Como Park is in the news. It’s dangerous… deemed by insurers to be a ‘catastrophic risk’ according to a story in the Weekend Australian. The story is by Gideon Haigh, a player with the South Yarra Cricket Club (the Yarras).

The problem is that the two cricket grounds at Como Park overlap slightly so out-fielders can find themselves in the field of play of another game but with their back to the pitch. No one has copped ball in the back of the head while fielding at Como Park during its long history but according to the City of Stonnington you can’t be too careful. Read the story if you can find a copy of the paper.

During the winter Old Geelong plays footy safely at Como Park perhaps due to the club’s vision: “To be the most respected club in the VAFA.” You may wonder what Old Geelong is doing in South Yarra. Our explanation comes from noting the club’s links to a couple of those ‘elite’ schools down in Geelong. Perhaps if you’re educated at one of those places you end up living in South Yarra.

We came across Como Park during a visit to Melbourne in 2017. We’d taken a look at the site of Frederick McCubbin’s place on Kensington Road and continued on down the hill to the sports ground hoping to see a scoreboard. We weren’t disappointed. McCubbin liked to paint from that hill – perhaps one day he spotted some players engaged in a game of cricket and thought, “Shit that looks dangerous.”