By Anna Pavlou
It’s the fifth year in a row that my Dad and I have made our way to the hallowed MCG turf to be part of the Boxing Day Test.
It’s our fifth year in the MCC, each year somehow more special than the last, with the history of the Members entwining with our own lives, giving us our own legacy.
It has been a rough month with the loss of my grandfather, Papou, my Dad’s father, who passed away after battling Parkinson’s Disease for more than 20 years.
The love of sport that my Dad and I share, spawned from Papou.
So today we enter the MCC because of him, remembering him, in honour of him and his legacy.
Arriving in Melbourne from Cyprus in 1951, my Papou built an Australian life, falling in love with its sports culture and what it had to offer.
And now, almost 70 years since he began his life here, we venture into the MCC in support of our Australian men in the middle. Just like my Grandfather would have wanted.
The view from the Members Reserve is perfect to see Pat Cummins take his five-wicket haul, putting his career average to 21.58, below Glenn McGrath’s career average of 21.83.
It is a masterclass. We take a break at Tea to discuss how Australia has really settled with Cummins and Mitch Starc, now some of the strongest bowlers in international cricket.
The rest of our afternoon is spent between the Percy Beames Bar and our seats a few rows from the front, talking tactics and plans as Australia go in to bat for the final session.
“I know I say it every year, but when the Boxing Day Test is on, the Percy Beames Bar is the centre of the world”, Dad says.
He’s right too. Dad and I reminisce on years gone by and he tells me how my Papou loved the atmosphere of the cricket and how it was the nation’s focus in this Christmas-New Year period.
We see Dave Warner bat for a while before he plays a shot right to New Zealander Tom Blundell in the covers and we watch Burns and co dig in and get to stumps.
The trip home is a silent, but grateful one.
My Grandfather never really understood cricket, but he loved both Kim and Merv Hughes and the Pyjama Cricket and the camaraderie of the MCG and its people.
He is no longer here today and he never was lucky enough to be a member of the MCC, but his spirit lives on.
And without him - without his legacy and his love of sport and Melbourne, we would not be seated here today either.
His legacy gave us an opportunity to be here in the MCC today - and every day.
His hard work to forge a life in Australia as a Cypriot migrant has gifted my father and me a lifetime of connection through sport, here in the MCC.
And for what it’s worth, my Papou would be pretty chuffed with that.
Euripides ‘Peppi’ Pavlou
Anna ‘Pav’ Pavlou has just finished Year 12 and will begin a degree in Sports Journalism at La Trobe University in 2020. She is currently writing with The Women’s Game and recently spent the year on 98.9 North West FM Radio, where she appeared every Sunday on the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) Footy Show. She is a passionate Geelong supporter as well as cricket lover and enjoys sharing people’s stories through words.
Jason ‘Evo’ Evans, Nick Pavlou, Anna Pavlou
At stumps on Day 3, Australia were 4-137 in their 2nd Innings, leading New Zealand by 456 runs.