Millns and Smith share memories

Leicestershire County Cricket Club welcomed County Championship winning duo David Millns and Ben Smith back to the Fischer County Ground this afternoon.

Millns and Smith attended the first lunch of the Friends of Grace Road (FoGR) winter programme to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the 1996 County Championship winning team.

The two cricketers were also part of Leicestershire’s successful side of 1998 and told a number of stories about their careers, including fond memories of the leadership of now England National Selector James Whitaker.

“Jimmy (James Whitaker) was a new captain and handed the bowlers the responsibility. We had quite a senior group and it worked really well,” said Millns.

Smith added: “Jimmy gave everyone the chance to speak, and I always felt confident in expressing an opinion. I never felt under any pressure in the dressing room.”

Millns also recalled one afternoon in June 1996 watching Whitaker pile on the runs in his native Yorkshire.

“I remember walking around the boundary in front of a big crowd at Bradford with Alan Mullally, we were racking up over 600 on a flat deck as Vince Wells and Jimmy (James Whitaker) got big scores,” he said.

“When we got to 450, there were a few voices coming from the crowd and one of them said ‘you need to declare, you’ll never bowl us out twice on this wicket’. Alan (Mullally) replied that it wouldn’t be a problem and we’d win inside three days – and that’s exactly what happened!”

Millns was best known for bowling and Smith for batting but the duo each recalled stories about them carrying out the other discipline of the game.

Smith said: “One day I remember turning up to the ground quite early one morning and there was Millnsy (David Millns) already out on the field with Birky (Jack Birkenshaw). He was fully padded up and expecting us to bowl at him!”

Millns said: “There were occasions – although they got rarer as the seasons went on – that we would be 60-6 and I’d be expected to face Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Allan Donald and get us out of the mire, so I wanted our quick bowlers to bowl at me in preparation.

“But instead of getting Alan Mullally or James Ormond, I tended to get Ben coming in and bowling off a few paces so I was making a point! Instead I had to wait an hour and a half to have a hit after the batsmen had been in," he added with a smile.

All of the experience of bowling to the left-handed Millns in the nets at Grace Road stood Smith in good stead in later years when facing a former colleague from England under 19s.

“I remember bowling to Mark Butcher at the Kia Oval when I was at Worcestershire and although it was during a period of declaration bowling, we were behind the clock in the era where over rate point penalties had just come in,” said Smith.

“We were trying to give them 15-20 an over and also not lose any time but there was hardly anybody watching that day and they kept smashing the ball into the stands.

“It was taking an age to find the ball among the empty seats so I ended up putting the fielders around the boundary edge. That way, they could run and jump into the stands and throw it back quicker.

“Butch had just hit a six and absolutely creamed a drive, I turned around to get back to my mark quickly in anticipation of the fielder finding it quickly and the next thing there was a shout from the boundary. He’d hit to the one fielder at deep extra cover and became one of my four first-class victims!”

The FoGR, the club and everybody at the lunch would like to thank David and Ben for kindly donating their time and doing the Q&A this afternoon, it was much appreciated.

* The FoGR are holding further lunches on Friday, February 3 and Friday, March 3. Lunches will be served in the Charles Palmer Suite at 12.30pm with the Fox Bar open for refreshments from 12 noon.

Our delicious three-course lunches represent excellent value at £16.95 per person and places can be reserved by calling 0116 283 2128 or emailing Events Manager Melanie Squires at melaniesquires@leicestershireccc.co.uk