Phillip Hughes’ funeral: 13 moments that tugged the heart
Phillip Hughes’ funeral: 13 moments that tugged the heart
Phillip Hughes was laid to rest after an emotional funeral at his hometown Macksville, New South Wales. Numerous cricketers and ex-players were in attendance to support the Hughes family during the funeral. The town of Macksville had come to a standstill as they grieved in unison at the loss of their famous cricketing son. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks 13 moments that tugged the heard on a sad day that will remain etched in our memories forever:
1. Overwhelming turnout
Hughes’ funeral was attended by a plethora of cricketing greats and current players. Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist to name a few were in attendance. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay and some of the Indians who were showing their solidarity in this moment of grief. It wasn’t only in the Macksville High School, but people had setup camp even outside it. The Sydney Cricket Ground, the WACA ground and in many other places far and wide in Australia numerous people congregated to bid Hughes a teary farewell.
2. Forever Young
Early during the ceremony, the song Forever Young was played. It was a fitting goodbye to the young man who touched many lives. He had his whole life ahead of him at the age of 25. A few days ago, Cricket Australia altered the scorecard to show Hughes not out on 63 in his truncated final innings of his life.
3. Sean Abbott arrives
Sean Abbott, the bowler who bowled that fatal bouncer, arrived in Macksville for the funeral. The cricket world has come in support of the bowler and the Hughes family also voiced their concern for him. Abbott returned to training on Monday and made it to Macksville the next day.
4. The bat near the coffin
To symbolise Hughes’s abiding love for the game, a bat was placed near his coffin during the service. Social media paid tribute to Hughes through the last few days with the #putoutyourbats campaign. Thousands shared photos of their bats in memory of Hughes.
5. The Baggy Green and the blazer
Since he was a young boy, Hughes dreamt of wearing the Baggy Green. That cap was put up near the speaker’s podium during the service along with his other caps and blazer.
6. Cousin Nino Ramunno narrates tales from childhood
Hughes’ cousin Nino Ramunno spoke about Hughes’ childhood and the insatiable want to bat. It was quite interesting to know that Hughes was a large baby when born and hence got the nickname “Buff”. Ramunno brought out the childhood innocence, how Hughes was loved by his grandparents and cousins and of course making his brother Jason bowl to him for a long time in the backyard. Ramunno also said that Hughes had started his career as a tailender and scored 25 in his first innings. There began the love affair with the game.
7. Plan to replace Matthew Hayden
Rammunno revealed an interesting anecdote involving Hughes and his mentor in Sydney Neil D’Costa. When a young Hughes went to him as a teenager, D’Costa presented a plan where he said that the youngster should replace Matthew Hayden when he retires. As fate would have it, Hughes made his debut in 2009 soon after Hayden’s retirement. It was almost as if the Lord had scripted it.
8. Destined to be a ‘rockstar’
Hughes’ elder brother Jason spoke about their time together. He also said how he had immediately moved to Sydney when Hughes asked him to. The other thing Jason spoke about was the fact that he felt his brother was destined to be a ‘rockstar’. At the beginning of his eulogy, Jason said, “There has been a lot said in the last week, but I thought a nice little letter would sum it all up for us and could be kept forever. I couldn’t have asked for a better little brother. From a very young age, you were destined to be a rock star. You moved to Sydney at the age of 17 with 70 centuries already to your name.”
9. Megan bids goodbye
Hughes’ sister Megan also delivered a moving speech. She called him her hero and best friend. Her eulogy was simple, yet moving. It did not have the various stories but was full of emotion. She said, “I want to thank you for being the most amazing brother I could ask for. They always say you cannot choose your family. But I wouldn’t want mine any other way. Your presence will never leave the people that love and adore you. However, I know that I will have you by my side every step of the way. I promise you Phil that I will continue to live life each and every day the way you did.”
10. Michael Clarke’s tearful speech
A few days ago, Clarke had broken down during a press conference while delivering a statement on behalf of the Australian team. During the funeral, Clarke yet again broke down while speaking about his friend and teammate. He spoke about feeling Hughes’ presence in the middle during his walk at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Clarke kept emphasising on the spirit of cricket and the fact that he will always feel Hughes’ presence. Perhaps the most moving part of his speech came at the end, when he said, “Phillip’s spirit, which is now part of our game forever, will act as a custodian of the sport we all love. We must listen to it. We must cherish it. We must learn from it. We must dig in and get through to We must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on. Rest in peace my little brother; I’ll see you out in the middle.”
11. ‘I’m all teeth’
Hughes’ close friend Corey Ireland came up to the podium and spoke about his relationship with Hughes. Interestingly, Ireland was unaware of Hughes being a cricketer when they first met. However, they bonded over their mutual love for cattle. Hughes radiated optimism and happiness. Ireland said Hughes would tell him, “I am happy Corey Ireland, I am all teeth.” Ireland shared that Hughes had planned a cattle farm and promised to ensure that dream becomes a reality.
12. Cricketers breakdown
Watching some of his teammates like Mitchell Johnson, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade etc shed a tear was indeed touching. These tough men fight it day in and day out on the field. Watching them show a human side was indeed very touching.
13. The final journey
Hughes’s coffin was carried by his father Greg, brother Jason, cricketing friends Clarke, Finch and Tom Cooper. They placed it in a car, which then drove through the streets of Macksville. Hundreds had gathered near the streets to big adieu to their hero. The small town had come to a standstill since the time Hughes was felled by the bouncer. Today, they grieved in unison as Hughes was on his final journey.
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(Nishad Pai Vaidya is Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)