My scurried 33 and one appalling over played second fiddle to late drama and Viv Richards’s brilliance that put us in the final
On 16 August 1978, Taunton’s little County Ground was packed and the gates were locked until the chairman of the club, Herbie Hoskins, decided to reopen them. Herbie was a local farmer from Sparkford, a village just off the A303 not so far from Yeovil – if that helps – and he worked on the time-honoured principle that one should make hay while the sun shines.
Somerset were playing Essex in the semi-final of the Gillette Cup, so the prospect of a capacity Lord’s final was on the horizon. Neither side had ever won a trophy of any sort. What followed was probably the best one-day match I ever played in; if not my favourite it was certainly the most agonising since so much seemed to be at stake.
Written by Vic Marks
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/19/my-favourite-game-somerset-v-essex-1978-gillette-cup-semi-final-cricket under the title “My favourite game: Somerset v Essex, 1978 Gillette Cup semi-final”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
