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Black History Month: Memories of Sir Viv
October is Black History Month.
The event gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture.
Over the last few years, Somerset County Cricket Club, The Somerset Cricket Foundation and the Somerset African Caribbean Network have come together to celebrate African Caribbean culture in the region.
Somerset CCC has long had an association with West Indian cricketers, with the likes of Joel Garner, Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle representing the Club with distinction. However, it is Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards who is generally considered to have been the greatest of all time.
As part of this collaboration, visitors to the Cooper Associates County Ground were invited to share their memories of Sir Viv.
Here is a selection of what our Members and supporters remembered about the Master Blaster:
TONY: I was a member of Lansdown Cricket Club and I was delighted to have been picked for the First XI for the first match of the season. The team had been picked on the Monday and on the Wednesday evening we were introduced to a young man from Antigua who had been brought over to be assistant groundsman at the club and possibly to qualify for Somerset the following year.
Because there was no room in the First Team that weekend he played for the Seconds at Weston-super-Mare. When they cam back after the match we asked the Second XI Captain what this new player was like. “Oh, quite good,” he said. “He took five wickets and ran out two people. They were all out for just over 50, and he was 35 not out when we won by eight wickets.”
Not surprisingly, I was in the Seconds the following week and this new player, whose name was Viv Richards, took my place in the Firsts!
MARK: I was sat with my friend in The Old Pavilion as a guest of Brian Rose when Viv’s hand came over my shoulder and pinched my cheese and pickle sandwich, which he then ate!
COLIN: I was introduced to Viv on the Committee balcony. He was padded up and waiting to bat against Sussex. Viv was very relaxed and chatted for more than 20 minutes before the wicket fell. He was a real gentleman!
ALAN: Somerset visited to play our local village team at Kidmore End near Reading. He signed photos Garner and Botham. It was great to see famous players on a village green.
NICK: I was just in awe of his talent. I remember watching on TV. He was a brilliant batsman and bowler.
KEITH: I loved watching Viv bashing it around all over the place on Sunday afternoon. He just batted in a different way to anyone else.
JAMES: I remember him warming up against the advertising hoardings at Clarence Park. The sound of bat on ball was just different from mere mortals!
TREVOR: I was at home scoring every ball of the 1976 Test match at The Oval in my own scorebook. Viv scored 291 and I’ve still got the scorebook. I was 14 or 15.
NATALIE: I remember watching him on TV and thinking what a talented and striking figure he was. I loved his accent and his laugh too!
NIGEL: I could not believe cricket could be played that way. Such explosive batting.
STEPHEN: He was fantastic, fearless and inspirational.
MALCOLM: I played against Viv at Lansdowne and Trowbridge. He scored 101 at Trowbridge and 120 not out at Lansdowne! He went on to become the best cricketer in the world.
GEOFF: On leaving the pitch, having been out for 322, he stopped at the pavilion gate and signed our son’s bat. What a player!
You can find out more about the Somerset Cricket Foundation and the Somerset African Caribbean Network by using the links below:
