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Another cracker Sticky!
ON the subject of DW Randall Esq., I also hold him personally responsible for my love of the game. He used to sit on the balcony alongside the upper deck of the pavilion, where I sat, waiting to come in to bat and was, as you rightly said, a complete bag of nerves - simply because he cared so much about delivering the goods. Once he had his eye in though he was a superb batsman, a natural you might say, and also an entertainer. The dreadful Boycott incident was heartbreaking to me too.
Here he is knocking Lillee to the boundary in the Centenary Test
His 174 in the Centenary Test is one of the great England innings of all time, IMHO, facing the fire breathing Dennis Lillee and taking hits that would make a modern middle order batter quake. What a fine cricketer he was and, as you rightly mention, an utterly astounding fielder. I remember watching him warming up at Derby one time by having a player throw the ball to him which he would catch on the run and throw on the turn at a single stump, hitting it with astonishing regularity. They used to say just having him in the field was worth an additional 20 runs to the side.
Thanks for rekindling those memories and for another great read. If anyone else also remembers Botham and Randall's cracking partnership vs the Kiwis at Trent Bridge in 83 here's 10 minutes to reminisce over with a cuppa...enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNWVt2Phl2k
