Following, to the b for Kent v Sussex about Gillette Mug from the Canterbury

I inserted all of them and you can stood about longest waiting line, to have Greig’s signature. If this is finally my personal change, We summoned right up bravery and you will told your, with hook quaver, it absolutely was an effective “helluva catch”. An alternative idol minted around after which. For another decade, as he ran on broad flow, Greig turned-out a worthwhile but problematic champion – a silver doubloon, never ever totally losing the essential lustre but frequently looking for curative polishing. Along side next couple of season, I spotted him down within Hove in most family video game. Save your self for five wickets and you may a quick 93 against Hampshire in July 1969, I really don’t contemplate your to make any tall share. But the guy always did one thing. A booming protection push otherwise a pull shot moving from the scoreboard to own half dozen.

Sussex thrashed them, and Greig is actually People of the Fits: 54 in the 1st innings, out of 199, and then four wickets

Or a good bouncer injudiciously aimed at Mike Procter’s head, which up coming strike him having 4, cuatro, six, cuatro when he are clobbered for over 130 regarding 20 weird overs. And then he constantly closed autographs. I had him eight minutes in two seasons. Once, he also told you, “Ach, it is you once more. I never noticed him refute someone. I seated in spread boughs of the famous lime tree. Robbo regaled us for hours on end that have tales off watching Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you can Doug Wright as the a beneficial boy. The guts mutton are a mind field who had put up an enthusiastic encyclopaedic knowledge of Kent cricket, in order to their own father’s noticeable pleasure, not merely admonished him when he nudged myself and talked about an attractive “popsy” in the audience but fixed him as he got specific facts otherwise figure wrong.

Which was have a tendency to. Robbo are never one to to possess mathematical outline; it absolutely was the storyline you to mattered. Kent’s illustrious records – whether or not reality otherwise misconception – didn’t assist far on that scorching July big date. Towards the end throughout the day, both center lamb and you can Robbo himself was in fact demonstrably smitten. I know one to be true because the, even with his child away from earshot, my cousin not talked-of this new long move out-of piss, however, regarding “Greigy”.

Greig played simply an assist character one day; a quick-flames thirty six throughout the Sussex innings as well as 2 wickets, plus that Kent’s most readily useful scorer, Graham Johnson, trapped by the Tony Buss from an extended-jump

And you will Sussex did it again three years later. Gillette Cup quarter-final, August step 1, 1973, in the Hove. By this big date Greig try a freshly depending England user and you will Sussex master. Again, I went with Robbo, therefore very nearly overlooked it. My personal bro got organized the afternoon but once i pitched right up ticketless at the Tate Doorways, we were completely turned away. A sellout. New stewards (“soft absolutely nothing Hitlers”) had no truck which have rencontrer des femmes ThaГЇlandais Robbo’s “Come on, it is the boy’s birthday celebration now.” (It was not.) But, he was not giving up you to definitely effortlessly of course informed a little warily about how exactly I got to your surface 100% free which have my personal friends, the next thing We realized I happened to be providing my personal portly cousin a foot-up over a garden wall surface of one of your own larger domiciles you to definitely recognized on the water stop of crushed. Inside, buoyed by the our victory, Robbo’s appeal struck overdrive in which he in some way sweet-talked the latest smaller draconian within the-surface ushers so effortlessly, that people wound-up in the gangway of your members’ pavilion, best near the players’ balcony. From inside the very first innings We noticed as the Greig has worked their method using almost a complete package out of Benson and you can Bushes, and Robbo, the only real Kent supporter among us, cheered all focus on since the their lads chased 264 regarding the next. Now a teenager, I was a little ashamed through this, but thankfully indeed there weren’t a lot of them. Operates, that’s. Kent was in fact bowled out to have 135. However, that didn’t matter. Since participants endured towards the outfield and you will basked on cheers of the ten,000-solid group, Sussex got claimed. I watched given that quick boys lined up to get the skipper’s autograph – I found myself first off you to today – and listed one to Robbo had entered all of them. He and you can Greig was soon involved with animated dialogue. One another were chuckling, minds thrown straight back, while the queue regarding quick boys stretched, moving forward seriously regarding foot so you’re able to ft. Just after exactly what searched for years and years, they shook give warmly and you may Robbo patted his new pal familiarly on the rear. He showed up bounding back-up the brand new pavilion steps, clutching his closed scorecard – “It is into the middle mutton,” the guy lied – and you may beaming out of ear-to-ear. “He or she is a soft great bloke.” The feeling it actually was Greig’s Sussex you to definitely won the game is actually palpable. John Spencer, the Sussex bowler, informed me has just that when Greig grabbed more, the entire environment during the a pub “dogged by backbiting, cynicism and you will negativity” changed nearly right-away. Greig is actually an air from bracing water sky.