50 years on from the red-hot summer of 1976, this year is being compared because of the high temperatures and it has stirred memories of 1976 and 2022 – written by one of our Members – Jeremy Biggin
In 2022, SCLS members were made aware of weekly Covid treat ‘Zoom’ meetings by our then Secretary, Dorothy Betts, and we were indebted to her for the heads-up. These meetings took place on Thursday evenings courtesy of and hosted by the Simons – Hughes and Mann. My memory was stirred back to 1976 following one particular Zoom meeting – “The World’s Greatest Cricket Club” with Sir Michael Holding in February 2022.
… Clyde, Michael and little old me
Just prior to Michael Holding becoming known throughout the planet I was introduced at Abbeydale Park, Sheffield in June 1976 by Clyde Walcott, later Sir Clyde Walcott [1993] [Windies’ Team Manager] at the end of the tour match v Yorkshire. I was promoting a, then new, impact resistant plastic [polycarbonate] glazing and vandal resistant material. We rigged up a bank screen [courtesy of Aluminium Systems of Sheffield] on the all-weather hockey pitch. The idea being, at close of play, to take a video to show the fact that it was unbreakable by having the WI quicks throwing balls at the screen.
When “Call me Clyde” and I met at the Grosvenor Hotel to arrange things a few days earlier he offered Michael Holding as one of the bowlers; I politely enquired “Who is he Clyde?” Reply … “Jeremy [I’d given him permission for that familiarity], within a few weeks no one in the cricketing world will be unaware of Michael”. He was spot on. Clyde Walcott was an impressive figure and for me to call him Clyde, very humbling.
Clive Lloyd [the WI Captain] incidentally sprained his elbow doing his bit of throwing at the screen and was unfit for their next match against Leicester at Grace Road. My father had just told him, of course jokingly, that last year Thomson and Lillee had smashed the screen! We had Wayne Daniel, Clive Lloyd and Michael Holding for a fee £450.00 but the plastic glazing remained intact!
In our hospitality marquee [the famous restauranteur, David Baldwin, was our caterer and his Game Pie was our guests’ revered choice *] we had a notice board at the entrance with notes/ cuttings of the previous day’s play… a few Yorkshire players had been injured whilst batting so one joker put up a sign “WAYNE STOPPED PLAY” …. referring, of course, to Mr Daniel.
Incidentally that wicket was the fastest outside Perth …. the Abbeydale groundsman Mr Fulford, [affectionately known as the “Heavy Roller”] had a contact at, would you believe, Aberystwyth Uni who brought along a VW Beetle with electronic gizmos sticking out of it…drove it onto the wicket to test the bounce. We watched this exercise from the bar.
The match played between 30th June and 2nd July 1976 resulted in the West Indies winning by 19 runs on the third day … the weather was VERY, VERY hot.
Sir Clyde Walcott was one third of the wonderful “Three W’s”. Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott. Batting giants for the West Indies in the decade 1947-58. All three were knighted. The writer was born in 1946 so only aware of their past glories from the older cricket-loving generations including the writer’s father, Geoff Biggin. He played for Sheffield Collegiate in the 1920’s.
As Michael Holding’s career blossomed, he, due to his relaxed and flowing bowling action, became known as “The Whispering Death”. There is a video on the internet showing “the greatest over ever bowled”. It was in 1981; England touring the West Indies. The 3rd Test Match, day 1 Bridgetown, Barbados, Michael Holding to England’s opening batsman, Geoffrey Boycott. MH later described Yorkshire’s now Sir Geoffrey Boycott as the most difficult batsman to dismiss of all his victims.
Messrs Worrell, Walcott, Weekes, Lloyd, Holding and Boycott have all received knighthoods.
*The late David Baldwin owned the renowned “Baldwin’s Omega” banqueting suite in Sheffield.
David retired in 2018 and sadly passed away in 2020. David was a Life Member of The Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society.
Abbeydale being of course the venue for this cricket match but is also the home of Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club at which Michael Vaughan and Joe Root Yorkshire and England cricket captains cut their cricketing teeth. The young Jacob Bethel also has roots at Collegiate via his father Graham, who also played for Derbyshire Seconds.