Final Cricket Match of Season

As bizarre stuff goes, this is a bizarre day in many ways. Who is that sitting in the Bodyline Bar with Carol? It is Jackie and she doesn't give a hoot about cricket. So why is she there? It's a long story but she is there at the request of husband, James, on a scouting mission. The scouting mission will be a total success, Carol and Jackie will have a great time chatting and the day will be fun. Jackie's comment. "If one must to the cricket, the Bodyline Bar is a very civilized way to watch cricket." Of course it is: comfortable seats, clean bathrooms, bar restricted to only 85 patrons.

This is the final Big Bash match of the season at the Oval. The Strikers are not playing. This is a game rescheduled to Adelaide due to a COVID breakout in Sydney which is what explains the empty seats in the special seating section of the Bodyline. 

After passing through the gates, CJ ran to get us good seats. He need not have bothered. Apparently with the Strikers not playing, there is not a lot of local interest. In fact, between the time CJ climbed the steps to the Bodyline and the not more than two minutes later that Carol and Jackie arrived on scene, the steps were roped off, and a guard informed them that the Bodyline Bar was closed.

CJ arrived and he and the manager for the day, not CJ's normal guy, opened the windows. CJ is standing in the open window when he observes Carol and Jackie trying to find our 'assigned' seats. He assures them the staff is misinformed and to come to the Bodyline. 

CJ asks the manager and bartender if they are aware that they are 'closed'. They obviously do not and the manager thanks CJ for the information and goes off to straighten out some folks.

Today's match is between the Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers. At the beginning of every match, tribute is paid to the local Aboriginal community. At the last match, they teams carried out a huge Aboriginal flag and stood flanking it. At the previous match one man played the digeridoo while another chanted and played two ceremonial sticks. Today there is only the digeridoo player.

The Bodyline Bar is the newest of the Adelaide Oval's bars. It was built to showcase the history of the famous 1932-1933 Ashes where England's fast bowlers bowled at the Aussie players resulting in injuries, diplomatic cables between the respective governing cricket clubs and the GOVERNMENTS. It was quite the dust up, as they say. The bar is tastefully done in memorabilia in the form of pictures, videos, and plaques.

Windows with great views of the field line the entire bar. There is a north end with tables, memorabilia, and the primary bathrooms. There is also an emergency exit and an exit to the seats that is normally open but not in these COVID times.

The main memorabilia collection begins at the south end of the bar and runs behind the comfortable stadium seating.

The is a sequence of photos of one of the more egregious deliveries.

The ladies share a cheese plate available at the bar. CJ desires a more hearty chicken burger from the stadium vendors.