I was just thinking, after Richard Osman chose the theme tune to Pot Black as one of his Desert Island Disks, that I might have the theme to T.M.S., up there with âGreen Onionsâ as one of Booker Tâs best.
Apart from being very appropriate for a desert island [the assumption always seems to be it is a tropical desert island not some gale-lashed Atlantic rock], it encapsulated decades of great cricket memories, of which these are just three.
Freddie Trumanâs 300th Test wicket - The Oval. Neil Hawke [Aus] - c Cowdray b Truman. I drew the field placings on the back of my ticket.
Geoff Boycottâs 100th 100. Headingly 1977. Headingly, where they say the people in the cheapest seats are as knowledgeable about the game as anyone in the Y.C.C. pavilion seats.
The âBomb Scareâ Test - Lordâs 1973. - W.Indies v Eng. In those days a ground ticket allowed sitting on the grass between the boundary rope and the stands. I used to sit just finer than fine fine leg [Nursery End] Obviously - the pavilion was at the other end.
Michael Holdingsâs run-up was so long that brief flirtations between W.Indies ladies spectators and Holdings used to take place before he set off on his next delivery. âOoooh! Holdinsâ ! Holdinsâ !â
When the scare was announced, everyone in seats left the ground. All those of us on the grass, several hundred plus Dickie Bird, went into the centre of the field. The groundsmen rushed on to get covers on the square. This prompted a lot of wit from W.Indies, who pointed at the sunny skies. A massive jump-up then ensued for almost two hours.
The carnival atmosphere was somewhat spoiled by âSirâ Geoffrey being hit on the head by an empty can of Red Stripe as he and his partner walked out to resume the innings. Not in the Cricinfo report [Rewind to ... 1973: Bomb threat stops play | Cricket | ESPNcricinfo.com] I saw this myself - we were collected en masses at the pavilion gate. He was also jostled on the way back having got out to the last ball of the day.
It was incidents such as this last that did for sitting on the grass - a great shame.
On T.M.S. itself there is, of course, the 'Leg Over â commentary - Johnners and Aggers. This clip was actually chosen as a Desert Island choice by someone. I was driving on the M4 as this came on and, as always when I hear it, I crack up, helplessly and had to stop on the hard shoulder because I was no longer in complete control of my car!
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