Next, to the b to have Kent v Sussex in the Gillette Mug within Canterbury

We joined all of them and you can stood regarding the longest waiting line, to possess Greig’s trademark. Whether it is actually in the end my change, We summoned up bravery and you may informed him, having a small quaver, it absolutely was a beneficial “helluva catch”. An alternative idol minted truth be told there after which. For another 10 years, when he went towards the broad stream, Greig proved an advisable however, challenging hero – a gold doubloon, never ever entirely dropping its essential lustre however, appear to searching for restorative polishing. Across the next few seasons, I spotted your off in the Hove in most family game. Cut for five wickets and a quick 93 up against Hampshire inside the July 1969, Really don’t think of him making one high contribution. However, the guy constantly performed some thing. A booming safety push or a pull decide to try moving off the scoreboard for half dozen.

Sussex thrashed all of them, and you may Greig is actually Guy of Matches: 54 in the first innings, away from 199, then five wickets

Otherwise a great bouncer injudiciously intended for Mike Procter’s head, just who following struck him having 4, 4, six, 4 as he try clobbered for more than 130 off 20 strange overs. And then he always finalized autographs. I got your seven times in two seasons. Once, he actually told you, “Ach, it is your once again. I never ever watched him deny people. We seated within the spreading boughs of well-known orange tree. Robbo regaled you throughout the day that have stories out-of watching Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you may Doug Wright because the a great boy. The middle mutton was a mind box who’d create an enthusiastic encyclopaedic experience with Kent cricket, in order to their father’s noticeable fulfillment, not simply admonished him when he nudged me and mentioned a nice-looking “popsy” from the crowd however, remedied your as he had certain reality otherwise contour wrong.

Which had been tend to. Robbo is never that having analytical detail; it actually was the storyline you to definitely mattered. Kent’s illustrious history – if or not fact or misconception – don’t let far thereon sizzling hot July time. By the end throughout the day, one another center mutton and you can Robbo themselves kissbrides.com lien hypertexte du site was basically certainly smitten. I knew you to definitely to be real once the, despite his daughter away from earshot, my bro don’t talked-of the much time move out of piss, but regarding “Greigy”.

Greig played simply an assist role you to definitely date; a simple-fire thirty-six on the Sussex innings and two wickets, including compared to Kent’s better scorer, Graham Johnson, trapped by the Tony Buss out-of an extended-get

And you will Sussex did it once more 36 months after. Gillette Mug quarter-finally, August step one, 1973, on Hove. From this go out Greig are a recently founded England player and Sussex captain. Again, We went with Robbo, and now we practically overlooked it. My sibling got organized a single day however when we pitched upwards ticketless from the Tate Doorways, we had been solidly turned aside. A good sellout. The brand new stewards (“bloody absolutely nothing Hitlers”) had no vehicle which have Robbo’s “Get real, it’s the boy’s birthday celebration today.” (It wasn’t.) But, the guy was not giving up that with ease of course, if informed a small warily on how I’d with the ground for free with my mates, the next thing We realized I became giving my personal portly cousin a leg-up-over the backyard wall structure of a single of one’s big property you to recognized on the ocean end of one’s surface. To the, buoyed by our triumph, Robbo’s charm struck overdrive in which he somehow sweet-spoke the newest shorter draconian in-ground ushers therefore effortlessly, that individuals finished up from the gangway of your members’ pavilion, right near the players’ balcony. For the earliest innings We noticed as Greig spent some time working their ways as a result of almost a complete package from Benson and you may Hedges, and you will Robbo, the sole Kent supporter among us, cheered all work with since the their lads chased 264 in the 2nd. Today an adolescent, I happened to be a small ashamed by this, however, thankfully around weren’t a lot of them. Runs, which is. Kent had been bowled away to own 135. However, that did not number. Given that users endured toward outfield and you can basked from the cheers of your own 10,000-solid crowd, Sussex had claimed. We saw once the quick boys lined up to get the skipper’s autograph – I found myself first of all one to now – and you may indexed one to Robbo had registered them. The guy and you can Greig have been in the near future involved with move dialogue. Both had been chuckling, thoughts thrown right back, just like the waiting line out-of brief boys expanded, moving on seriously from legs so you’re able to feet. Shortly after just what seemed forever, it shook hand passionately and Robbo patted their the latest buddy familiarly on the back. The guy emerged bounding back-up the brand new pavilion strategies, clutching his closed scorecard – “It’s into the middle mutton,” the guy lied – and you will beaming off ear to ear. “They are a bloody fantastic bloke.” The feeling it was Greig’s Sussex you to acquired the overall game was palpable. John Spencer, the latest Sussex bowler, told me has just whenever Greig took more than, the complete conditions in the a pub “dogged by the backbiting, cynicism and you may negativity” altered almost immediately. Greig is an air out of bracing water heavens.