300 lookalikes pay tribute to Benaud and induct Glenn McGrath into their ranks during annual pilgrimage
Richie impersonators swamp the SCG
Two of the SCG Test's great annual traditions combined this morning as the Richies added McGrath Foundation pink to their cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory and beige jackets.
Test great Glenn McGrath was mobbed by hundreds of Benaud disciples outside the ground before play on day two in a show of support for the Foundation and Jane McGrath Day tomorrow.
This is the sixth time the Richies have attended the Sydney Test, with the group growing from the original 10 foundation Richies to the hundreds that packed into the Clive Churchill Stand today.
Image Id: ~/media/1D1C86BDD01843C9AE14AECAA14B8F3E"Like all good things, there was a few guys hanging around having a beer and discussing things," said Michael Hennessey, one of the foundation Richies, on the genesis of the group.
"There was a few media reports that Richie might be retiring in early 2010 and we wanted to show our respects. We'd loved Richie for years.
"We thought we'd get six of us together to wear the cream, the bone, the white, the off-white, the ivory and the beige. And then all of a sudden we had 10, so we had a row of 10.
"We had a great day the first year and then 10 turned into 20, turned into 40, turned into 110 and now 300. And it's still good fun."
Hennessey says the Richies are as much a tribute to comedian Billy Birmingham as they are to Benaud.
Birmingham's 12th Man albums catapulted Channel Nine's cricket commentators into popular culture 30 years ago, making them an iconic part of an Australian summer.
Met 300 "Richies" this morning! What a blast!! My head is spinning like @ShaneWarne's "Ball of the Century". #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zktGi8xxB3
— The 12th Man (@12thManHQ) January 7, 2015
Birmingham joined the Richies for a pre-match ale this morning and said he was genuinely touched by how his albums had inspired such an overwhelming tribute to Benaud.
"This is seriously one of the most exciting things to happen to me in the last 30 years," Birmingham said.
"They told me that the whole idea from the Richies came from the early 12th Man records.
"For me to stand up there on stage and look out at 300 blokes and a few girls dressed up as Richie Benaud ... (it's) absolutely amazing.
"I love it when I see them out at the ground ... they look fabulous.
"It's definitely one of the highlights of my career, I reckon."
This summer marks the seventh year Cricket Australia has partnered with the McGrath Foundation through its community action program Cricket Cares. In that time $6.5m has been raised to help place McGrath Breast Care Nurses right across Australia, thanks to the entire Australian cricket community. For more information, visit pinktest.com.au