ALAN Wetheridge is one of the lucky few who can remember seeing The Don bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Last night, the 75-year-old was among several hundred people allowed on to the SCG’s playing surface for the first time to bid farewell to the nation’s greatest sportsman. Of the 76 centuries Bradman scored on Australian soil, 22 of them were at the SCG.

“I came here in 1936, when I was 10. I sat up there with my mother,” Mr Wetheridge said last night, pointing into the stands.

“We used to listen to the cricket on the radio. Bradman was a great sportsman and a great character.

“My grandson Matt, who is seven, is here — he loves cricket. My memories aren’t going to last that much longer, but he might remember this night for another 80 years.”

The broad appeal of The Don was evident in the diverse crowd that gathered on the ground despite the damp weather. All spoke ofthe peculiar, almost spooky feel of walking where the greats had walked.

“All the world’s best cricketers have played here,” said Steve Towner, 43, who brought his 11-year-old son Andrew to the event. “It is good to see so many people are paying their respects to a great Australian.”

A group of students from Kelso High School in Bathurst travelled to Sydney, bowling balls under the bright lights on the same field where Bradman had played.

Year 12 student Laura Parkes, 17, said attending a memorial tribute to a world cricket icon was something special. “He was cricket,” she said. “If you think about cricket that is who you think of. He will always be remembered as the best cricketer in the world.”

Fellow student, Jack Gardener, 17, said it was good to be part of history: “I love cricket and Bradman has always been an inspirational figure.”

Chief executive officer of the SCG, Jamie Barkley, said opening the grounds for free to the general public was a way of marking theoccasion and giving something back to the people. “We have never allowed patrons onto the grounds like this,” he said.

“It is almost spiritual. It is great seeing fathers and sons playing cricket. This is a special way to acknowledge Don Bradman’s contribution to world cricket.

“He started his career here and it is fitting that everyone has been allowed to come here today.

“He was a great role model and he always appealed across the generations and across social divides.”