Spirit On The Water

by Mike Harfield

  Baptiste did OK with the bat as well. His average of 34.8 was better than all the Englishmen in that series apart from Allan Lamb, and he was South African anyway. Younger readers who might be concerned by the recent presence of Pietersen and Trott in the England team may take some comfort in the fact that South Africans playing cricket for England is nothing new. Before Lamb there was Basil D’Oliviera and the one and only Tony Greig, and afterwards came Robin Smith.

  Smith’s older brother Chris and Greig’s younger brother Ian also played for England. It’s just a shame that we couldn’t have got Barry Richards or Graeme Pollock or Mike Proctor. If you are going to have South Africans playing for England you might as well have the best. As The Times editorial put it when Barry Richards was in his pomp: “Is there no way in which Richards of Hampshire could be co-opted into the English Test side? Can no patriotic English girl be persuaded to marry him? He is quite personable. Failing that, could not some elderly gentleman adopt him?”

  As it happened, it was just as well that Allan Lamb was turning out for England in 1984. He got centuries in three successive Tests, the first batsman to do this for England since Ken Barrington in 1967. All the other English batsmen that series made heavy weather of the West Indies attack, although Graeme Fowler got a brave century at Lords in the Second Test.

  Ask anyone when the last pitched battle to be fought on English soil was and, if they are still there by the time you have finished the question, they might say the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. That was when the Duke of Monmouth, Charles II’s illegitimate son, landed on the Dorset coast and unsuccessfully tried to seize the throne from James II on the grounds that he was a Catholic. If they know their history well, they might say the Battle of Clifton (Cumbria not Bristol) in 1745. This was a preliminary engagement prior to the Battle of Culloden the following year. A real ‘clever clogs’ might say the Battle of Bossenden in 1838 when the self-styled Sir William Courtenay, claimed to be the Messiah (see later reference to Arthur Scargill). He preached to the poor rural labourers of Kent that if they followed him he would lead them to a land of paradise. They were simple folk and had little to lose but their lives, which a number of them did when the army was called out to suppress the uprising.

  Sedgemoor, Clifton, Bossenden are all good answers but all wrong. On 18th June 1984 just as West Indies were putting the finishing touches to their victory in the First Test at Edgbaston, thousands of police fought a pitched battle with thousands of miners at the Battle of Orgreave in South Yorkshire.

  Brutal force, overwhelming odds, battered heads, glimmers of hope relentlessly crushed, desperate self defence to avoid serious injury, yes, Edgbaston in 1984 was not a happy place for English cricketers.

  Gower won the toss and felt obliged to bat first because he had two spinners in the side. He soon regretted his decision. Garner immediately had Fowler caught behind for a duck. This brought Derek Randall to the wicket rather sooner than he probably would have wanted. Randall was not afraid of fast bowling, as his epic 174 against Dennis Lillee in the Centenary Test had shown, but that had been seven years before and now he was exposed rather too early to the West Indian pace attack. Randall was more vulnerable early in his innings than most batsmen. Joel Garner soon bowled him, also for a duck, and England were 5 for 2.

  Andy Lloyd, who was making his Test début on his home ground, had opened with Graeme Fowler. The benefit of familiarity with the ground was probably outweighed by having to face Garner, Marshall and Holding in your first match for your country. He played soundly for a while but then was hit on the head by a short ball from Marshall. He spent the rest of the match in hospital and never played Test cricket again.

  Gower came in and scored a very elegant 10. Only some lusty blows from Botham and sensible batting from Downton enabled England to reach 191. After centuries from Gomes and Richards, the West Indies were on the ropes at 455 for 8. Then, a ninth wicket partnership between Baptiste and Holding helped the Windies to a final total of 606. Holding, in the side for his bowling, hit four sixes and eight fours in his innings of 69.

  One curiosity from the debacle of England’s bowling was that Derek Pringle, a medium pacer, bowled eighteen no balls. Very strange. The other oddity was David Gower not calling on Geoff Miller, England’s fifth bowler, until the West Indies had scored 260. Maybe Gower had forgotten that he was a bowler? Or that he was on the field at all?

  With Andy Lloyd unable to bat in the second innings, Paul Downton opened in his place and hit a courageous 56 but England soon subsided for 235 and the West Indies had no need to bat again. While all this was going on in Birmingham, the police and miners were squaring up to each other at the Battle of Orgreave.

  Was it really a battle? I think if you asked the people that were there, they would probably say yes. The Messiah (aka Arthur Scargill) was present, leading his men. Attila the Hen (aka Margaret Thatcher) wasn’t actually at Orgreave but she was there in spirit. Her troops were lined up like Roman legions with the police bashing their riot shields with their truncheons as they advanced. Like in Gladiator (and Billy Elliot for that matter), they parted to let the mounted police through to disperse the mass pickets.

  There were many injuries on both sides. After the battle, ninety-five miners were charged with riot, unlawful assembly and similar offences. A number of the miners were eventually taken to court in 1987, but the trials collapsed and all charges were dropped.

  Taking into account the fact that they were both happening in England at around the same time, you could not really get a greater contrast between the Battle of Orgreave and the rarefied atmosphere of a Test match at Lords. True, both were confrontations with a lot at stake; it’s just that one had cucumber sandwiches at tea time and the other didn’t. The other difference was that David Gower and Clive Lloyd would share a beer at the end of the day when hostilities were over, which is maybe where Margaret Thatcher and Arthur Scargill went wrong.

  The miners’ strike seemed to be the last thing on people’s minds at Lords as a full house settled down to watch the Second Test. The match started encouragingly for England. A century stand between débutant Chris Broad (father of Stuart) and Graeme Fowler gave them a great start. Although their final total of 286 looked slightly below par, an inspired Ian Botham ensured a first innings lead of 41. He took 8 for 103 in 27.4 overs, his best Test figures against the West Indies. A solid unbeaten century by Lamb and a robust 81 from Botham in the second innings, saw England to a 328 lead at the end of the fourth day. Lamb had come off for bad light even though he was batting well. He had looked up in vain at an empty England balcony for some guidance from his captain. Gower later admitted in his autobiography that he had been watching the tennis at Wimbledon on television.

  I took a greater than usual interest in the proceedings as I had a ticket for the last day. Viv Richards had always been a hero of mine but I had never seen him bat in the flesh. Now at last I would, and at Lords too!

  Lamb was out straightaway the next morning and England added just 13 before David Gower declared. The West Indies were set 342 to win in five and a half hours. There was a great sense of anticipation in the crowd as Greenidge and Haynes went out to bat.

  The West Indies had to score more in the fourth innings than had been scored in any of the other three innings. All results were possible with a draw favourite and an England victory a distinct possibility. A West Indies win wasn’t really on the cards but at least we would get to see Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd bat.

  With the score on 57, Haynes slipped after being sent back by Greenidge and was run out. This was the first time the West Indies had lost a wicket in the second innings for seven successive Tests. The fall of wicket brought Larry Gomes to the crease.

  Gomes did not have the power or dashing stroke play of the typical Caribbean player but he did have a sound technique and a wonderful temperament. His undemonstrative style offered a balance to the flair of the other batsmen in the team. He was the ‘glue’ that invariably h
eld the innings together.

  I was just hoping that he wouldn’t stick around too long this time. The West Indies still had most of the day to bat. I was looking forward to seeing Viv Richards stride out at Lords and hopefully score a century. This would be followed by a West Indian collapse and an England victory.

  None of these things happened. The West Indies didn’t lose another wicket. Gordon Greenidge powered his way to an unbeaten double century at nearly a run a ball. Gomes, giving him the strike wherever possible, ended up on 92 not out.

  My recollection is that I was more upset at not seeing Richards bat than about England’s defeat. You shouldn’t be too unhappy when you’ve seen Greenidge hit one of the great Test innings but it would have been nice to see Viv bat, even if it was just a cameo at the end!

  David Gower, in his second Test match as England captain, became just the fourth Test captain in history to lose after declaring. From time to time, Botham enjoys reminding him of this when they are commentating for Sky. Gower, not unreasonably, retorts that he wasn’t the one bowling. (Botham followed up his 8 for 103 in the first innings with 0 for 117 off 20.1 overs in the second.)

  It’s always one of the pleasures at a Test match to wander round the ground when the game is not on. Some people do it even when the cricket is being played which always seems a little odd to me. After the match had finished, my friends and I strolled round Lords, soaking up the atmosphere, reflecting on the day’s play and doing some ‘people watching’.

  We spotted a group of West Indian players who had not been playing in the match, including Richie Richardson. I went over to ask for his autograph and the players with him laughingly made the point repeatedly that he was Richards’ son. From the look on Richie Richardson’s face, it wasn’t the first time he had heard the joke.

  Two down and three to play. The teams met again at Leeds for the Third Test. After scoring 0 and 6 in the Texaco Trophy one-dayers, Mike Gatting hadn’t been picked for the First Test. He was brought back for the Second Test and, after scoring 1 and 29, he was dropped again. So he wasn’t at Headingley which is a shame because it is pretty close to Orgreave and he could have gone along to see how the Miners’ strike was getting on and to witness firsthand the demonstrations, or ‘a few people singing and dancing’7 as he might have described them.

  England batted first and scored 270, with Lamb getting the second of his centuries. It seemed a modest total but there was the bonus of Malcolm Marshall sustaining a double fracture of the left thumb. He was only able to bowl six overs and it was announced that he would take no further part in the match.

  When the West Indies batted, Bob Willis had Greenidge caught in the slips and Paul Allott got Haynes and Richards cheaply, to leave the tourists in a precarious state at 78 for 3. Not for the last time, Gomes came to their rescue. Partnerships with first Lloyd then Dujon took the score to 200. Baptiste and Harper were then both out for ducks but, just as it looked as though England might finally get the upper hand, Holding came in and hit a savage 59 including five sixes.

  Garner was run out trying to give Gomes, who was on 96, the strike. As the players prepared to leave the field, Marshall came out with his left wrist in a plaster. Gomes took the opportunity to reach his century by hitting Willis over his head for a boundary. Marshall managed to hit a four one-handed, to the third man boundary before edging Allott to Botham at slip.

  Marshall’s boundary took the West Indies past 300. This was irritating for England but at least he wouldn’t be able to bowl with a broken thumb and his left wrist in plaster ……..…. would he?

  Ten minutes later, England had the answer to that question. Marshall opened the bowling and soon had Chris Broad caught off a ball that rose viciously. Paul Terry was England’s latest answer to the troubled No.3 spot. He had scored five centuries for Hampshire that season but followed up his 8 in the first innings with only a single in the second. The gap between county and Test cricket was considerable, especially when it was the West Indies that England were playing.

  Marshall took two more wickets, including Graeme Fowler, who he caught and bowled one handed, to leave England on the verge of defeat at 135 for 6. In those days there was no play on Sundays, and when they resumed on Monday morning Marshall took all four remaining wickets to finish with his best ever Test figures of 7 for 53. The West Indies knocked off the required runs for the loss of two wickets and they had retained The Wisden Trophy yet again.

  To make the West Indian bowlers even more intimidating, many of those playing in the 1980s and 90s were not only very quick, they were also very tall. Garner was 6’ 8”, Holding 6’ 4” and later Walsh and Ambrose came in at 6’ 6” and 6’ 7” respectively. England seem to be going down the same road. If Tremlett, Broad and Finn ever make up the attack together, their average height will be 6’ 7”. You don’t have to be tall to be a fast bowler though. Fred Trueman and Harold Larwood, who would be in most people’s Top Ten fast bowlers of all time, were both well under 6’. Frank Tyson, one of the fastest bowlers ever, was 5’ 7” in his socks. Of all the formidable fast bowlers playing in the West Indies heyday, Malcolm Marshall was arguably the best, and he was less than 6’ tall.

  England still had pride to play for and, at Old Trafford in the Fourth Test, they once again had the West Indies in early trouble at 70 for 4. Paul Allott, on his home ground, bowled well, taking three of the wickets. Greenidge was still there though and together with the wicket-keeper Jeffrey Dujon proceeded to put on 197 for the fifth wicket.

  Dujon played eighty one Tests for the Windies over a ten year period. He was an elegant batsman and good enough to hold down the No.6 position in the team. This was important as it allowed the West Indies to play four fast bowlers and Roger Harper. On this occasion, Dujon reached his century but was out just before the close of play on the first day. This brought Winston Davis in as nightwatchman.

  Despite his seven wickets with a broken thumb, Marshall had accepted medical advice and was not playing in this game. Davis had taken his place and, as the new boy, had been given the nightwatchman duties. At 267 for 5, the match was reasonably balanced. All England had to do was get rid of Davis as soon as possible the next morning and then ‘clean up the tail’.

  It didn’t quite work out like that. Davis chose this moment to score an entertaining and career best 77. Gordon Greenidge went on to complete his second double century of the series and the West Indies were all out for exactly 500.

  When England batted, Lamb scored his third successive hundred, and he had Paul Terry to thank for it. Terry had retired hurt when a short ball from Winston Davis hit him and broke his arm. When the ninth wicket went down, Lamb was on 98 not out. As the players began to leave the field, David Gower waved them back on.

  Like some young lieutenant in the First World War urging his troops out of the trenches on to the field of battle, Gower ushered Paul Terry on to the pitch. His left arm was plastered and in a sling. Lamb was due to face the next over. England needed 23 to avoid the follow-on. Lamb needed 2 for his century.

  Thinking that Terry had come out simply to allow him to get his century, Lamb played the first five balls defensively then took 2 runs off the last ball. He tucked his bat under his arm and once again the players started to come off the field of play. Once again, Gower waved them back on to continue the fight. Presumably, having seen Marshall bat one-handed in the previous Test, Gower was trying to emulate his heroics. Or rather, he was hoping that Paul Terry would.

  Terry had to face the next over from Garner. He had struggled against him when he had two good arms. How he was supposed to play him with one arm in a sling was anyone’s guess. Predictably enough Garner cleaned bowled him second ball. It was early days in Gower’s captaincy but maybe he was modelling himself a bit too closely on Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. I think what we had here was a failure to communicate.

  England collapsed in the second innings and were all out for 156. Roger Harper, built like a fast bowler but actually a slow o
ff spinner, took six wickets. Paul Terry was not asked to make the sacrifice a second time and, like Andy Lloyd, never played Test cricket again.

  England had many problems in the series but the No.3 slot was one of the biggest. So far, Derek Randall had scored 0 and 1. David Gower had given it a go for one Test and scored 3 and 21. Finally, Paul Terry had scored 8 and 1 followed by 7 and ‘absent injured’. Seven innings totalling 41 runs at an average of just under 6.

  The West Indies No.3, Larry Gomes, on the other hand, over the same four Tests, had scored 143, 10, 92*, 104*, 2* and 30. A contribution of 381 runs at an average of 127. A huge difference that goes a long way to explaining why England had lost all four Tests so far.

  Where was Graham Gooch when you needed him? Well Goochie was still playing, indeed at the age of thirty-one, he was in his prime. While England were facing the ferocious West Indian attack, Gooch was scoring over 2,000 runs for Essex in the County Championship, at an average of 69. He wasn’t playing for England because he was not available for selection. In 1982, he had captained an English team to South Africa on a rebel tour.

  It was a pretty good team. Boycott, Amiss, Underwood, Hendrick, Emburey, Knott et al but most of the team were past their best. Gooch was different. He would have been an automatic selection for England. The same could not really have been said of any of the other players. So why did he go? Money, a naive belief that what he was doing was OK and money. He probably did not anticipate a three-year ban either.

  England could not call upon Gooch so they turned to the next best thing, Chris Tavare. He was having a moderate season for Kent and was unlikely to set the pulse racing when he went out to bat, but at least he would not sell his wicket cheaply. With a bit of luck, he might irritate the West Indians and also slow things down a bit by walking halfway to square leg and back after each delivery.