John Winter’s highly informative and  good natured account of the cricketing summer of 1975  should bring back happy memories to many of its readers, a time when the County Championship and Sunday League were played throughout the season. The year of cricket’s first World Cup, Clive Lloyd lifting the trophy in fading light is one of the game’s iconic images, in the domestic season a snow affected game at Buxton in June, another.

For Hants, the high was a first Sunday League win at another Derbyshire outground, Darley Dale.  A brilliant, intoxicating Barry Richards century the week before the set up for the win-win trophy finale: 28 of us paying £3.20 made the trip on a coach that started out early from Swanage. John White, a kindly voice on the county’s PA  for many seasons, and a mother and infant sitting near the front, behind 25 from Dean Court Supporters Club who had born witness to a 1-0 home defeat to Donny Rovers the day before. Different times; the cricket, the Square and Compass pub, home in time for breakfast and then 50 years of warm recalls among those who went.

Was the Hants team of the 1970s that won that trophy the finest  in the county’s history? It’s the view put forward by John Winter, even if the trophy count might have been greater, but luck, small margins at times in modern parlance. Personally, the last decade of the Arlott era, he retired in 1980, was the best watch: opening bats for the ages, teammates with the nature to later become coaches and teachers, and on Sundays thick forests of outfield games during intervals actively encouraged by the county’s management.

Somerset v Hants in 1978 at Clarence Park, what Viv Richards was looking towards as seen in 2024.

While the facilities at outgrounds could certainly  be a tad basic, they kept the game kept  local, and  connected between players and supporters, John Rice’s dad one who gave generously in boundary conversations. A decade when watching the  best was affordable to folks with limited financial  means, a world with some claims to be better certainly, long gone. But taking a cue from David Harkins it’s good to smile that 1975 ever was.