city!

The final day of the test, on Day 4, was another day in the shade for me, making an effort to focus on every ball. A convincing win, marking 15 Aussie wins on the trot. I watched the end from the third tier of the members stand, just about the sight screen, after several hangover curing beers in the Balcony area bar. Again, the gang headed to Bridie O’Reilly’s for post win drinks, of which I joined them for a few, before heading to Melissa’s for her balmy backyard birthday gathering.

I met Simon and Sparrow in the city for breakfast the next morning, before Simon and I headed out to Shane and Heidi’s, for a Sunday session BBQ gathering. Bumbles, Lizby, Matty J, and Bernie were there, for a session where we were all a little under the weather following a rather large test match for us all!