Steve Waugh captures spirit of cricket at Harrow

On Sunday, Waugh and fellow former Test captain Graham Yallop made the pilgrimage to the little town in the heartland of a rich, but little-recognised cricketing heritage.

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Joining most of the 110 locals and hundreds of visiting cricket and history fans for the annual Johnny Mullagh Championship Cup, the pair paid homage to a nation's indigenous cricket pioneers who called Harrow home.

On the oval where Mullagh himself played and proudly bears his name today, Waugh and Yallop tossed the coin that sent the mighty Mullagh XI in to bat against the ultimately superior Glenelg XI for this year's Cup honours.

Waugh, who is on a nation-wide mission to capture the essence of cricket for his latest book and documentary, The Spirit of Cricket: Australia, admitted to knowing little of the indigenous cricket history before visiting Harrow.

"When I was at school I didn't learn about indigenous culture. I was aware of the First XI, but I didn't know much about them, not a lot of people do," he said.

Johnny Mullagh was the star of the First XI indigenous side who made history in 1868 as the first Australian sporting team to leave our shores for England on an international tour.

Keen to know more, Waugh met with descendants of the First XI, Aunty Fiona Clarke, whose ancestors were brothers Jimmy 'Mosquito' Couzens and Johnny Cuzens, and Ian Friend, the great great grandson of Englishman Charles Lawrence who was the team captain-coach.

An avid photographer, Waugh described Harrow, as a "beautiful, quaint little country town", with "an important place in cricket history".

From the banks of the nearby Glenelg River, he snapped images of the next generation of cricketers launching themselves into the water as a ball machine let fly in the classic catch competition.

It was, he said, reminiscent of his own childhood of outdoor play.

"Where I grew up, it was all about making your own fun. It's exactly the sort of thing I would have done with my brothers. It's an Australian way of life. But whatever my brothers and I did, it was always a competition," he revealed.

Waugh's latest project will take him across Australia and beyond, from Broome to Ballarat, the Northern Territory to Norfolk Island, "everywhere there was a cricket ground" to unearth the gems, the myths and the stories of cricket.

"I want people to tell us what their definition of cricket is, right from the ladies who make the afternoon teas at local matches," he said.

How does Waugh himself define this intangible spirit? "It's about attitude, enthusiasm and imagination and finding a bat and ball and then people coming together to enjoy each other's company and creating memories."

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As someone who has attended many a Johnny Mullagh Championship Cup, Mullagh XI coordinator Johnny Bell was full of praise for this year's edition

"It's been good," Bell said during the innings break.

"When you think of this game it's been going on since 95 and it's grown and grown. You have two former Australian captains here, it's unbelievable!

"The tops are looking awesome, the start with uncle Richard with the smoking welcome really set the scene.

"And I think the score of 175 was a good score to set it off. It's been a real good day, weather's awesome too."

For Harrow Discovery Centre manager and event organiser Josie Sangster, there's plenty more memories in the making following the success of this year's Mullagh Cup.

"It was a sensational weekend. Nothing short of the best ever," she said.

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