Cricket - For Chris (Beunchico)

[10ClarionSt]

Chris, I know you like your cricket, so I thought I'd bore you a bit with a couple of tales from my early teens. Myself and 4 mates always went to Old Trafford in the school holidays. I've still got photos that I took from those days. However, in 1961 we went to Brian Stathams' testimonial on the Saturday and it was against the touring Aussies, ie, Benaud, McKenzie, Lawry, Davidson, Grout etc. A fantatsic occasion. Throughout the day, the staff were going round selling raffle tickets for 1/- a time in aid of Brian Stathams' benefit fund. A bit expensive for us boys, but we all bought one each, as the prize was a county bat autographed by players from Australia, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Surrey, who I think were the County Champions at the time. What do you know? My mate won the bat and had it presented to him by Brian Statham at the end of play. What a day! We also went to watch the 4th Ashes test that year at O.T. In those days us boys were allowed to sit on the grass next to the boundary fence. We had a great view, being sat on the grass next to the scoreboard at the city end, with a policeman for company! Not so good at the end though as England collapsed from 150/1 at lunch to 201 all out. Dexter and Subba Row making good scores. A memorable time though. I have to say Chris, my interest in cricket has waned over the years, but I look back at our visits to OT and remember players like Bob Barber, Geoff Pullar, Peter Marner, Jack Simmons, Brian Staham etc. I also remember seeing a young Geoff Boycott, well before he made his debut for England. Happy days. With photos of my mates when we were kids to remind me of them.

[Buenchico]

Thanks, 10CS. Happy memories!

As well as forking out 1/- for a raffle ticket, did you also buy one of these for the same price? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224423572281

The first time I watched top class cricket (apart from on the telly, of course) was when our school cricket teams went to Fenner's ground, in Cambridge, to watch the University team play against the touring West Indies side, in 1966. I wasn't good enough to play for a school team but, at that time (at the age of 13) I was the scorer for the school 2nd XI, so I got to go along. There were some really truly great players in the West Indies team that year!
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1960S/1966/WI_IN_ENG/WI_CAMB-UNIV_21-24MAY1966.html

When I was in charge of schools' cricket in Sheffield, we had quite a promising young player on our books (who captained his school side, his club team, the city team, the South Yorkshire team and the Yorkshire team for his age group). He was an affable, but rather serious, young man, called Michael Vaughan. I wonder whatever became of him?

;-)

[gulliver1]

Two nice posts, very interesting, thanks.

[brainiac]

My Dad taught Ted Dexter at Belmont School, which was evacuated to the Scottish borders, and supervised the cricket at the school. He (TD, not my Dad) is still alive.

[jno]

Buenchico, he went into media, where he sometimes seems a bit of a prat.

I've got a bat autographed by Hobbs but obviously I never saw him play.

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks for that Chris. I wonder what happened to MV, eh? On a similar note, my sons' sports teacher was also a youth cricket coach at OT. I remember him saying he had a youngster who would be the best opening batsman ever to play for England. He was a superb young batter, great technique, temeprament etc. He had no doubt at all that this youngster would play for England. He was right on that count. He did play for England - at football. His name was Phil Neville. The teacher couldn't persuade him to sign for Lancashire. I think Phil Neville made the right choice! The teacher still reckons that Phil Neville was the best youngster he ever coached, and he also coached Michael Atherton. Up until recently, Phil Neville played in the local Bury League for a team called Greenmount, as did Gary Neville, actually, who was also a an excellent schoolboy cricketer.

I did buy one of those programmes, Chris but I haven't seen it for years. My mate who won the bat bought one. He still has both, as far as I know, as I see him occasionally.

That must have been great for you to be scorer with the Windies present. What a great thing! Do you remember when Ireland beat the Windies in a one day match, bowling them out for 29? I think that was the score. Somewhere about 1968/69. And it was a full strength Windies team, at that! Anyway, it was very low, and the match was all over in 90 minutes. Both teams agreed to play again and this time the Windies battered Ireland!

[Buenchico]

The best young cricketer I ever saw play, 10CS, was an amazing lad who played for the Yorkshire U15 side. With Yorkshire being such a large county, and with cricket being taken so seriously in the county, it was extremely unusual for an U14 player to be included in the U15 team. It was almost unheard of for an U13 player to play at U15 level. This lad played for the U15 side when he was still in the U11 squad!

He had immense power in his shots, with excellent stroke selection. He could also bowl with such phenomenal pace that he could seriously worry some very good adult batsman. Unfortunately he never followed his father into the professional game, preferring to concentrate on both soccer and rugby. His name? Liam BOTHAM!
;-)