Next, towards b to own Kent v Sussex regarding the Gillette Mug during the Canterbury

I registered them and you may stood throughout the longest waiting line, to possess Greig’s signature. In the event it is ultimately my personal turn, I summoned upwards courage and you may informed your, that have a small quaver, that it was an effective “helluva catch”. Another type of idol minted here following. For another 10 years, when he went into the wider flow, Greig turned out an advisable but problematic character – a silver doubloon, never ever completely shedding its elemental lustre but apparently trying to find healing polishing. Along the second couple of 12 months, I spotted him off at Hove for the majority domestic online game. Conserve for 5 wickets and you will a fast 93 facing Hampshire inside July 1969, I don’t think about him while making people extreme sum. However, he constantly did things. A thriving coverage drive otherwise a tow decide to try jumping off the scoreboard to have half a dozen.

Sussex thrashed all of them, and Greig try Man of your own Fits: 54 in the 1st innings, Bogota kvinder vs amerikanske kvinder from 199, following four wickets

Or a great bouncer injudiciously aimed at Mike Procter’s direct, just who up coming hit your getting 4, 4, six, 4 as he is actually clobbered for over 130 out-of 20 unusual overs. In which he usually signed autographs. I’d him eight moments in two year. Shortly after, he actually said, “Ach, it’s you once more. We never ever saw your deny anybody. We seated under the spreading boughs of the famous tangerine forest. Robbo regaled you non-stop that have stories of watching Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you will Doug Wright given that a beneficial boy. The guts mutton is actually a mind box that has set-up an encyclopaedic expertise in Kent cricket, also to their particular dad’s noticeable pleasure, not merely admonished your when he nudged myself and you may talked about an appealing “popsy” from the crowd however, remedied your as he had specific fact otherwise profile completely wrong.

Which had been usually. Robbo is never ever you to to own statistical outline; it absolutely was the storyline one to mattered. Kent’s illustrious record – whether fact otherwise misconception – failed to assist much thereon hot July date. By the end during the day, both center lamb and you may Robbo himself had been clearly smitten. We know you to definitely to be real since, even after their child from earshot, my uncle no longer talked of the fresh new a lot of time streak off piss, however, of “Greigy”.

Greig played just an assistance character one to time; an easy-flame thirty six in the Sussex innings and two wickets, together with compared to Kent’s top scorer, Graham Johnson, caught of the Tony Buss regarding a long-switch

And Sussex made it happen once more three years later on. Gillette Mug one-fourth-finally, August step 1, 1973, at the Hove. By this big date Greig are a newly oriented The united kingdomt player and you will Sussex master. Once more, I opted for Robbo, therefore we practically overlooked they. My personal buddy had organized the afternoon but when i pitched up ticketless during the Tate Gates, we were solidly became away. Good sellout. New stewards (“soft absolutely nothing Hitlers”) didn’t come with truck with Robbo’s “Get real, it will be the boy’s birthday celebration now.” (It was not.) However,, he wasn’t quitting you to effortlessly if in case informed a little warily regarding how I experienced to your soil for free having my personal friends, the next thing We realized I was providing my portly buddy a toes-up-over the backyard wall structure of 1 of your own huge property you to definitely recognized on the water prevent of your floor. Inside, buoyed by the all of our achievement, Robbo’s appeal hit overdrive and then he somehow nice-talked brand new quicker draconian into the-ground ushers thus effectively, we wound-up on the gangway of the members’ pavilion, right near the players’ balcony. Inside the basic innings We spotted just like the Greig worked their means thanks to almost an entire packet regarding Benson and you will Bushes, and Robbo, the only Kent advocate among us, cheered every run given that his lads chased 264 in the next. Today an adolescent, I found myself a small ashamed from this, but thank goodness indeed there just weren’t many. Works, that is. Kent was bowled out to possess 135. But one to didn’t amount. As professionals endured toward outfield and you can basked about thanks of the ten,000-strong group, Sussex had claimed. We noticed due to the fact short boys lined up to find the skipper’s autograph – I was first and foremost you to today – and you may noted that Robbo got inserted all of them. The guy and you can Greig were in the near future engaged in animated discussion. Both was basically chuckling, brains thrown straight back, given that queue away from short boys lengthened, progressing desperately out of ft so you’re able to ft. After just what searched forever, it shook give warmly and you will Robbo patted his the buddy familiarly on the back. He arrived bounding support this new pavilion measures, clutching their closed scorecard – “It’s to your center lamb,” he lied – and you can beaming out of ear-to-ear. “He or she is a bloody big bloke.” The sense it was Greig’s Sussex you to definitely obtained the overall game try palpable. John Spencer, new Sussex bowler, said recently that in case Greig got more than, the entire ambiance in the a pub “dogged because of the backbiting, cynicism and you can negativity” changed almost immediately. Greig is actually an inhale out-of bracing ocean heavens.