A memorable moment in cricket
It was on the tour of the West Indies in 1973 by a team known as “The Cliffhangers”—named after the leader Joe Cliffe who had befriended many top West Indians when on earlier Old Collegian tours. Champion NSW spinner David Hourn and the Queensland and Tasmanian wicket-keeper batsman, John Bell, also made the tour. The tour coincided with the Australian Test team tour and we played many of the island sides after the Aussies had passed through.
One game we played was a two day match in Antigua on a ground next to the local jail. The relevance of that reference was that the scoreboard attendant was a prisoner anchored by a large ball and chain while an armed guard sat by his side.
The captain of the Antiguan team was a 21 year old who we hadn’t heard of, although we were told he could play a bit. His name was Vivian Richards. We were also advised that another young player would join the side although he was injured and would bowl off a short run. His name was Andy Roberts.
Needless to say, Roberts cleaned us up pretty quickly and we were in the field by mid-afternoon.
Late in the day, Richards strode to the wicket. Soon after, I was re-introduced to the attack despite having not taken a wicket with the new ball. But bowling what were the last two balls of the day, Richards launched into both and they disappeared by some distance over the square-leg boundary fence. I was told that the second one ended up in the local shopping market.
And while that moment had little significance at the time, just a few years down the track it became one of monumental proportion when Viv Richards became an International super-star. For being twice belted out of the park by the great man, I was able to take some (tongue-in-cheek) credit for launching his illustrious career!