A Glorious Week

Martin Chandler | 9:15am BST 21 July 2024

Published: 2024
Pages: 24
Author: Winter, John
Publisher: Hampshire Cricket Heritage
Rating: 3.5 stars

Who remembers county cricket in the 1970s? I certainly do, the days when you could spend a week taking in two County Championship matches, and watch a veritable galaxy of the world’s greatest players.

John Winter remembers too, and what a week he had in August of 1974 when he watched his county, Hampshire, in back to back encounters with Warwickshire and Worcestershire at the United Services Ground in Portsmouth, a ground that has sadly not hosted a Hampshire fixture since the turn of the century.

So who did John get to see in action? The overseas stars in the Hampshire side were Gordon Greenidge, Barry Richards and Andy Roberts. Three more West Indians were in the Warwickshire side, Rohan Kanhai, Alvin Kallicharran and Deryck Murray, and Worcestershire’s West Indian was Vanburn Holder, and he had two New Zealanders as teammates, Glen Turner and John Parker.

And England players? Hampshire, the previous summers Champions had none, albeit Trevor Jesty did play in a few ODIs, but there were two in the Worcestershire line up, Basil D’Oliveira and Norman Gifford. But that was nothing on Warwickshire, who called upon the services of Dennis Amiss, John Jameson, David Brown and Bob Willis*.

Come the end of the summer Hampshire were, two points adrift of Worcestershire, unable to repeat their 1973 triumph and, perhaps surprisingly given the men they could call on, Warwickshire ended up in mid table. But it was all still to play for during Portsmouth week, and schoolboy Hampshire supporter Winter was naturally delighted to see his side not only win both matches, but do so in each case by an innings.

It would have been interesting enough just to read Winter’s account of the two matches, but A Glorious Week goes rather further than that. First of all it introduces the ground and its history, and after the conclusion of the victory over Worcestershire describes the climax of the season and, most tellingly of all, is written against the backdrop of Winter spending time at an old players reunion and discussing his memories with four members of the Hampshire side. The quartet are pictured on the front of the booklet and are ‘keeper Bob Stephenson, opening bowler Bob Herman and all-rounders Mike Taylor and Trevor Jesty, the latter looking extraordinarily well for a 76 year old.

Whilst A Glorious Week will inevitably appeal most to Hampshire supporters of a certain age I defy any lover of county cricket with an interest in the era of the great overseas players not to enjoy this splendid account of the pleasures of a bygone age. Nicely produced in a signed and numbered limited edition of 200 copies the booklet is available for £7.50 inclusive of UK postage and packing from hantscccheritage@gmail.com

*And Eddie Hemmings as well, although it would be the best part of a decade and a change of county before he earned Test selection.