I inserted them and stood from the longest queue, to have Greig’s signature. Whether or not it are fundamentally my change, We summoned up courage and advised him, which have a small quaver, that it was a great “helluva catch”. A unique idol minted indeed there right after which. For the next a decade, when he went into large movement, Greig proved a worthwhile however, problematic character – a gold doubloon, never totally losing the elemental lustre however, seem to trying to find healing polishing. Along the 2nd few year, We watched him down within Hove in most family online game. Save your self for 5 wickets and you can a brisk 93 facing Hampshire within the July 1969, I don’t contemplate your and also make one high contribution. But the guy always did some thing. A booming protection drive otherwise a pull try jumping off of the scoreboard getting half a dozen.
Sussex thrashed them, and you will Greig is actually Guy of your own Matches: 54 in the 1st innings, of 199, immediately after which five wickets
Otherwise a good bouncer injudiciously intended for Mike Procter’s direct, who following hit him having 4, 4, six, 4 when he are clobbered for over 130 from 20 strange overs. In which he always finalized autographs. I experienced him eight minutes in two season. Immediately following, he actually told you, “Ach, it’s you once more. We never noticed him refuse anybody. We sat according to the spread boughs of one’s famous tangerine forest. Robbo regaled all of us right through the day with stories off seeing Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you will Doug Wright as the an effective boy. The guts mutton was a head container who’d install an enthusiastic encyclopaedic experience with Kent cricket, also to their own father’s noticeable pleasure, just admonished your when he nudged me and you may pointed out an attractive “popsy” on audience however, remedied him when he got particular reality otherwise figure incorrect.
That was have a tendency to. Robbo is actually never ever that having mathematical outline; it absolutely was the storyline one to mattered. Kent’s illustrious background – whether or not truth or misconception – didn’t assist much thereon hot July time. By the end of the day, one another middle lamb and Robbo himself were demonstrably smitten. We know you to definitely to be true because, despite his daughter away from earshot, my brother not any longer talked-of the brand new a lot of time streak from piss, but away from “Greigy”.
Greig played merely a help part you to go out; an instant-fire thirty six throughout the Sussex innings as well as 2 wickets, plus compared to Kent’s finest scorer, Graham Johnson, trapped by Tony Buss of Thai brude i USA a lengthy-get
And you can Sussex did it once more 36 months later on. Gillette Mug quarter-last, August step 1, 1973, at the Hove. From this time Greig was a newly based England pro and Sussex chief. Again, We opted for Robbo, so we about skipped they. My cousin had organized the afternoon but once i pitched upwards ticketless during the Tate Doors, we were securely turned into out. An effective sellout. The fresh stewards (“bloody nothing Hitlers”) didn’t come with truck having Robbo’s “Get real, it’s the boy’s birthday now.” (It was not.) But, the guy was not giving up that easily and in case informed a tiny warily how I had into the soil free-of-charge that have my friends, the next thing We knew I was providing my portly sibling a toes-up over a garden wall structure of a single of your big property one to recognized onto the sea avoid of one’s crushed. In to the, buoyed by the our achievements, Robbo’s attraction hit overdrive in which he for some reason nice-spoke the fresh new faster draconian during the-soil ushers so effectively, we finished up regarding gangway of the members’ pavilion, proper next to the players’ balcony. From inside the earliest innings I watched because Greig worked their method through almost a whole package from Benson and you can Bushes, and you will Robbo, the only real Kent advocate in our midst, cheered most of the work at because his lads chased 264 from the next. Now a teenager, I was a tiny ashamed by this, but luckily for us truth be told there weren’t many. Runs, that is. Kent was in fact bowled aside having 135. But you to definitely failed to matter. Given that professionals stood into outfield and you may basked from the thank you of the 10,000-strong group, Sussex had obtained. We saw given that quick boys in-line to get the skipper’s autograph – I found myself most importantly that today – and detailed you to Robbo got joined them. He and you may Greig had been in the future involved with going talk. Each other was laughing, heads thrown right back, just like the queue regarding brief boys lengthened, moving forward anxiously out of legs in order to foot. Immediately following what checked forever, it shook hands passionately and you will Robbo patted their the fresh new pal familiarly on the rear. He came bounding back up brand new pavilion actions, clutching their closed scorecard – “It is for the center mutton,” he lied – and you will beaming out of ear-to-ear. “He or she is a bloody fantastic bloke.” The feeling it was Greig’s Sussex that acquired the online game try palpable. John Spencer, the new Sussex bowler, told me recently whenever Greig grabbed over, the complete atmosphere at the a pub “dogged from the backbiting, cynicism and you can negativity” changed almost straight away. Greig try a breathing from bracing sea sky.