Cricket on the Racecourse

Stan Goodhew: Memories Supplied

"I used to keep wicket for the Kingston third grade team. We’d play on various rough grounds around the place and one was down on the centre of the acton racecourse. The orders of the day would be an afternoon match, so around 11am you’d go up to the captain's place in Kingston and pick up all the equipment in a bag and swing it on the handle bars of the bike and ride across there.

The teams were very limited in those days. I think there was Northbourne and Manuka. But we played the boys grammar one time. It was quite an experience, and I thought - well this is really civilization at its peak. All the boys from the junior schools had been ordered to attend to barrack the team, but they also bought tea out, and this was the first time I’d ever had tea, this beautiful sweet milky tea. I stood there on the hallowed ground and thought - well this is alright!”