The Mercantile Cricket Association was already having a play-off to remember after Burnley CYMS last weekend set Youlden-Parkville a record target at Cordner Oval in Fawkner Park. A staggering act of ill-timing has ensured its 2014-15 A-grade grand final will truly never be forgotten.
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Youlden-Parkville will resume its pursuit of 432 for victory on Saturday at 2-109, confronted with an outfield that was top-dressed with sand during the week in preparation for the community sport that will be played there through winter.
In news that would stagger your average cricket pitch curator, who tends to protect their turf like they do their first born, the top-dressing was done by a contractor who at the same time was preparing the wicket for the second half of the grand final.
MCA match secretary Alec Khan estimated the changed conditions effectively added another 80 to 100 runs to Youlden-Parkville's already unprecedented ask, recalling a similar situation prior to a semi-final several years ago when barely 200 runs were scored in the whole game over more than nine hours of play.
"This is contributed to by a certain amount of arrogance by people at council who either don't get sport - even though they're running a section that's supposed to be providing the services for sport - and who are so driven by their own maintenance timetable that they don't care about anyone else," Khan said.
Club officials were reluctant to comment, one saying he became emotional and animated every time he simply thought about an act that was "beyond belief".
He described a grand final as the pinnacle for community sports clubs that exist solely through volunteer labour and require upwards of $100,000 in fundraising just to get on the park each season. "Divide that by $1.50 per sausage, that's a lot of reconstitute offal in a season mate, I tell ya."
Khan said it was a shame for both sides, with Burnley wanting to win on its merits and Youlden-Parkville boasting a strong batting line-up — headed by not-out batsman Yousaf Iqbal, who has made more than 900 runs for the season — that was now left with a virtually impossible task.
A City of Melbourne spokesperson said top-dressing was critical to ensure its ovals remained in good condition for all users, with the small gap between summer and winter sporting seasons leaving limited time for routine maintenance.
The City of Melbourne inspected the surface at Cordner Oval on Friday and declared it fit for play.
