After that, on b having Kent v Sussex throughout the Gillette Glass within Canterbury

I joined all of them and you can stood on longest queue, to possess Greig’s trademark. If this was in the end my turn, We summoned up bravery and you may told your, having a little quaver, it was a “helluva catch”. Yet another idol minted there and. For the next a decade, as he went towards the wide stream, Greig turned out a rewarding but problematic character – a gold doubloon, never entirely losing its essential lustre however, frequently searching for healing refining. Along the 2nd couple of seasons, I watched him down from the Hove in the most common domestic online game. Conserve for 5 wickets and you can a quick 93 up against Hampshire in the July 1969, I really don’t think of him to make people significant sum. But the guy usually performed anything. A flourishing safety drive otherwise a pull test bouncing off the scoreboard for six.

Sussex thrashed them, and you will Greig was Man of the Meets: 54 in the 1st innings, of 199, and then five wickets

Or good bouncer injudiciously aimed at Mike Procter’s lead, who after that struck him to own cuatro, 4, six, 4 as he is clobbered for over 130 out-of 20 weird overs. And he constantly closed autographs. I had your seven moments in two 12 months. Shortly after, the guy actually told you, “Ach, it’s you once again. We never ever saw him refute some one. We seated within the spread boughs of your own popular lime tree. Robbo regaled you for hours on end that have reports of viewing Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you may Doug Wright once the an effective boy. The center mutton is a mind box that has establish a keen encyclopaedic knowledge of Kent cricket, also to their own dad’s noticeable fulfillment, not merely admonished him when he nudged me and you can pointed out a nice-looking “popsy” regarding the group but corrected your as he had particular reality or figure incorrect.

Which had been will. Robbo try never ever you to definitely to possess statistical detail; it was the storyline you to mattered. Kent’s illustrious records – whether or not fact or misconception – did not help far thereon hot July date. Towards the end of the day, one another middle lamb and Robbo themselves was in fact obviously smitten. I know you to definitely to be real because the, even with his child off earshot, my personal brother don’t talked-of the latest long streak of piss, however, regarding “Greigy”.

Greig starred merely a support role you to definitely time; a quick-fire thirty-six in the Sussex innings and two wickets, and that Kent’s greatest scorer, Graham Johnson, trapped from the Tony Buss out of a lengthy-get

And you can Sussex made it happen again 3 years afterwards. Gillette Glass quarter-final, August step one, 1973, within Hove. Through this date Greig are a recently mainly based The united kingdomt athlete and you may Sussex chief. Again, We went with Robbo, and in addition we around overlooked it. My personal sibling had organized the day but once i pitched right up ticketless in the Tate Doors, we had been firmly became out. A beneficial sellout. The newest stewards (“soft absolutely nothing Hitlers”) didn’t come with truck which have Robbo’s “Come on, this is the boy’s birthday today.” (It was not.) However,, the guy was not letting go of that with ease whenever told a small warily exactly how I had towards surface free of charge having my personal mates, the next thing I understood I found myself providing my portly cousin a feet-up over the garden wall structure of one of one’s huge homes that supported onto the sea stop of one’s crushed. In to the, buoyed by all of our achievement, Robbo’s appeal hit overdrive and he in some way sweet-spoke the fresh new smaller draconian inside the-crushed ushers therefore efficiently, we finished up in the gangway of the members’ pavilion, proper next to the players’ balcony. From inside the very first innings We noticed as the Greig spent some time working their method as a result of almost a whole packet away from Benson and you can Hedges, and Robbo, the only Kent recommend among us, cheered the manage since the their lads chased 264 about second. Today an adolescent, I was a little embarrassed through this, but the good news is around just weren’t a lot of them. Works, that is. Kent were bowled out for 135. However, you to failed to count. Just like the users stood to the outfield and you can basked regarding the many thanks of your ten,000-strong group, Sussex got claimed. I noticed while the brief boys lined up to find the skipper’s autograph – I happened to be most importantly one today – and you can indexed that Robbo got entered all of them. He and you may Greig was in the near future involved with transferring talk. Each other had been laughing, heads tossed right back, while the queue from quick boys prolonged, moving forward seriously from legs so you’re able to legs. Once just what looked an eternity, it shook hands warmly and Robbo patted their the newest friend familiarly on the rear. He appeared bounding back-up this new pavilion strategies, clutching his closed scorecard – “It’s with the center mutton,” the guy lied – and you may beaming out-of ear-to-ear. “He could be a bloody big bloke.” The feeling it had been Greig’s Sussex one to acquired the overall game was palpable. John Spencer, the newest Sussex bowler, explained recently if Greig took more, the whole ambiance on a pub “dogged by the backbiting, cynicism and negativity” changed almost immediately. Greig was an air regarding bracing ocean air.