So the good people of Nottingham were treated to the sight of Derek Randall being run out by Geoff Boycott at the 1977 Trent Bridge Test match not once, not twice but three times on the big screen at last night's pre-Ashes extravaganza.
Poor Derek. And it didn't elicit a single "boo" or hiss from the audience.
Perhaps that's because the kind of gentlefolk in the Concert Hall would have thought such a reaction as being just not cricket. Or perhaps it's because cantankerous old Sir Geoff is now something of a national treasure.
That's not to say he doesn't have skeletons in the closet... but as he freely admits: "Hold your hands up to your mistakes and move on".
Former cricketers and current Test match pundits Boycott and Jonathan Agnew are running a short tour around the UK before the Aussies hit town for the big one. The Ashes start in Nottingham on Wednesday and for those who, like me, are going along for a few days, this show was a must-see treat.
It's good for the soul hearing the former Yorkshire batsman (or batter, as they say these days) sound off about contemporaries and present-day players. Whatever you think of his opinions, you can't argue with his summing up after each memory, which goes something along the lines of "Well they're not as good as I was." (He went on to score over 100 after running out poor Randall).
He recalls playing alongside former umpire Harold "Dickie" Bird and journalist Michael Parkinson in their younger days, and answered audience-inspired questions about the best this, the top that, and what he thinks might happen this summer.
It was a great and welcome surprise to see former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson as special guest in the second half, playing to type with recollections spattered with slightly more unsavoury words than the northern hemisphere contributors might have used.
Another special guest was former Notts and England opener Chris Broad and his daughter Gemma, a performance analyst with the England squad. They were there to add their own insight into the Ashes summer, as well as drum up support for the Broad Appeal for Motor Neurone Disease, which claimed Chris's wife Miche.
A barnstorming performance from all concerned and a great appetiser for cricket fans.
Ready for the Ashes? We are now!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Nottingham is full of fun, according to the traditional football chant. It's full of a few other things, too, so while I welcome comments, don't bother adding anything that won't get published...