We registered all of them and endured in the longest queue, getting Greig’s signature. In the event it is actually fundamentally my personal change, We summoned right up courage and you can told him, that have a slight quaver, that it was a beneficial “helluva connect”. Yet another idol minted here right after which. For the next several years, as he ran towards wider movement, Greig ended up a worthwhile but challenging character – a gold doubloon, never completely losing their essential lustre but seem to in need of restorative refining. Along side 2nd few year, We watched your down within Hove in the most common home game. Rescue for five wickets and you will a quick 93 facing Hampshire within the July 1969, I really don’t think of him and come up with any high contribution. However, the guy usually did some thing. A flourishing cover push or a pull sample bouncing from the scoreboard getting half dozen.
Sussex thrashed them, and Greig try People of your own Meets: 54 in the 1st innings, out-of 199, after which five wickets
Or a good bouncer injudiciously aimed at Mike Procter’s lead, whom next struck him getting 4, 4, 6, 4 when he is clobbered for more than 130 away from 20 weird overs. And then he constantly signed autographs. I got him eight moments in two year. Immediately following, the guy even said, “Ach, it’s you once more. I never noticed your deny individuals. We sat beneath the dispersed boughs of one’s famous orange tree. Robbo regaled all of us all day long with tales away from seeing Les Ames, Godfrey Evans and you can Doug Wright while the an effective boy. The guts lamb was a head box that has arranged a keen encyclopaedic expertise in Kent cricket, and also to their unique dad’s apparent fulfillment, besides admonished your as he nudged me and you can talked about an appealing “popsy” regarding the crowd however, corrected him when he got certain reality otherwise contour completely wrong.
That has been have a tendency to. Robbo is actually never that to own mathematical outline; it had been the storyline that mattered. Kent’s illustrious background – if or not facts otherwise misconception – failed to assist far thereon sizzling hot July big date. By the end of the day, both center mutton and you can Robbo himself was in fact demonstrably smitten. We knew you to definitely to be true as, despite their daughter off earshot, my personal uncle not any longer talked-of the newest a lot of time streak away from piss, but regarding “Greigy”.
Greig starred merely an assistance part you to time; a fast-fire thirty six on the Sussex innings as well as 2 wickets, and compared to Kent’s finest scorer, Graham Johnson, trapped by the Tony Buss from an extended-hop
And you can Sussex did it once again three years afterwards. Gillette Cup quarter-final, August step one, 1973, on Hove. Through this day Greig try a freshly established England pro and you will Sussex captain. Again, We opted for Robbo, and now we practically overlooked they. My personal buddy had organized the day nevertheless when we pitched upwards ticketless from the Tate Doorways, we were completely turned out. A good sellout. The newest stewards (“soft nothing Hitlers”) didn’t come with vehicle that have Robbo’s “Get real, it is the boy’s birthday now.” (It was not.) But, he wasn’t stopping you to without difficulty incase informed a small warily how I had toward floor free-of-charge which have my personal mates, the next thing I understood I happened to be providing my portly buddy a leg-up-over the garden wall of a single of your big home you to definitely backed on the water avoid of your own soil. Into the, buoyed from the our profits, Robbo’s appeal hit overdrive in which he for some reason nice-spoke the newest shorter draconian inside the-crushed ushers thus effortlessly, that people wound-up throughout the gangway of members’ pavilion, right next to the players’ balcony. Within the basic innings We noticed because Greig did his way compliment of nearly a complete packet out-of Benson and you can Bushes, and you may Robbo, the actual only real Kent advocate in our midst, cheered the work with once the their lads chased 264 about second. Today an adolescent, I became a little ashamed through this, but fortunately indeed there weren’t most of them. Runs, which is. Kent was in fact bowled out getting 135. But one to don’t number. Given that professionals endured on the outfield and you may basked in the many thanks of 10,000-solid crowd, Sussex had claimed. I spotted once the short boys lined up to find the skipper’s autograph – I found myself first off you to definitely today – and indexed one to Robbo had joined them. He and you can Greig have been soon involved with animated discussion. One another were chuckling, heads tossed back, since queue out of small boys expanded, progressing seriously of legs so you’re able to base. Just after exactly what appeared visiter le site web forever, it shook hands warmly and you can Robbo patted his the fresh new friend familiarly on the rear. The guy appeared bounding back up the newest pavilion tips, clutching his finalized scorecard – “It is towards middle mutton,” the guy lied – and you may beaming off ear-to-ear. “He is a soft big bloke.” The feeling it absolutely was Greig’s Sussex you to obtained the game is palpable. John Spencer, this new Sussex bowler, said recently if Greig grabbed more than, the entire environment in the a pub “dogged from the backbiting, cynicism and you can negativity” changed nearly at once. Greig is actually a breath of bracing water sky.