That Trent Bridge moment on July 29 1977: Notts hero Derek Randall (far left) gives up his wicket after being called for an impossible run by Geoff Boycott (above). Bowler Jeff Thompson (top left) has lobbed the ball to wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh, who is about to run out Randall for 13. The two batsmen’s partnership in the second innings was a happier affair – they hit the runs that won the 3rd Test .
Right: The Randall the fans wanted to see, in typical crowd-pleasing form
former. “Go back to Yorkshire” was the politest thing heard from the Notts members in the front of the pavilion. What Derek Randall didn’t know was that the gods were against him. Eight Nottinghamshire players had appeared in an Ashes Test at Trent Bridge before him and all had failed. We didn’t know this in 1977, but like those eight, Randall would never appear again in a Test v Australia at Trent Bridge. The frank explanation was simply that the selectors didn’t know what to do with Randall. He was England’s best fielder, but no one had devised statistics to calculate how many runs Randall saved in the field. When Australia came again to England in 1981, Randall was ignored for the whole series, but he was picked to go on the 1982/83 England tour to Australia and scored 78 and 115 in the first Test – easily England’s best batsman in the match! If you were not one of the 90,000 total
‘Randall’s attitude at the crease and especially in the field had been a breath of fresh air’
who attended the 1977 Trent Bridge Test, I’d better very briefly summarise the rest of the game. Boycott batted out the whole day and went on for more than an hour on the Saturday. He had been at the wicket 419 minutes and scored 107 runs. England’s saviour was really Alan Knott, who came in at No.7 and scored 135.
England gained a first innings lead of 121 and bowling Australia all out in their second innings for 309, won the match by seven wickets. Derek Randall did hit the winning run, again batting with Geoff Boycott. Boycott did make a public apology on television for his running out Nottingham’s favourite, but the act itself has never been forgotten.
Since Derek Randall two further Notts
cricketers have appeared in Ashes Tests at Trent Bridge – Tim Robinson in 1985, when he became the first Notts player to hit a fifty in the series, but he would be the first to note that his score of 77 not out was made in England’s second innings, with the game effectively dead. In 1989 it was the off-spinner Eddie Hemmings’ turn to try to beat the curse. Sadly he failed to take a wicket and the bitter memory of the Australian batsmen Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor batting right through the first day’s play, the total closing at 301 for none, then at the end of the second day the total being 560 for five, is another grim statistic – England lost by an innings and a lot! Australia have played Test Matches at Trent Bridge since Hemmings appearance, in 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005 but the selectors have carefully chosen to set aside the old adage ‘horses for courses’– and looking at the record, one can scarcely blame them.
Forgiven! Ten years after the run-out that enraged Notts cricket followers, Geoff Boycott returns to Nottingham in 1987 to sign copies of his autobiography at Hudsons Bookshop.
But surely next summer, one of our present heroes, Graeme Swann or Stuart Broad, will play and change the world.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE TODAY 137
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