cricket

The Main Arena at the Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA). The Royal Queensland Show or 'Ekka' as Queenslanders refer to it, is staged by the Showgrounds in August each year and attracts more than 600,000 visitors. Located adjacent to the Brisbane CBD at Bowen Hills, the Showgrounds are bound by Bowen Bridge Road, O'Connell Terrace, St Paul's Terrace, and Gregory. The main arena is surrounded by several stands with a total seating capacity of 20,526. Standing room for an additional 4,964 people brings the ground's capacity to 25,490. The oldest stand on the ground is The John McDonald Stand (1906), which seats 2,225 people. The Ernest Baynes Stand, when opened in 1922, seated almost 4,000 people. The top section of the double-deck stand closed in 1985 following a safety inspection. When renovated in 1993, an 'old-fashioned' roof replaced the closed-off section. Today, it seats 1,750 people. The Members Stand, situated between the McDonald and Baynes stands, was opened in 1972 and seats 778. The concrete terrace that stretches around the northern end of the ground is called Machinery Hill and seats almost 11,000 people. Twenty-eight first-class cricket matches were been played at the Exhibition Ground between 1893 and 1931, including two Tests and thirteen Sheffield Shield matches. The Exhibition Ground became the main venue for cricket in Brisbane in 1923/24 and was the venue for the match played between the touring MCC team and an Australian XI in 1924/25. The Test against England in 1928/29 was the first Test played in Brisbane and featured the debut of D.G. Bradman, who scored 18 and 1. The ground measured 142 x 155m fence-to-fence. The third Test of the series against the West Indies in 1930/31 was the last first-class game played at the ground. Source: www.austadiums.com/stadiums/brisbane-showgrounds

It is not only about cricket, but also about the artistic expression of a young cricketer, illustrated by Esther Paterson. Esther Paterson Gill (5 February 1892 – 8 August 1971) was an Australian artist, book-illustrator, and cartoonist. Paterson was publishing her illustrations while still at school with work featured in The Woman in 1908 and cartoons appearing in the Sydney Bulletin throughout 1912. This led to regular appearances in Melbourne Punch, the Argus, and other papers and journals. Her work saw her labeled by the Sun as "Melbourne's Poster Girl." Her first book of sketches "Aussie Girls" was published in 1918 by Melbourne Publishing Company. Her portraits of soldiers both uniformed and civilian are shown at the Australian War Memorial Canberra. The National Gallery of Victoria and Geelong Art Gallery also hold some of her work. Paterson posed in her wedding dress for the 1926 Archibald Prize-winning painting Silk and lace by William Beckwith McInnes, acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Paterson was the longest serving female office bearer in the Victorian Artists' Society and a significant presence within the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors. In 1950 Paterson was awarded the honor of Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London (FRSA), showing her reach went beyond Australia to be known in England. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Paterson

Victor Thomas Trumper (2 November 1877[a] – 28 June 1915) was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby winner". Trumper was also a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia. Some notable highlights of Trumper's career include scoring 292 against Tasmania, including a century before lunch (1908); scoring 100 in 58 minutes against Victoria (1906); 201 against South Australia (1913). His innings of 293 for an Australian XI against Canterbury (1914), scored in a little over three hours, was made in partnership with Arthur Sims (184 not out), and their stand of 433 still remains the record for the eighth wicket in first-class cricket, and Trumper's innings remains the highest score by a number nine batsman. His last 68 first-class innings, from 1910 to 1914, gave him an average of 60. His ability as a batsman, however, cannot be valued by averages or the number of runs scored. His mastership was shown on bad wickets, for when other batsmen were struggling merely to keep their wickets intact, he was still able to time the ball and execute strokes all around the wicket. In February 1913 a match was played for his benefit between New South Wales and the rest of Australia which, with subscriptions, yielded nearly £3000. Trumper was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1903. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Trumper