Cricket: Howzat you Ockers?

New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney takes the catch to dismiss Greg Ritchie as Martin Crowe (left) and Ian Smith share his delight. Photo / Brisbane Chronicle

Thirty years ago, cricket was Australia's national sport with Kiwi-baiting a close second.

New Zealanders living across the Ditch took a regular pounding about their accents, sheep and economics. It seemed even worse for those of us working in male-dominated Australian newsrooms.

In late June, the All Blacks helped balance that inescapable banter when they walloped the Wallabies 10-9 at Eden Park.

That reprieve lasted a few hours then the razzing returned and stepped up a notch as the New Zealand cricket team arrived for a three-test tour. If Glenn McGrath was forecasting then he would have been talking about a 3-0 whitewash for his countrymen.

Martin Crowe delivered a strong note with an unbeaten 242 in the opening tour game against South Australia and captain Jeremy Coney made 89 but the bowlers struggled on the flat deck at the Adelaide Oval.

Moving to play Queensland at the Gabba brought Bruce Edgar a ton and Jeff Crowe more runs while Stephen Boock claimed seven wickets for the match.

In two matches, Richard Hadlee had demanded full attention with a combined tally of 82 overs 22 maidens 136 runs and four wickets without looking like a major terror force. How that would change.

Coney won the toss and sent Australia in on the opening day of the test series at the Gabba. Down the line in Sydney, we monitored the office televisions between rain interruptions as Australia reached 146 and Hadlee took all four wickets.

The next day, Kevin West as newsroom Ockers called South African Kepler Wessels, added one run before going lbw to Hadlee without playing a shot for 70. The champion bowler was the fox in the Aussie chicken coop.

Nine wickets for 52 and a catch to remove Geoff Lawson was gold for Hadlee, NZ and those of us working in Sydney chook houses.

Martin Crowe and John Reid piled on the misery with magnificent centuries and everyone hipped in before Coney declared at 553 for seven.

Four Aussie bowlers went for more than three figures including Dave Gilbert whose sister worked in our newsroom. Useful ammo for a sly sledge.

It took a bit more time to turn the Aussies over in their second dig but it got better. Allan Border dug in for an undefeated 152 and Greg Matthews ground out 115 but Hadlee snarled with another six wickets as NZ won their first test in Australia and by more than an innings.

For a while in November 1985, Australia was definitely a great place to be a Kiwi.