I HAVE been very disappointed at the unfair criticism levelled at the Robertson Oval wicket where the recent NSW v Victoria Sheffield Shield match was played.
I attended the bulk of the match and felt on the whole, the wicket was played very well.
Admittedly, there were a handful of deliveries that popped, kept low, or spun a little more than expected, but like many of the players stated, “very few dismissals could be attributed to the wicket”.
I have always believed the Sheffield Shield is a nursery for our future Test players and to reach this level they need to be able to perform and prove themselves on all types of wickets worldwide.
Both teams had several players with Test cricket experience and several players with the ambition of breaking into the Test team.
Cricket is a game between bat and ball, not a one-sided run-fest like we have seen this season at international level.
The majority of the wickets turned out this season at international level are nothing short of “roads” that provide nothing for the bowler.
I can accept that these type of wickets are great for one-day or Twenty20 cricket, but not at Test or state level.
Keep turning out this type of “slab” and we won’t have anyone wanting to become a bowler.
A fair wicket is when a bowler bends his back and puts something into his efforts he expects to get something out.
Some of these critics should realise that this match was not played at the SCG or MCG where they have large full-time ground staff with every tool required to produce the best – it was held at Robertson Oval, where the curator Steven Stapleton fits his curating duties in between his main employment and his family duties.
Looking at the wicket after the game I feel sure had the game gone into the fourth and final day, there would have been no doubt that it would have lasted the duration.
Well done “Stapo”, you need to be congratulated for the wicket you turned out.
BRIAN LAWRENCE
Wagga
Artists painting town red
THE Riverina is bursting at the seams with creative people, practicing just about every art form under the sun.
It is a pleasure to see that six projects from the Eastern Riverina region have been recognised and awarded funding through the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) this year.
These projects cover an impressively broad range of art practices: theatre, sculpture, writing, music, painting and digital media.
Two of them will inaugurate new annual festivals (a writers’ festival in Jugiong, and a bluegrass festival in Coolamon) which will enrich the cultural tapestry of our communities for years to come.
Wagga Wagga City Council is to be congratulated for winning a grant to create a very unique response to the Centenary of Anzac.
In tandem with the Museum of the Riverina’s He Belonged to Wagga exhibition, local Anzac stories and pictures will be turned into a giant projection.
This stirring artwork will be visible on the side of the Civic Centre building each evening from Anzac Day through to Monday, June 8.
Eastern Riverina Arts congratulates the council for bringing this artistic project to where it is today.
We will continue to support and advocate for artists in our region, and look forward to watching these projects come to fruition over the course of 2015.
SCOTT HOWIE
Regional Arts Development Officer
Eastern Riverina Arts
Wagga
