Friday 19 July 2013
Many thanks to The Big Issue, which has just published Keeping score, a light yarn about scoreboards. It includes photos by Les Everett and myself, and by Peter Argent.
You would think that having blogged weekly about scoreboards since February 2011 and having written a 3000 word piece for Footy Town back in January that I wouldn’t have much more to say about scoreboards.
But Big Issue editor Alan Attwood was curious and, knowing that he always looks after your stories, I was keen to see which angle I would take, and where that angle would take me. I opted for a breezy, confessional story.
Here’s an excerpt:
How did it come to this? How did my interest in scoreboards – old dilapidated scoreboards, for God’s sake – lead to the possibility of criminal charges? It all started out so innocently.
You can read the full story in edition 437 (19 July – I August 2013), available for $6 from Big Issue vendors. Look for Cyndi Lauper on the cover.
Saturday 20 July 2013
A dark day for Williamstown at North Port Oval. The visitors only scored four points after quarter time, the final score being 13.10 (88) to 2.7 (19). The new scoreboard has been super-imposed over the old cricket scoreboard, which was a second home for over 30 years – winter and summer – for scoreboard attendant Peter Vesty. Peter was not nostalgic about the old scoreboard.
“I’d like to blow it up or burn it down,” he told Scoreboard Pressure two years ago. “It’s too dusty, which is not good for my asthma. The floor’s too dangerous and the tin numbers ruin your hands.”
The bright new board is controlled from the other side of the ground by a laptop-savvy Port official. Peter’s happy to watch the game without the worries of the old scoreboard. Here’s hoping there’s room near the TEAC sign or on the screen itself to say The Peter Vesty Scoreboard.
Sunday 21 July 2013
‘Playing football is something that most people take for granted, but sometimes events beyond our control can prevent that from happening,’ writes Williamstown Seagulls FIDA coach Rob Klemm in his latest match report. ‘Williamstown Seagulls have been upset to hear that our team-mate Taz Toussaint is in hospital waiting for surgery to remove a brain tumour. All the players in both Seniors and Reserves teams dedicated their efforts in today’s matches to Taz, and saluted his number 26 jumper, which hung proudly above the scoreboard.’
The Seniors defeated Mazenod by 51 points, while the Reserves held on in the mud to win by two points, 2.6 (18) to 2.4 (16). For Rob’s full match report visit australianrules.com.au
Scoreboard pressure 