From Grace Road to Glory: 1975 | How Leicestershire Became the Kings of Cricket
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Tim Murray
"Leicestershire Cricket Kings" proclaimed a banner at Queen's Park, Chesterfield, during the final game of the 1975 season - and that was no idle boast.
County won the game by 135 runs and in the process clinched the Championship title for the first time. That crowned a glorious season in which they also won the Benson & Hedges Cup and beat the touring Australians in a three-day match while the Seconds won the under-25 competition.
A full member's ticket for the year cost £5.50 and those who bought one were served up memories to last a lifetime.
Championship games were all three-day affairs in those days. Secretary-manager Mike Turner, with a view to boosting membership by ensuring that there was a good chunk of play after the working day ended, laid down standard hours of 11.30am to 7pm for the first two days. What the scorecard termed luncheon was at 1.45pm. The final session began at 5pm and around that time there was usually a steady stream of spectators into the ground.
The side, put together astutely by Turner and led brilliantly by Ray Illingworth, were undoubtedly the dominant force in English cricket.
They were a team of all the talents and the key to their extraordinary success was the glut of all-rounders. There were four spinners - Illingworth, Jack Birkenshaw, John Steele and Chris Balderstone - and all four were virtual automatic selections as batters and bowlers.
In addition the regular holders of the last three spots in the batting order - pace bowlers Norman McVicker, Graham McKenzie and Ken Higgs - all played crucial innings. Barry Dudleston, John Steele, Balderstone and Brian Davison scored well over 1,000 runs, while Illingworth and wicket-keeper Roger Tolchard both averaged more than 45 with the bat.
Grace Road fans gained their first few glimpses of David Gower during the second half of the season but the star of the show was Davison, who was then in his fifth year in the side. By this stage he had become a high-class batsman who, blessed with immensely strong forearms, regularly pulverised opposition attacks and provided marvellous entertainment.
The season did not start well and, after only one win and five draws in their first six matches, Leicestershire were next to bottom of the Championship. However, then they had three home games in succession and won them all. That was the start of an astonishing run. Their final 13 games brought two draws, one defeat and 10 victories including a closing sequence of six wins on the trot.
They played with style and confidence and won a succession of cliffhangers with exciting finishes. The one setback was at The Oval where they followed-on but eventually lost to Surrey by one wicket despite Illingworth taking a hat-trick.
The first trophy was secured in mid-July with a five-wicket win over Middlesex in the B&H final at Lord's. In a game of few batting highlights, Middlesex were all out for 146 and Leicestershire won in the 52nd of their 55 overs with both sides scoring at less than three an over.
Six days later they clinched a thrilling and vital Championship win over Warwickshire on the Courtaulds ground at Coventry where last pair Tolchard and Higgs needed 35 off the final five overs and got them with four balls to spare.
The following morning the Australians arrived at Grace Road. Ian Chappell was captain of the touring party but, although he played in the game, his brother Greg skippered the visitors.
There was a large marquee inside the fence near The Meet and Davison, playing one of his finest innings, peppered the boundary around it on his way to 189 in County's 370.
The Aussies, keen to make a game of it, declared on 313-4. On the final day Illingworth responded with a declaration on 217-2, setting a target of 275 in 280 minutes.
The Aussies made a rapid start but Leicestershire's second-team scorer Sid Chamberlain had good news for the home fans. At that time the roof of the Charles Palmer Suite was a viewing area for members. Chamberlain climbed up to this lofty perch and announced that legendary Australian radio commentator Alan McGilvray thought Leicestershire would win.
Doug Walters hit 102 not out but the spinners worked their magic and, when Dudleston ran out Alan Hurst to claim the ninth wicket with 32 runs still wanted, the normally undemonstrative Illingworth danced a jig of delight. His optimism was justified because No.11 Jim Higgs was bowled first ball by Balderstone and that was the only delivery he faced during the three-month tour.
That landmark triumph was the springboard for a glorious run-in. The crunch came with three successive away games.
At Northampton a superb unbroken stand of 119 between Steele and Balderstone sealed a nine-wicket win on a turning pitch which produced a low-scoring game.
The next match at Trent Bridge looked to be heading for a draw until an inspired spell by McKenzie brought a sudden end to Nottinghamshire's second innings and Dudleston stroked a rapid 125 not out to seal an eight-wicket victory with minutes to spare.
The next stop was Tunbridge Wells where hosts Kent were still in the running for the title. This was another low-scoring affair with Illingworth eventually spinning Leicestershire to a tense 18-run success. He was helped by an unbroken stand of 136 - more than twice as many as any other partnership in the game - between Nos. 9 and 10 McVicker and McKenzie.
Middlesex were swept aside by eight wickets in the final home match, meaning only Lancashire could overhaul Leicestershire in the final round of games.
County slipped to 77-6 on the first morning at Chesterfield before they rallied to 226, earning a first-innings lead of 15 over Derbyshire. During the second afternoon it became clear that Lancashire had not gained enough bonus points at Hove to stay in the title race and Leicestershire had ended their 96-year wait for a Championship title.
The next article in the series will look at the career of Chris Balderstone and his unique exploits in the Championship-clinching victory at Chesterfield.
