There’s a place out West of the Great Divide
As bush as a bushman could seek
It’s as rough as guts on the cricket field
In a place called Reedy Creek
The field itself could be easily missed
If you don’t know where it be
It’s nothing more than a farmer’s paddock
Where they let the sheep run free
The ground is hard, with pots and divots
Spread all throughout the ground
Any ball that’s hit, soft or hard
Will twist and jump around
The wild lads from Reedy Creek
Did win the toss and bat
They played a hard and wily game
And truly gave a crack
They hit it hard, they hit it high
Dropped catches didn’t help
The boundary riders had a job
To keep the beggars out
In the end they played their innings
With barely a wicket lost
The game itself a forgone conclusion
The Parkes Crusher boys a loss
But they went on in, just as they should
To win back some missing pride
This team of B graders rarely frowned
They just enjoyed the ride
The openers they went out to bat
To try and build a score
But wicket stumbled 1 by 1
Their total looking poor
The batsmen all walked out to play
But soon were back called out
Until they came, to their last man
Who stood before a rout
But this unlikely man could hold his nerve
Yet seldom did he speak
But he played the game of his life
The Sheik at Reedy Creek
The Reedy lads did spend their time
Bowling all but the kitchen sink
But nothing put him off his game
The number eleven didn’t blink
They tried to bounce him, the balls were short
But he’d twist and turn and spin
And more good luck no-one ever had
As he caused quite a din
The ball would hit his bat then pad
And jump up in the air
But the fielder feeling too confident
Tripped over a wild hare
There were many catches dropped by the lads
Each had a good excuse
A rabbit hole, a wayward snake
And even wild goose
The strangest part of this weird day
Was when ‘the Sheik’ had hit a six
He couldn’t do anything wrong
It was like the match was fixed
He had merely tried to block the ball
From an amazing stint of spin
When a farmer’s dog came out from nowhere
And caught the ball like Flynn
The fielders all did yell and scream
Which gave the dog a fright
So he turned tail and ran past the boundary
But dropped the ball, in sight
The Parkes boys all could smell victory
With this unlikely turn of events
While the lads from Reedy Creek were livid
It just made no bloody sense
It finally came down to the last ball
Parkes only 3 away
The lads from Reedy Creek moved in
They wanted to win the day
The ball was bowled – it was a screamer
It came out like a ball of fire
But ‘the Sheik’ did swing and hit that ball
And the Creek boys were looking dire
The ball was long the ball was high
And all did hold their breath
For none had held a catch all day
This could well be their death
The fielder was an older man
As nervous as could be
He ran as fast as he could run
As the lads were running three
He set himself towards the ball
A little to the right
When a nearby pigeon had taken wing
And entered into the plight
The Reedy Creek boys, they all did groan
As the ball collected bird
It seemed like all was at a loss
But what happened next was blurred
The elderly fielder who was on his way
Had tripped and landed flat
And thinking that he’d done the worst
Just looked around and sat
But then the most unlikely thing
That only happens to the meek
That ball did land square in his lap
The curse of Reedy Creek
By Matthew Kennedy
Readers are welcome to submit creative writing for publication in this monthly column. Please send your writing (preferably 300 words) to editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.
