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Viv’s Incredible 322 – 40 years on
Forty years ago on at 11.44am Saturday June 1st 1985, Isaac Vivian Richards (The King) made his way down the steps of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion and strode out to face the Warwickshire attack.
By the time the man who many consider the greatest batter to ever play for the county returned to the pavilion 4 hours and 54 minutes later, he had proceeded to score 322, to set a new individual batting record for Somerset beating the previous best of 310 set by Harold Gimblett against Sussex 37 years previously.
During the course of his innings, in which he faced 258 balls and hit 42 fours and eight 6s, Viv shared in three century partnerships. This included 122 for the second with Nigel Popplewell (55), 174 for the third with Richard Ollis (55) , and 183 for the fourth with Vic Marks who made 65.
However mere statistics cant begin to give an idea of that Viv’s innings was like so to find out more each of the three who enjoyed a century partnership shared their memories of that special day.
Vic Marks recalls: “I was captain in that game and I seem to remember that it was quite a lively pitch because Paul Bail got hit on the head early on so when Viv went into bat we were in effect 28 for two.
“The ball was zipping around and Gladstone Small was making it quite dangerous but Viv was playing like only he could and he got to his first century fairly quickly. By that time Norman Gifford was bowling and having got his century Viv was trying to hit him out of the ground and looking like he could get out any moment.
“Gifford then took himself off and brought Gladstone Small back and suddenly Viv was relishing the challenge of facing a lively bowler again and he became much more focussed, he didn’t take so many risks and started to play beautifully. When I went into join Viv the score was 324 for four, by which time he must have been close to 200. He was playing freely as I recall and then having gone past 200, the runs were coming so fast that he didn’t probably didn’t realise that he could be in for making three hundred.
“After a while I started to realise that he could get 300 and started thinking as he got closer was that I mustn’t run him out. I was quite keen to stay there while he got to his three hundred which I was. It was an innings of phases, starting with a challenge when the ball was doing a little bit and he had to work to get to his hundred, then there was a time when he was playing some horrible shots against Giff and it looked like he was going to get out. Then the quick bowlers came back and that got him focussed again and he then played beautifully.
“Viv was fun to bat with although he didn’t say a lot when you were at the other end. The glorious thing about batting with Viv was that he engaged with you, it wasn’t just about him and he would recognise that it was a partnership. You always felt you were in it together. You always sensed that when you were out there with Viv that he was right behind you as well, and in his own way encouraging you, providing you were doing your bit.”
Vic added: “Viv is the top batsman as far as I am concerned and he was of course an awesome player and a joy to bat with. He loved the grand occasion and it seemed to relax him.”
Nigel Popplewell, who opened the innings, remembers: “We always enjoyed playing against Warwickshire because they were a good group of guys.
“The Warwickshire keeper had been injured in the warm up and they had asked for a replacement to be sent down, but in the meantime David Brown who was their manager ended up keeping wicket to begin with. We’d had the first half hour of the game when the ball was flying about and Paul Bail has been carried off and then Nigel Felton was out next ball. Between then and lunch being taken we were whacking it around because by then the score has moved onto 140 odd. Shortly after the break I was out for 55.
“When I batted with Viv early on he didn’t give the impression that he was going to make a triple century and he had overs when he could have got out. The only bowler Warwickshire had who could make any inroads was Gladstone Small and he bowled well, which was good for Viv.
“Viv was good to bat with and it took the pressure off you. When he was in the mood Viv just took sides apart in a controlled way and it was fantastic to be out there batting with him.”
Nigel added: “Although Viv was a larger than life character and a fantastic bat you always treated him like a team mate.”
Richard Ollis, who came in with the score on 150 for two, recalls: “I didn’t get a hundred during my career for Somerset but that day I know that I should have because I was batting really well and being out there with Viv at the other end seemed to make it a lot easier. I remember Norman Gifford bowling and Viv hit him for a straight six into the pavilion even though he didn’t quite middle it. Norman said something to Viv and the next ball he bowled Viv hit right over the pavilion into the river.
“I was concentrating on my own innings but being there with Viv was something special- he was someone very different to anyone else and I still think he is the best player that I have ever seen. When he wanted to do it there was nobody like him. If he had the bit between his teeth then that was it. Norman Gifford was tempting him and Viv just kept on smacking the ball out of the ground.
“To be at the other end to such a fantastic player was just lovely for me and I was lucky enough to bat with him quite a few times which was nice.”
Richard added: “He was a good to me as young player and with him at the club along with Ian Botham and Joel Garner it was a great time to be at Somerset.”
In reply to Somerset’s first innings total of 566 for 5 declared the visitors made 442 for nine declared, Murray Turner claiming 4 for 74, and batting for a second time the hosts posted 226 for five declared. In their second innings Warwickshire had scored 181 for 2 before the game ended as a draw.
Viv’s 322 remained a Somerset record for 21 years before it was beaten by Justin Langer who made 342 against Surrey at Guildford in 2006, a score that was surpassed by Tom Banton earlier this season.
