It was a constant reminder of what is really important in life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As City United battled Old Boys at No 1 Oval last Saturday, 15-month-old Frankie looked on as her father, City quick Tait Jordan, bent his back.
Fiercely competitive like all good fast bowlers, the 24-year-old carpenter's life has become more "balanced" since the birth of his first child.
Read more:
"You realise that sport is not everything, no matter what level you're playing at," he said.
He continued: "I think when you have kids it's not the end of the world if you don't succeed. It's still good to win, but there's better things to go home to if you don't do your best that day."
Spoken like a true father - words that have been uttered since time immemorial, but the experience unique to every first-time parent.
Jordan met his partner, Hannah Rose Ford, out on the town. She had long liked the name Frankie; it is the name their daughter was born to have.
Jordan - a Tamworth FC mainstay who took this season off to spend more time with his family - got a first-ever look at Frankie "running amok" at the cricket in City United's final-ball, one-wicket defeat of Old Boys.
As any parent can attest to, having your first child is a transformative and acutely visceral experience.
Jordan said: "I went from sitting there talking rubbish to the boys [at the cricket], to having to look after my little girl. Which was a good thing, for sure, but it was definitely a change the first time.
It's good when you're out there [on the field] and you see her and she's yelling and screaming and carrying on. It's nice. It's a good feeling.
- Tait Jordan
"It's good when you're out there [on the field] and you see her and she's yelling and screaming and carrying on. It's nice. It's a good feeling."
Jordan said City felt "a bit empty" after their pursuit of silverware the past two seasons was hindered by wet weather and then COVID-19 - including missing the chance to advance from the preliminary final to the grand final to take on Old Boys last season.
"After the way the season ended last year and everything that's been going on [this year], it's nice to get back to a bit of normalcy," he said of the resumption of cricket.
Round one felt like a continuation of last season, he said, "because it didn't really get finished as far as we were concerned".
Still, Old Boys deserved to claim the two-day title after "being the best team all year", he added.
Jordan was the competition's No 1 bowler last season, taking 35 wickets at an average of 12.97 and with a best of 6-14.
