The concrete drive way is the length of a cricket pitch and it's as wide as one and a half vehicles in order that during the rainy season those alighting from their vehicles can stay off the wet grass.
This got me thinking of the generations of children who enjoy their sport either in the back or front yards, the street, down the park, wherever, but all in non-organised competitions, just children's scratch games.
The Chappell brothers Ian, Greg and Trevor tell of their fierce cricket competitions in their Adelaide back yard growing up, as did Steve and Mark Waugh to name just two. This is the right of passage of every Australian boy and their sisters didn't miss out either, they too got into the swing of things.
Beach holidays are a quintessential part of many Australian families and this is where 'beach cricket' comes into its own. There was a period of several years where an international series of beach cricket was played by retired cricketers until sponsorship ran out.
Our family enjoyed holidays in the sixties, and several years we camped in the back yard of an Auntie's in Wollongong. The two lads from each family, of which I was one, went to the park twice a day, and played Test Cricket with the stumps drawn on a tree. We each named our teams with the then current champion cricketers. They were great fun times. So typical of kids all over Australia even today.
Footy doesn't miss out either. Notice the touch footy back yard games where everyone participates including mum and dad and even the littlest ones. In our 1960s family it was hockey as our mum was a champion hockey player in Sydney in the mid to late 1930's prior to WWII. It was always difficult to get past mum with the ball.
These back yard family and friends sports are lesson fields for children teaching them about a whole host of things about fair play, honesty, integrity, character and good graces. Although not playing for 'sheep stations' these back yard fixtures were and are serious as many a child's tear has been shed.
All this discussion about back yard sports was initiated with the new cricket pitch length drive way at the Laguna Quays Respite facility. My new grand-son is almost two months old, may be I'll have to wait for six or seven years before we can put the stumps with the tennis ball. Can't wait!