Darrin Cameron's immense love of cricket filters through the phone via the voice of a prepubescent boy. In Jonah Cameron, 10, you have, perhaps, the ultimate manifestation of his father's lifelong immersion in cricket.
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Hearing Jonah speak about cricket is to hear his old man speak about cricket.
So you can imagine how Cameron and son felt when they got to play together. It was October 19, and Cameron's Court House took on Albion in a season opener at Wolseley Oval.
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Cameron said: "We were short [of players] and Jonah was down there, and Sam Doubleday and Farran Lamb said: 'Has he got his whites?' And I said: 'His bag's in there, he might have'. We only had nine players with him."
Jonah did not bat or bowl, but that didn't matter to him. "I was pretty excited to play with my dad and his friends. It was a bit nerve-racking when I walked on. But after a few overs I got the hang of it."
Cameron coaches Jonah's under-12 side. He has two other sons. Flynn, 14, also plays cricket. Carter, 18, doesn't play but is a "very good singer", Cameron said.
Th 48-year-old, who agrees that he is an elder statesman of Gunnedah cricket, has been playing the game in Gunnedah since he was a boy.
On Saturday, he will take the field for Court House on day two of their clash against Kookaburras at Kitchener Park. You get the feeling he will be walking out on to the ground for many years to come.
"To tell you the truth, it's my life at the moment: I just love the game," he said.
Court House claimed first-innings points after dismissing Kookaburras for 113 and then making 133.
At Wolseley Oval on Saturday, Albion will resume at 0-52 chasing Mornington's 121.