Cricket legend Allan Border returns to Mosman for launch of new sports pavilion.

By ANNA USHER

Cricketing great Allan Border has been immortalised in bronze, with his statue set to be unveiled at the official opening of Mosman’s new sporting pavilion this weekend.

The Mosman-raised 68-year-old, one of Australia’s greatest Test captains, will return to his namesake oval for a historic community event on Saturday, with hundreds of onlookers expected to attend.

Residents will be able to view the multi-million-dollar Allan Border Pavilion facility from 10 am, with the official ceremony at 11 am, followed by a statue unveiling at 11:30 am and a free BBQ at midday.

It’s been confirmed that Australian cricketing legend Ian Chappell will join Border, Mosman Cricket Club players past and present, Mayor Carolyn Corrigan, and sculptor Linda Klarfeld.

Mosman Cricket Club President Warwick Adlam told Mosman Collective the new pavilion is a “game changer” for local sports clubs.

“It looks unreal,” he said, “Council has done a great job getting it finished after frustrating and lengthy delays.”

“Inside the building, there is plenty of storage, the kitchen is unreal, the scorer’s room is unreal, and the bathrooms are like something you’d see in a hotel.

“The boys are pretty excited about having hot showers again for the first time in three years!”

Mr Adlam said the new building also offers plenty of shelter from the elements.

“It’s very schmick,” he said, “and it won’t matter if it pours down with rain because there is so much coverage overhead.

“We are all very relieved that the project has finally wrapped up and excited about using what is a great asset for the local community.”

Sculptor Linda Klarfeld was commissioned to create the life-sized bronze, capturing the ICC Hall of Fame member playing a graceful cover drive. It is similar to her 2021 statue located at Queensland’s The Gabba, which weighs 180kg and has a lifespan of 2000 years.

“It was an amazing experience for me because I remember Allan from my childhood, so it was a bit like one of those “people you would like to have dinner with’’ experiences,’’ Klarfeld said of Border at the time.

“He is very focused with a detailed mind. Everything had to be right. The angle of the bat, the pose. We had to be historically correct. The shoes were simpler then than they are now. Pads were squarer.

Mosman’s most famous son, Border, grew up across the road from Mosman Oval (now Allan Border Oval) at 27 The Crescent. He attended North Sydney Boys High School and made his First-Grade debut for Mosman Cricket Club at 16.

He joined the NSW team in 1977 before moving to Queensland in 1980.

A gritty middle-order batsman, Border is famous for his ruthless nature in the heat of battle. He retired in 1994 as one of the most respected figures in the game, with 156 Tests under his belt.

During that time, he amassed 11,174 Test runs and plundered 27 centuries while wearing the baggy green.