I thought I’d write a short piece on my first ever day’s test cricket. A friend had a ticket for the 2nd day of the final test at The Oval in 1997 but then had to pull out at the last minute. At this stage the prospect of me ever getting to see a day of Ashes cricket felt remote, so to be offered this joyous thing the day before was mind-blowing. I cajoled a day off from my boss, cursed the weather forecast that said it would be one of those on-off days and prayed they were wrong. I went with two people I didn’t know that well, but knew some of my cricket club crowd would be there somewhere or other!
The journey from the wilds of South East London and then on the crowded tube train from London Bridge added to the excitement (and trepidation). The fast moving, threatening clouds were a hindrance, no, a bloody annoyance. I’d waited for this opportunity for years and the great British weather was going to spoil it. I knew it. All this excitement for nothing….. but still, no liquid came from the sky. There was hope.
Ticket in hand I went to the seat, which was in one of those stands which has now been replaced by the OCS behemoth. It might have been the Jardine Stand, it might have been the Fender. It didn’t matter one jot. What did was that England had been skittled for shirt buttons on the first day (by McGrath) and although Tuffers had nabbed a couple of wickets the previous night, England needed lots of wickets quickly to stay in the game.
As the players came out the weather closed in. The morning session saw at least two rain breaks, but in between the cricket was hard fought. At that time Greg Blewett was batting at three and he was mostly a flowing, exciteable batsman, but was in prime dig in mode. I seem to recall we got Mark Waugh early on. The Aussies had resumed on 77 for 2 (he says looking up the scorecard) and Mark got out with the score on 94. A 46 run partnership ensued between Steve Waugh and Blewett befor Caddick won an LBW decision against the former and Stewart stumped the latter off Tuffers 10 runs later. 150 for 5 in reply to 180 meant the game was back in the balance, even if the Aussies just held the upper hand.
I was absorbed into the contest. This didn’t feel like a dead rubber to me, but a cut and thrust contest between the oldest international rivals. You felt like you were somewhere special, in amongst it, living every ball of a gripping contest. It would be the first of sixteen consecutive Fridays at The Oval for me and I was hooked. And it got better. Ian Healy went after a scratchy old knock of 2 in 34 balls. Shaun Young, making his only appearance for Australia went immediately after, both caught behind by Stewart off Tufnell. 164 for 7 and Tufnell had six of them. This was brilliant.
Ricky Ponting remained in. At this stage of his career he was the young buck, fighting for his place in the herd, and his ton at Headingley two tests before had been a massively important innings. Now the man who would be a thorn in our side for years to come was the one man holding us back. He was redoubtable, mixing defence and attack as he eked out 40 vital runs before being the last man out with the score on 218 and a lead of 38. Except it wasn’t – overnight the TV replays upgraded a four made by Blewett to a six, and the final score was 220. Tufnell finished with figures of 7/66 and we had a game.
The weather stayed fair, I managed to get into the section where my club mates were, which was much more in line with the pitch. I saw England lose three wickets before the deficit was erased. Atherton fell first, but not to McGrath but Kasprowicz, who was embarking on a 7 for too. Stewart and Butcher fell LBW before the close, Hussain was rendered shotless (he made 2 in 50 balls) but stayed until the end, while I got to see my hero of the time, Thorpe do his thing and keep the England ship afloat. Just. The day finished with England 55/3. The third day, as we probably all remember was a thriller, as England defended a 124 target and bowled the Aussies out for 124. I think I went to see Millwall play York City (we lost 3-2).
The day was a blur. I had to use the scorecard as my prime trigger of memories. I just have a memory of Blewett and Ponting keeping us just enough at bay to keep the Aussies on top. But it was a day just to be treasured. Now, having gone to a lot of test cricket and such stuff, the memories of the first day seem almost childish (and I was in my late 20s at the time) and naive. But it’s that feeling of being a very insignificant part of history that makes it special. Awe inspiring. A privilege. I never forget that last bit. It’s a privilege to be able to be there. It shouldn’t be a matter of being privileged to do so.
The buzz, the business, the crowd. There’s no better place to be when you don’t feel like you are being soaked for cash. I did not get that sense then, and in fact for many, many years. This was an event where you could bring your own beer, for heaven’s sake. What was not to like?
I got a really great first day. I’d be interested to hear about your first day’s test cricket. Did it impress you as much as mine did for me?
With another Dmitri Ashes Memory, I bid you all a great day.
Being Outside Cricket 
Nice post. You evoke the feeling of disbelief, which I used to experience too on my way to a test match. And of course the sense of wonderment to be actually sitting in a test ground watching live. I’m not sure I get that any more, sadly.
My first Ashes test was Lord’s 1977. Day one – England ground their way to 216 all out shortly before the scheduled close, against a varied attack of Thommo, Walker, Pascoe and O’Keeffe. Memorable it hardly is, but I do have an enduring memory of a nice partnership between Woolmer and a skittish Randall, whose dismissal for 53 I found most upsetting. Woolmer was far slower, getting into the gear he maintained for a second innings ton and then another ton in the next match.
My actual first live test was in 1974 – again at Lord’s – and was as different as it could possibly be. On the first day England closed at 334 for one, which seemed almost unimaginable. Dennis Amiss made a delightful 187 not out, and since he was my favourite player at the time, this was a perfect experience. The Indian bowlers could do nothing. It was hard to believe it when he was out next morning after adding a single. I was there for that too, and the second day produced an England total of 629 with further hundreds from Denness and Greig. There was even time for India to motor to 51 for 0 by the close, with Gavaskar and Engineer (batting in sunhats of course) giving no clue that their side would lose by an innings and be humiliated for 42 in their second dig. I can even remember my beer-induced headache with the late afternoon sun in my eyes as I watched from the old Tavern bar area. Headache or not, I was hooked.
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I was a very young boy when my dad and my uncle arranged for me to watch the very mighty Windies in 1984 at the Oval, yes the ‘Blackwash’ test. To be honest my earliest cricketing idols were fast bowlers and of course the likes of Holding, Marshall, Garner et al were very match the ones to watch at that time.
The Oval then for a Windies game was very different to what it is now and in many cases not for the better. It seemed that such a big chunk of the South London based West Indian community were there, whistles, drums, the crescendo of noise that greeted Viv Richards to the crease. It was all intoxicating. There were also quite a few very lively individuals around with some choice comments. I have to admit that I can’t remember them by any means but they all had the crowd in fits of giggles. My highlights that I’d seen from Pat Pocock as nightwatchmen get cheered off the ground by England fans after he was out for 0 in the morning. At the time the nuance was lost on me but later on I did realise that it was for his guts in being out there in the first place as Malcom Marshall was doing his best to hospitalise him. The Windies fast bowlers charging in were everything that I hoped it to be and on the final afternoon I recall the short leg nigh on doing a circuit of the outside off the pitch after pulling off a phenomenal catch off Michael Holding steaming in from near the boundary. Holding at that time I recall tended to bowl off a shorter run but he wasn’t that afternoon.
As a confirmed fast bowling fan it was what I wanted to see, even if it was at the expense of England, but I guess I was a cricket fan because of seeing stumps flying, bouncers whizzing past the batsmen’s ear. To this day I have a bit of blood lust in seeing a flat track bully getting his commuppence when up against real pace and I guess it is just in the blood. I was a cricket fan as a small boy as my dad hailed from Mumbai and from the moment I could walk I had a bat or ball in my hand.
I was always a test match fan because the hardest of the conditions awaited batsmen, bowlers and fielders. I guess the Windies team of the early ’80s have a lot to blame for me!
LCL/Dmitri, I did ask about if there could be a thread/posts about cricketing experiences on the Ashes post and therefore thanks for sharing. I have wanted
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This is the catch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puZ7Hq-Sihc
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Sorry I forgot to finish the last sentence, I meant to say that I wanted to share my earliest experiences at cricket and am proud to have done so.
On another note I did go and see Essex at Ilford even earlier than then with my mum’s father and it was more about the homely manor of watching cricket at an outground that impressed me rather than the fare on show. All I can remember about the game was watching Gladstone Small bowl for Warks and thinking he looked quite sharp. This was a about 3 years or so before he would help be part of the Ashes winning side down under. I could not tell you who won that game for love, nor money. Valentines Park was an early cricket love for me and I was really gutted when Essex CC became practically Chelmsford CC.
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I miss Ilford. Work colleagues made a point of going to the Friday there. Out grounds were fantastic. Still are when they play there.
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Lovely post
I went to headingley at 12 – with people I didn’t know (other than that were my dad’s mates).
Turns out my dad was offered the ticket and had said he couldn’t make it “but would you mind taking my son”, presumably knowing I was a bit addicted to cricket.
I won’t go into all the detail but I remember it was day 1 and I was shocked at how far back the keeper/slip cordon was before a ball was bowled and then how exhilarated I was by the huge thwack of the new ball into the keeper’s (A Stewart) gloves above his right shoulder.
Wow!
Just wow!.
I’d been a radio listener/player for some time, but I knew then that this was love.
Test cricket.
Love it.
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My first attendance at a Test match was the first test in 1984 versus the West Indies although I had been watching on the telly since Boycotts hundredth 100 in 1977. My knowledge of the game at the age of 14 was sufficient for me to know that we were in for a “difficult series” ( is that what they would call it now?). England had just finished a one day series versus the WI that had seen IVA himself score 189no whilst the Windies collapsed around him. It was extraordinary.
Back to Edgbaston – and me with my friend ( heartbreakingly no longer with us), my sandwiches ( my mum made me make them myself because she didn’t want me to go, “there will be lots of black people there…” ) No shit Sherlock I thought. That was Solihull in 1984, I’m afraid. no that’s not fair, that was my mother. The joke was this white middle class, hanging baskets of a woman was a huge fan of Johnny Mathis who was …er black. Racism and hypocrisy were therefore seen to operate hand in hand, excellent training for the adult life that awaiting round the corner.
I wasn’t prepared to listen to such evil even at 14 and neither was my educated brother who lent me the money for my ticket. I remember the excitement as my friend and I caught the no 6 bus and then the no1 bus through Moseley. Shortly after Moseley was a pleasant form of chaos and we eventually made our way into the Raglan Stand (which is of course now the Eric Hollies).
What struck me was the noise. Those of Caribbean descent with their ghetto blasters having one hell of the time. And then …I looked. On the pitch was a man ( who I now realise to be Jackie Hendicks) taking the superstars through their drills. My recollection is that they were doing something closely akin to what I now know to be yoga whereas the England players on the other side of the ground where just running around swinging their arms. England had a good team then, Gower, Lamb, Botham, Willis however the West Indies were on another planet.
The game started. I cannot recall who won the toss but England batted. Within the first half hour dear old Andy Lloyd, my favourite Warwickshire run machine was hospitalised by a shortish ball that Lloyd misjudged. There were no big screens in those days thank god and the ground went very silent as he was led off by the physio. The ghettos in the Raglan fell silent for a time but they were soon on “full vol” as wickets tumbled. My favourite England player of the time, Botham came in ( how was I to know what a useless commentator he would be?) and stood up to them. I recall he was bowled off a no ball on about 20 but went on to get 60+. England struggled to just below 200.
I recall the kindness of a black guy in front of us. He gave us a can of some sort of fizzy drink each probably because he heard us mumbling about “having got through our money” He reached into his cool box, gave them too us and said something along the lines of ” you watch Greenidge and Haynes take Willis apart now, he is an old man! ” They didn’t – but Gomes (watchfully) and Richards ( most unwatchfully ) most certainly DID the next day (which I did not attend). I remembered to tell my mum about the free cans of pop.
However, I caught the bug and popped along on the Saurday for day 3 to watch Eldine Baptiste rub our noses in it together with a helmetless Michael Holding swinging Willis into the stands getting 70. West Indies got 600 and then bowled England out.
It was a precursor to the series – utter domination. One of the things that has really upset me since about 2000 is how far away the current WI team are from that great team both in attitude and application. But these are different times,nearly all of those 11 ( except Dujon I think) played county cricket. This was for small money and they worked bloody hard. Different times indeed.
We now live in a world where the ghetto blasters are removed from the stands and we have to listen to “organised musical interludes” as part of the “fun package” that is a day out at the cricket. But for now I shall never forget those first noisy moments 30 minutes before the umpires bell on the first morning.
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My first days test cricket? – the day that changed cricket forever. Oval, second day 1968. i saw Edrich complete his 164 and Dolly score the 158 that led to him being excluded from the winter’s touring party, then included (when Tom Cartwright came up lame) – Dr Vorster then decoided that any MCC team (those were the days! – none of this Waitrose nonsense then) with d’Oliveira in it wasnt acceptable, and the rest is hiistory – other than that i remember Dexter’s quick 20 odd – i think (or was that the second innings)- and Milburn plunging to catch Redpath (again, i think) just before the close, shaking the ground to its foundations
that was the test when the world and his wife came on the field on day 5 to clear the rainwater and help Underwood skittle the Aussies for a series levelling victory with about 10 minutes to spare.
Apologies for any inaccuracies – i have tried to rely on memory rather than Cricinfo. Put the blame on my 13 year old self
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My first test was at Eden park in Auckland, NZ versus Australia in the 1973/74 season. I guess it was a historical occasion because before that season Australia didn’t bother playing against us . I remember nothing at all about it as I was only 10 at the time, except that a bunch of guys at the back of the stand would hoot and yell each time a woman walked past (quite a few seemed to enjoy the attention and seemed to want to go back for more). My wag of a father suggested to my two sisters who were with us that they should walk past to see what sort of a reaction they got. Both declined as they were aged only 11 and 12 respectively. it seems a long time ago now, in a very pre PC sort of era.
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Some great memories above…my first memory of watching Tests on TV was Mike Hendrick and Chris Old bowling back in 1975 or 76. I remember Mike was basically unplayable (if you remember McGrath in the first Test, first innings at Lords back in 2005, Mike was like that!). Also remember Knotty and Randall.
First cricket shock I had was in the Ashes in 1981. I was in Sweden on my school summer hols, a long 6 weeks of great fun with my family and friends, and staying just outside Gothenburg. I remember we had to get a bus into the city to go to a special newsagent to get an English newspaper the next day (i.e. the day after the action). There was no BBC World Service TV back then and for some reason I wasn’t following the Test updates on BBC radio – so it was get the bus into town to read the newspaper or nothing. I got the bus in every day of course. I remember being very despondent reading the close of play report after day 3 in Headingley, when we closed at 6-1 still over 200 behind following on. Then the first shock came the next day when I read that Botham had scored a miraculous 145, ably supported by Dilley (RIP old mate) and Old of course. The second shock came the next day of course when I read about Willis’ incredible 8-43 and our win! Of course the very next Test was just as unbelievable, when Botham did it again, this time with the ball taking 5 wickets for 1 run.
Strangely, the first Test I attended was the preceding one at Lord’s, when I was at Day 3, Saturday 4th July. It wasn’t a very exciting day as far as the cricket was concerned (looking at the scorecard now, it seems that Australia batted throughout the day scoring 240 odd), but one thing I do remember was regular announcements over the tannoy from the Wimbledon Men’s Final where Borg was playing McEnroe.Borg eventually lost after an absolutely epic struggle featuring two tie-breaks, (Borg losing for the first time since 1975, having won Wimbledon in 76,77,78, 78 and 80!) to huge cheers from the Lord’s public!!
Today, I don’t pay for Sky and nor do I listen to TMS anymore (which was a staple for me for decades) after the KP incidents (sick of listening to ECB mouthpieces like Smith, Agnew and the ‘Analyst’ Hughes). So I am left to follow the action here and cricinfo, which is sad… KP’s fightback in 2005 in his first Test innings was the first time I had seen any fightback against Australia since Botham in 1981. I will not have these nobodies ruin my memories.
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Interesting post. My first memory of a Test, was the 1994/5 SCG test match.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63665.html back when the SCG had the pivotal third test rather than the typical dead rubber that it is now.
I remember little to be honest except Atherton scoring plenty of runs which I can remember mostly because and a bunch of England Fans danced and chanted for what seemed like all day “Barmy Army, Ath-er-ton”. Actually looking at the card he batted for 329 minutes so it was basically all day. I believe it during this match where the Australian Media started talking about them and they more formally organized themselves selling Barmy Army T-shirts during the next test in Adelaide.
To be honest the one 4 years later to see Darren Gough take his hat trick was far more interesting.
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