On This Day - 1968 First Gillette Cup Win
Wed 27 May 2020
Leicestershire never seemed to have much luck in the ‘longer form’ limited over knock out competition, which until 1980 was sponsored by Gillette.
As they had finished last in the 1962 county championship, they had the ignominy of playing in the one and only Preliminary round the competition ever had. Even a century by Maurice Hallam could not stop them losing to Lancashire, and so they lost interest in the competition four months before the showpiece Lord’s Final.
Things got worse in 1964. As a new innovation, five Minor Counties participated in the first round, so a chance of an easy victory perhaps? No way. Leicestershire got a first round bye, and played Northamptonshire in a mid week 2nd round match at Grace Road. I remember running home from school at lunchtime, eager to discover the score. At that point Leicestershire were on the verge of being bowled out for 56, and Northamptonshire went on to win by 10 wickets, in a match that lasted just 40 overs.
Home games in 1965 and 1966 saw Leicestershire lose comfortably to Yorkshire and Surrey, and 1967 brought another defeat, this time at Taunton against Somerset. By this stage, five games, five defeats, and considering it was a 60 over competition, Leicestershire had failed to score 200 runs.
Once again, the draw in 1968 gave Leicestershire another first round bye, and avoid the Minor County banana skin. Somerset had been finalists in 1967, so must have fancied their chances when they saw they were drawn away at Grace Road. There was no play on the Saturday, and when the match began on the Monday, Somerset struggled on a wet wicket to score an inadequate 134. Roy Virgin, captain and opener scored 55 of these. Somerset included two Australians, the very old Bill Alley (whose estimated age was at least 50) in his final season, and the youthful Greg Chappell, barely 20, here to learn how to bat in English conditions and be a pain in England’s side for the next decade.
Current county President Jack Birkenshaw, Terry Spencer and Barry Knight, all took three wickets.
The wicket was still difficult, but Leicestershire had no better batsmen in such conditions than their openers, Maurice Hallam and Micky Norman. They put on 72, but with 11 overs to spare, Leicestershire were home, winning by 4 wickets.
How good it would be to give this story a happy ending! Leicestershire now found themselves through to the quarter finals, and a tie against Middlesex at Lord’s, and therefore two wins from returning there in the final. Middlesex scored an ‘average’ 231, with Graham Cross, making a rare appearance, taking 3 for 55. At 192 for 2, with 11 overs left, and needing 40 for victory and Clive Inman well set, Leicestershire appeared certain to win. At this point a slightly inebriated Leicestershire supporter was heard to shout ‘come on Middlesex, give us a game.’
However, Inman was run out and the last 8 wickets fell for 21 runs and Middlesex were home by 18. Cup glory was over for another year. It was enough to make a Leicestershire supporter cry. And how well I remember putting my head in my hands on hearing the news and doing just that!
Richard Holdridge - Club Historian
