King Shag Column

Rip It Up, Issue 68, 1 March 1983, Page 30

King Shag Column

For the past thVee summers ’Arry ’as been what the papers call a cricket yobbo, and yet never played a game. So why not organise a game and a team of other yobbos and call them the Ratbags? Excellent idea, but ’oo can we play? ’Ow ’bout A Certain Baa? No - that wouldn’t be cricket, that’d be boring. What about New Music Management? Judging by the influences that’d be like England versus Australia - now that’s cricket. So, after a quick trip to the Rumba Bar, a team was easily organised. It consisted of ’Arry, ’art of Nocturnal Projections, 'art of Sporting Life (apt, eh?) ’an ’ippy or two and a few other

louts and ’angers on. Mike Coolarse and New Music Management pooled together some Legionnaires, roadies, a manager or two and an extended player. So on to the battle ground it was. ’Arry, being the usual smartarse, opened the batting, only to fall for two runs. But Chris Burt took up the bat and after an excellent score of 60 runs, ’is wicket fell. After further batting performances from Bevan Swinney and Doug ’Ood the Ratbags’ all out total was 163. In went the Coolarses to bat and the Ratbags opened up the bowling attack. Wickets fell like possums on State ’lghway One until Coolarse

took up the bat. But after 39 runs ’e was caught in the slips by yours truly. (Two weeks later ’e was caught in the booths, urinating, at Eden Park.) Good batting performances from Dave McArtney (retired), Roger King and Paul Woolwright. Harry Lyon, of course, defended ’is stumps like ’e defends ’is pocket. All out for 132, the best man definitely won. And ’ome it was with a dozen beer to watch the match on telly - obviously better cricketers but not as much fun. Roll on the footy season. ARRY