• Home
  • Articles
    • Front Page
    • General Interest
    • Special Interests
    • Snippets
    • Mayoral Notes
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Competitions
    • Sydney Royal Easter Show Giveaway
  • Our Community
    • Our People
    • Question of the Week
    • Jobs in the Central West
    • Be Seen
    • What’s On
  • Special Interests
    • Women In Business
    • Rural Round Up
    • My Place
    • Health & Wellbeing
    • Loving Local Living
    • Just a Short Drive
    • Real Estate
  • Sports
    • Bowls
    • Cricket
    • Equestrian
    • Footy Tips
    • Golf
    • Netball
    • Rugby League
    • Rugby Union
    • Soccer
    • Touch Football
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Page
    • Advertise with us
    • Testimonials
    • Submit an Article
    • Subscribe to the Parkes Phoenix

Parkes Phoenix

The Curse Of Reedy Creek

March 12, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

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.

Filed Under: Articles, General Interest

Latest Print Editions

Click here to download the recent issue (5) of The Forbes & Parkes Phoenix (2.8MB PDF) – 5th Aug 2022

STAY CONNECTED

The Parkes Phoenix would like to thank you, our Facebook friends, for your continued support and readership!

SEARCH THE PHOENIX

Recent Articles

  • Annual Harvest Field Day On 11th August August 5, 2022
  • Our Bloke – Peter Giles August 5, 2022
  • Allan Rees The Master August 5, 2022
  • Australian Poetry Month. August 5, 2022
  • Trees, Trees, Trees August 5, 2022

CONTACT THE PHOENIX

Address
7/113-127 Rankin Street, Forbes NSW 2871

Editorial Phone –  0403 080 085
 editor@parkesphoenix.com.au

Sales Phone – 0476 110 953
sales@parkesphoenix.com.au

View our Privacy Policy.
View our Conflict Resolution Process.
View our Ethics and Complaints Policy.
Want to advertise with us?
Information on our Community Promotions.

Submit an Article

We are always looking for new articles of interest to the local community.

Please feel free to submit an article for possible inclusion in a future issue.

To submit an article, click here to use our online article submission form.

Recieve the Phoenix via email

* indicates required

Copyright © 2022 · Website setup by WebSysMan