RIP Sir Garfield Sobers

One of the all time greats. RIP.

The first man to hit 6 sixes in one over I believe.

Yes he was tiger Malcom Nash was bowling for Glamorgan.

Yes very sad news just heard on the radio whilst listening to the golf,I only saw him towards the end of his career but was well aware of his greatness like many of the great West Indian cricketers he always came over as an absolute gentleman.

one of Wisden's 5 greatest of the 20th Century (others Viv Richards, Shane Warne, Bradman and Jack Hobbs)

There’s some greats who never made the top 5 a-t I was lucky enough to see the magnificent sir Vivian on a few occasions unforgettable.

Radio 5 just played the over at Glamorgan the final ball was sent on its way to swansea ,Agnew reckons the best all rounder ever apparently don bradman said sobers was the best batsman he ever saw.

Bailed out a few times for gambling well worth listening to the tribute on the radio.

Probably the most complete all round cricketer we have ever seen, fine batsman, great fielder and could bowl pace and spin.

First saw Gary at Mote Park Maidstone against Kent in 1971, funnily enough on todays date (17/7). Kent had a great side featuring Luckhurst, Denness, Knott, Underwood, Woolmer etc. The only Notts player i knew (i was only a little lad at the time) was Gary and he just had an aura about him, even though he didn't actually do much in the match itself he was the one who all of us kids (and most adults) attending were interested in for autographs and the great man obliged every one of us who asked with a smile and a friendly word.

A fine ambassador for the game as well after retiring as a player. RIP Gary and thanks for the memories.

That 71 side Dixie almost won the Gillette cup asif iqbal running riot until a brilliant one handed catch from Jackie bond change the course of the final

Thanks for reminding me of that jimnast, that was my first experience of crushing disappointment as a Kent supporter, not the last by a long chalk though

Asif wasn't even playing in that match i refer to above, that's how strong Kent were in the 70s, John Shepherd and Bernard Julien also in the side.

Asif was a very fine player and as you say was winning that final for Kent until Jack Bond pulled off that stunner, one of the most famous catches.

An abiding memory, although i seem to remember Nash bowled spin to him for his 6/6 and Nash was a fast bowler. RIP a true cricketer

Another great West Indian sir Clive Lloyd was the top scorer for Lancashire that afternoon Dixie and a great trainer of sprinters opened for Kent

Great Umpire in the sky's lifted his finger.
RIP.

Kent and Lancs were the best two sides around at the time, some great names playing for them.

We got our revenge in 1974 in a very low scoring affair with some astonishingly economical bowling figures from both sides.
The lesser spotted James Graham-Brown (now a successful playwright under the name Dougie Blaxland) took 2-15 in his 12 overs.
For Lancs, Barry Wood took 3-18 in his 12.

You would be referring to David Nicholls i think . Often had to deputise for APE Knott behind the stumps but he was a decent batsman as well when he got his chance. He scored over 1000 runs in the championship in 1971.

i just missed the sobers years , started my love of the windies 76 team,   ps Sir garfield running next at hamilton

That’s the one Dixie good effort from Barry wood 3 for 18 not bad for an opening bat

i just backed sir garfield

6th. course it was

I think Barry qualifies as an all rounder jimnast, nearly 300 FC wickets and over 300 in one dayers
He's still around - 83 now.

Shame Sir G couldn't win elis - i see Fahey's other one inched home.

Just realised Sir G was trained by Quinn, not Fahey

Busy - it was drawn 6 as well

And amazingly the SP was 6/1 - what are the chances

Makes me seem old. Went to the Oval 19/8/66 to see my first Test Match. Just checked the card. WIndies bowlers included Wes Hall, Charlie Griffiths, Lance Gibbs as well as Sobers. England had Boycott, Close, Edrich, Amiss, Dolivera, Illingworth.,Snow. Real match!

I suppose he could be classed an all rounder especially in the one day game ,just looked him up ironically for a Lancashire legend he was born in ossett Yorkshire a town some may not have heard of but it’s the home of the country’s best brewery

Jimnast. Had a lovely blonde from Osset last Friday night. You will know where.hope you are well.

Anyone gutting the wrong idea it was a lovely pint of beer  not a blond lady.
Ronnie.

Hello Ronnie that’s the one I drink in there or anywhere that sells it however in the house I drink excelsius which is a bit to strong to drink when out

Hope you enjoyed York last weekend

Jimnast.
Always enjoy York your pal must love seeing me i have had 10 bets with him this season  sad to say not one winner had a lovely Italian  down the road from that bar.if you speak to Paul tomorrow  tell him the nice guy from Darlo  has left a bottle of wine for him.
Ronnie.

Will take your word about the Ossett brews, best i get down here is a nice Bishops Finger.......from Shepherd Neame

I used to go to Yorks a fair bit as a kid as my dads side of the family lived in Pocklington. Dad used to like a beer from some brewery in Tadcaster i believe.

Dixie.
When i here  Pocklington  i always think of topper Robson.
Hope you are well.
Ronnie.

Dixie your dads drink I should imagine was Samuel smiths which is also very good however brewery ran by a crackpot called Humphrey won’t allow music,tv or telephones in his pubs and has been known to close one down on the spot if he catches the landlords not enforcing the rules

Jimnast.
Humphrey passed away a couple of weeks ago.
Ronnie.

Ronnie I’ll let Paul know might see him tomorrow.

Well I never knew that Ronnie I wonder what will happen to the brewery I seem to think he had a brother the pubs were great until he lost the plot.

Yes jimnast , that would be the beer i remember from those days (late 60s early 70s). Good they are still going strong by the sound of it,

Ronnie, the name Robson is vaguely familiar in relation to Pocklington (i haven't been there since the 70s), not sure why but i'm presuming its something to do with the local history ?

Yes Dixie still going strong they actually have a pub on Montpelier in Cheltenham and one in Manchester City centre for massive non triers they did very well there beer is a wide variety and all good at very fair prices.

Jimnast.
They also have a pupbon the river at York.The Kings Arms sad to say thats the one thats mostly closed due to flooding.
Ronnie

They use to have the hansome cab in York Ronnie which is where many of the forum would meet up back in the early days of this forum.

Jimnast.
Know the Burns hotel.

No Ronnie I don’t think I do where is it

Jimnast.
The  then handsome  cab pub is know the Burns hotel.
Ronnie.

Now not know that’s why I asked where it was

I was in a couple of years ago and whilst I knew it changed its name I couldn’t remember what it became.

Sir Garfield, without doubt the greatest allrounder of all time. His fielding and batting were outstanding but his bowling was also truly remarkble. He was 3 bowlers in one. Left arm fast, often opened the bowling, and first change, either over the wicket or round. Then orthodox left arm round finger spin, followed by wrist spin, chinamen and googlies.

As for Kent back in the day, they had 13 internationally capped players and two non internationally capped, who were regulars in the Kent sides of the 1970s.

Can you name the two?

Humphry had 2 or 3 pubs in Chester ran along the same lines, not that I went in any of them.

   Humphrey Smith (1944–2026) was the chairman and owner of the UK's oldest independent brewery, Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. Famous for his fiercely traditionalist and eccentric management style, he was known for strict pub rules banning mobile phones, music, televisions, and swearing.Smith ran the brewery and its estate of roughly 200 to 300 pubs for nearly four decades. He was deeply dedicated to preserving a classic, quiet, tech-free British pub atmosphere, even implementing his ban on swearing by occasionally closing pubs and replacing landlords who permitted profanity. His unbending business principles also led to long closures for many of his properties across the country.

Are you saying name two regulars who never played internationally loper ?

Depends what defines "regular" i suppose.  Alan Ealham and Graham Johnson were stalwarts but the aforementioned David Nicholls played a lot too.

My guess loper and it’s only looking at the scorecard in the final not memory I would go David Nicholls as Dixie said and John dye who I don’t remember the other 9 I remember well.

Good morning loper

Here’s a coincidence for you ,we were sat in an old traditional pub in Newcastle the night before Good Friday and Debbie says I’m sure I’ve just seen the lad who tells the hairy molly story in the other room ( her words)I thought he’s a long way from home but still went to investigate and sure enough it was and as ever great to see him.

Dixie is correct, Alan Ealham, probably the best fielder of his generation and captain when they won trophies in the late 70s. His fielding was so good that he was 12th man for England on a number of occasions but was never capped.

Graham Johnson was good enough to hold his own place in the Kent side, which, at that time, meant one was of international standard. One of the best players of his generation never to represent England.

I excluded Nicholls because he was around throughout the 60s without making a breakthrough and in the 70s was basically back up to Alan Knott when he was on England duty, something that basically happened for a decade.

What a wonderful time to be at Canterbury. I was lucky to play there once. We christened the new changing rooms with state of the art showers and plunge pools that had just replaced the ancient facilities in the old wooden pavilion.

My claim to fame is being hit into the top of the Tree, bowling downhill a top edge over third man!

Jimnast,

I got sent a photo by Big of that encounter. It's a brilliant picture and made me envious that I wasn't supping with you.

I can send you a copy if you like. Mrs Jimnast didn't look a day older than the last time I saw her.

I noticed you didn’t say I didn’t look a day older

Love to see a copy

Jimnast,

I can send a copy to your  Mrs mobile if she hasn't changed it from 16***7

Loper, i was going to mention Alan Ealham being a magnificent fielder, certainly as good as i've seen. I saw him take a catch on the boundary away at Leicester in a televised JPL game in the 70s which was top drawer. To the eye he didn't exactly have the look of an athlete but appearances were certainly deceptive as many opponents found out to their cost !

Graham Johnson was a top all rounder, invaluable to the side and very unlucky not to play for England like half of his team mates did. I saw him at Gillingham hitting a couple of straight sixes which both broke car windscreens of numpties who parked behing the bowlers arm . Met him at a presentation night for the Medway Colts League when i was a young player at Frindsbury, very nice guy but with a vice like handshake , luckily i didn't have to bowl for a week afterwards .

David Nicholls was a very useful player who would have been first choice keeper for most other counties as he was a decent bat too. Of course he was around at the same time as the brilliant APE Knott, how lucky Kent have been in their history to have such great keepers. I saw Knotty score two tons in a 3 day game against Surrey at The Mote in the 70s, a true great of the game.

I would love to have played at county level, Steve Marsh was a team mate of mine for Medway u19s back in the day and he went on to do ok ! Funnily enough he was in our team as a batsmen, we apparently had a better keeper

Nice reminiscences, Dixie.

Alan Ealham had a low centre of gravity and long arms. He could scope up a ball from nowhere.

The recent keeping saga left a sour taste. Letting Robinson go to Durham to give him more of a chance of getting an England cap was a noble gesture. We still had Sam Billings but he decided to concentrate on the white ball game. That was OK because we had one of the most promising young players in the country, Jordan Cox. Cover enough we thought, and then without a second thought he buggered off to Essex.

Never forgiven him for that.

That’s great loper number confirmed

The Jordan Cox departure certainly left a sour taste loper, especially given who he joined   He obviously expected to be first choice keeper for them but thats not how it's turned out. I thought he left Kent in the lurch a bit, especially given the fact he had learnt his trade there. But thats the modern sportsman for you, no loyalty whatsoever.

Billings has been messing us about for years, how the captain of the club could prefer carrying drinks at the IPL instead of playing for his county is beyond me and it should not have been entertained. If we'd had more strength in depth i think he would have been told to do one.

When i look how far down the pecking order Kent have fallen it really saddens me, look at the names from the 70s we have talked about and then compare them to today's lot, of course it's all down to money and mismanagement. Back in those days players were seriously underpaid but they just loved the game.

I was reading today that Sir Garfield was really quite bitter about how little financial reward he (and others) got when playing the game when compared to the much less talented guys playing today. I remember in the 90s when i was a Kent member that when watching the side at Canterbury we would usually spend a couple of hours having a few beers watching from Lucky's Bar on the far side of the ground, named after Brian Luckhurst. I never knew that he actually run it ! He would come out and chat to us, lovely guy. Imagine that, one of the best opening batsmen we've had having to run a bar to make a few bob.

Good morning Dixie

It was the same for the footballers back then many of the United and city players would deliver milk before training or clean windows after training

Back to sir Garfield I was listening to a piece on a tribute programme how upset he had become at the state of West Indian cricket the Sri Lanka West Indies games are played for a trophy named after him and apparently was visually upset when presenting it one day due to the way the West Indies have become,quite incredible when watching cricket in the 70s to imagine the West Indies wouldn’t be the best one day and test side for ever,also the much treasured award for international cricketer of the year is named in his honour.

Many years ago, to many to recall, I had the pleasure of taking Sir Gary in my car from La Moye Golf club a distance of app one mile to the nearest betting shop.He had been in a celebrity golf tournament but wanted to go to the closest bookies..

I wonder if he and Michael stoute were friends perhaps someone might know.

Jersey

Nowadays all these top sportsmen are kept away from that sort of thing

How boring

Hi jimnast, yes nearly all pro sportsmen were underpaid for years, these days it's the polar opposite with many average performers getting obscenely rewarded

Sir Garfield was an extremely keen punter and not particularly successful by most accounts. I think many cricketers like to have a few quid on, mainly on the horses, they often have time to kill during matches when waiting to bat etc or if the weather intervenes.

There was always a mobile bookie at the Kent games in the 90s and the likes of Graham Cowdrey and Martin McCague were often there when the racing was on and they were not involved in the match. Graham of course married the well known amateur jockey Maxine Juster who later became assistant trainer to Lady Herries who herself was Graham's step mother. Having the Cowdrey name was both a blessing and a curse for Graham, but although he never made it in to the England side like his illustrious father, he was still a fine player for Kent and scored over 14,000 runs. Such a shame that he hit hard times and after splitting from Maxine ( as they had kids he let her carry on living in the family house with them) he basically sofa surfed  at friends houses and was even living in his car for a time. He started to get his life back on track and got a job for 6 months of the year with the ECB and was then living in West Yorks, but when covid delayed the cricket season he took a job as a delivery driver locally. Tragically he then died later that year (2020) at the age of just 56 after a short illness.

Dixie,

I would like to think that your statement of Graham Cowdrey's passing is the right one, but with no evidence to go on I had  always assumed that his cause of death was even more tragic.

I remember his partnership with Aravinda De Silva in the 1995 B & H Final at Lords when they looked like getting Kent over the line only for Graham to play his favourite slog sweep one too many times and being LBW. Arry's 112 is still remembered as amongst the greatest one days innings to grace the home of cricket.

Thus continued a depressing sequence of visits to Lords, post the 70s, to see Kent stuffed time and time again!

Dixie

Maxine juster along with Lydia Pearce had a stone in hand when riding in ladies races happy days.


Loper

Aravinda de silva 1995 lords I was at that game and his performance along with a couple of other factors in the following years World Cup made me back Sri Lanka at 66/1 forgive me for the aftertiming,what a batsman.

Loper - the official cause of Graham's death was sepsis, i've not heard of anything that contradicts this.

I too was at Lords that day and concur that Aravinda played probably the finest innings i have seen live. He was a little genius.
But i also recall him dropping Atherton early on in the Lancs innings (not an easy chance) and he went on to get 90 odd Amazingly (according to Mark Pennell the local paper journalist here at the time) , Ian Botham who was part of the panel adjudicating the Man Of The Match wanted to give Athers the award "because he was on the winning side", the others quite rightly overruled him and gave it to Aravinda.

Graham may have been given out lbw to end that potentially match winning partnership, but we were gobsmacked as it didn't look out from where we were and as Steve Marsh later said "the ball wouldn't have even hit another set of stumps". the umpire was of course the idiosyncratic David Shepherd. I never forgave him for that

Graham was such a powerful hitter, he would have been right at home in the T20 era but alas retired just before it came along.

My other abiding memory of him was at the Mote also in 1995 when he and Aravinda put on a mammoth partnership of 368 against Derbyshire, an all time Kent record as of then and not beaten until 2017.

Jimnast, i well remember the Maxine days, if she was riding i didn't bother looking at the rest of the runners as she was so good , license to print money

Talking about man of the match awards in one day finals at lords can anyone name the player who was awarded it without taking any wickets or scoring any runs

Lydia Pearce was very good also I remember her having the ladies diamond race at Ascot been taken of her for a minor infringement a long way out not a chance any of the other ladies riding that day would have had the race taken away,can’t remember the name of the horse who was awarded the race but it was in the nashwan colours

Not sure jimnast but i remember Alan Knott getting MoM for scoring 18 not out and his usual exemplary display behind the stumps against Lancs in that low scoring Gillette final in 1974.

Lydia got disq from 1st place on If Memory Serves (gosden) in 1990 and placed last - race awarded to Akdam ridden by Eve Johnson-Houghton for Fulke.

Maxine finished 3rd in that race, promoted to 2nd, riding Laxey Bay for Barry Hills

It was John abrahams in the 1984 benson and hedges for the way he captained Lancashire against Warwickshire in a pretty mundane final.john abrahams layer in life coached my son.

I seem to recall Alan knott had some good batting partnerships with Tony Greg when playing for England.

Dixie.
Re our earlier post regarding Pocklington and Topper Robson  i am sure  Jimnast or his pal can tell you a few stories.
Hope you are well.
Ronnie.

1990 akbam seems right it was the day belmez beat old vic with super sub mick kinane riding the winner probably the day many realised he had a bright future as a jockey.

Picture arrived loper thanks modern technology

Than you for the confirmation regarding Graham Cowdrey, Dixie.

On the subject of Kent cricket the best innings I ever saw at the St Lawrence Ground wasn't by a Kent batsman. It was Barry Richards scoring a hundred before lunch for Hampshire. It was cricket as art, he had the ball on a piece of string.

For me he was the best batsman I ever had the privilege to witness live.

OK Jimnast, even more surprising that a luddite such as myself was able to send it in the first place.

Brings back fond memories of taking too much drink in the hostelries of Prestbury.

Not sure how they could give MoM in that game to Abrahams jimnast, can only be (as i alluded to earlier) that they always like to give it to a player on the winning team. Just looked it up, Alvin Kallicharran  scored 70, half of Warwickshires total and without him there would have been no match Surely he should have got the award.

Ronnie - all good here thanks, hope so with you too. I look forward to tales of Topper in due course

It’s a shame we never saw Barry Richard’s at test match level over here as you say loper a brilliant batsman,are your days in the Royal Oak over ? I did call in on the Friday of the bula meeting

Barry Richards was a magnificent batsman loper, unfortunately i never really saw much of him live although he was actually playing in 1969 when as an 8 year old i attended my first championship game at the Mote when Kent played Hampshire.

He only scored 2 in the first knock and then retired hurt on 0 in the second one

The match was remarkable as Kent , having been set just 171 to win, reached 84 for 0 before collapsing to 112 all out.

Dixie I seem to remember it been due to field placing and captaincy or possibly the fact he caught kalcharran out,back to the 72 Gillette cup final asif was man of the match playing for the losing side.

Thats right jimnast, Asif played a great innings but also bowled a good spell as well. It can happen that a player on the losing side gets the award but its general convention that its a "winning" player  , much depends on who is actually adjudicating of course.

I've had a few health issues, Jimnast. The most debilitating of all is my hip. I've been waiting for some time for an op, but have an appointment with a consultant next week. Once that's sorted I hope to be at Prestbury Park again, although after 40 plus years I have relinquished my Cheltenham mambership.

Looking at Mackeson and or Massey Ferguson as my first outing.

Loper the Cheltenham membership  badge is the best value  in the whole wide world cant believe  how cheap it is know.
Ronnie.

It will be great to see you again loper fingers crossed all goes well with your op,it’s no good getting old but better than the alternative.

Yes Ronnie great value and I have no intention of going New Year’s Day or hunter chase night but still find it very good value I can’t remember what I was paying in the 90s with a seat on level 3 but it wasn’t much cheaper and that was for 3 days.

Loper re my early  post should have said for oaps 245 .Never been to the festival since covid had a badge without  the  festival. But glad to say Ronnie will be back at the festival  accommodation booked in montpellier.
Ronnie.

Jimnast  thats the 2 meetings  we dont do but can you believe 245 for the rest of the season  including the festival.
Ronnie.

It costs more than that for two days at the open golf.

Jimnast.
Just booked the train tickets going  down for the October meeting  from Darlo 22.30 each.

That's fine Ronnie, and the badge excluding the Festival is indeed pretty good. My problem with Cheltenham is that they have closed off the course to those actually interested in seeing the horses in the flesh and have grown a forest in the middle of the course meaning that the only way of following the races is by watching on TV. Given the choice, especially for the Festival, that TV is in my house.

If socializing in the bars, drinking and eating at inflated prices, is your thing then OK.

It’s a huge shame your no longer allowed in the middle I remember when you could actually walk on the course before racing at the festival in recent years we have gone from a coffee / tea bar in the middle to not been allowed without any explanation,I still watch a race a day by the 2nd last but not in the middle buy by hospitality not quite the same.mind you my abiding memory from the middle was lying down looking into the sky whilst the race after valeramix was been run wondering what have I done to deserve this

Loper 245 for the badge including  the  festival  for a badge must be the best value in the world  i cant believe  how cheap it is i am questioning  myself  have i misses something..Ronnie.

Guy Lavender must have changed things then Ronnie, because the OAP badge has always excluded the festival.

https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/membership-and-offers/annual/

Looks a good deal for all the old timers and the youngsters U28