In 2019 Brian Carpenter who writes a piece on cricket blogs for Wisden mentioned this one, pointing the way to some photos I snapped in 1978. Quite a number of them are on this site somewhere, or on twitter, but if you have come this way for a look, ‘a best of the bunch’ are collated here.
Many thanks go to Gary Sanford, a fellow sightscreen committee member from long ago, for his photo of the Dean Park pavilion above and also to the ‘unknown developer’. In the 1970s when rolls of film were sent off to be developed, it was not too difficult to imagine that some of those doing the processing also followed the game, certainly in a couple of cases an enlargement returned was an improvement on the original.
Hove 19th June One of the iconic settings for county cricket then, and now, and happily still ‘a ground’. Turn left out of Hove station on a Monday morning and where better to start an extended cricket-watching holiday?
The Oval 16th July A Sunday League game: two ICC Greats, Barry Richards and Andy Roberts, John Edrich, together with David Turner. Umpire Tom Spencer, who three years earlier had officiated in the first World Cup,
Northlands Road, Southampton 5th August A relaxed-looking Geoffrey Boycott in front of a full pavilion, hosting a good many tykes on tour. Photograph taken from 40-50 yards away, the awareness of its subject having prompted his response.
Clarence Park, Weston 10th August A shaft of sun light giving a terrestrial-celestial aspect to the cricket; some of the other snaps of Viv Richards taken that afternoon show just what a colossus he was and a dominating presence in this one certainly.
Dean Park, Bournemouth 23rd August Dennis Amiss batting for Warwickshire, a pioneer user of helmets that summer when their use was ‘controversial’. A man apart rather because of it, generations of cricketers since have had reason to be grateful to him.
Northlands Road, 27th August Gordon Greenidge playing against Kent in a SL game. The Hants Handbook for the year records his frustration with only making 51, a century in each innings followed when the Championship fixture resumed the following day.
Dean Park 3rd September Richard Gilliat with the JPL trophy. A happy ending for a batsman who walked, and who had reached the the end of his playing career that year. Not everything about cricket celebrations in the 1970s was better then, but they did connect players with ‘ordinary’ supporters, and hopefully some in the picture still follow the game. For those who do QoS, is the partly obscured figure behind ‘RMC’ a recognisable one?