Charles Randall: Surrey asked for assurance over fair play in finale (18 September 1997)

Thursday 18 September 1997

Surrey asked for assurance over fair play in finale

By Charles Randall

PAUL SHELDON, Surrey`s chief executive, had to give assurances to the England Cricket Board yesterday that his county`s attitude would be beyond reproach during the championship match against Kent, which starts at Canterbury today.

After the news wires had announced that Graham Thorpe had been "rested" - the fourth Surrey regular to withdraw - Tim Lamb, the ECB`s chief executive, raised the matter with Sheldon during a routine meeting at Lord`s.

There had been concern over the angry remark made by Dave Gilbert, Surrey`s coach who will be leaving the county at the end of next month. Gilbert said that Glamorgan would receive "no favours" in Surrey`s final match against Kent - af- ter a sour draw at the Oval two weeks ago.

Kent lie one point behind Glamorgan, the leaders, with an improved chance of taking maximum points against Sur- rey. That would force Glamorgan to emulate them against Somerset at Taunton.

Sheldon pointed out that Thorpe had a genuine injury, a sore shoulder that needed a second week of rest. "It`s a very important match, and we`re raring to go," he said.

"Tim Lamb had a word with me to say that, while David Gilbert`s comments had been misunderstood, could he take it from me that Surrey would be trying as hard as they ever did. And I said: `Absolutely`.

"It is most unfortunate the comments have been coupled with the fact that we have injuries to four key players. I am very keen to get the right message across."

Thorpe`s injury will end his chances of winning the Whyte & Mackay national batting rankings, which place the Eng- land left-hander second in a race with Mark Ramprakash for the -L10,000 first prize. Even the third prize of -L5,000 could now elude him.

The Canterbury contest was to some extent balanced by the loss of Kent`s best new-ball attack - Martin McCague and Dean Headley - through injury and the departure of Paul Strang to play for Zimbabwe.

The absence of Thorpe has increased Surrey`s burden, with Martin Bicknell, Chris Lewis and Adam Hollioake, the captain, already out through injury. A fifth absentee, Saqlain Mushtaq, is with Pakistan.

Gilbert, the Australian coach who steered Surrey to the AXA Life League and Benson and Hedges Cup, will not renew his contract at the Oval as he wants to pursue a career in cricket administration, almost certainly in England.

"All I am trying to do is better myself," he said. "After five years of coaching you really do run out of inspiration and enthusiasm."

All hotels in Taunton and in towns for miles around seem to be fully booked for Glamorgan`s final match, which will decide the destiny of the title.

A tide of Welsh folk is due to descend on the cramped County Ground, hoping to hail Glamorgan as champions.

The crowd at Taunton, however, will not number anything like the 10,000 who swamped Cardiff in 1969 for their previ- ous county title, or experience the emotion felt among the throng at Bournemouth for Glamorgan`s maiden success in 1948.

BBC Wales have installed their camera positions for to- day`s start, and there is one man in the commentary box who will be experiencing the next four days more intently than most Welshmen present - Don Shepherd, a member of the 1969 side. Shepherd was the senior professional when victory in the final match against Worcestershire secured the title in the same year that Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle.

Tony Lewis, the captain, once recalled how he and Shepherd sought each other out, hugged and walked off together through the crowd gathering on the field after the Worcestershire victory.

Lewis said in the club`s history: "We had hit near perfection - his caution, control and devoted professionalism, and my own musketeering instincts with a team of many skills and adaptability." Shepherd, 70, added a more pragmatic view yesterday: "There wasn`t much we didn`t do between us."

Matthew Maynard, also a musketeer, similarly has Duncan Fletcher, the new Zimbabwean coach to assist him - in a modern shell-suited way - with Hugh Morris and Waqar Younis, a Pakistan captain, as senior players.

At least this Glamorgan side have not had to endure the intensity of the penultimate match in 1969, when a onerun win over Essex, thanks to the run-out of John Lever, more or less settled the title`s destiny.

Glamorgan`s penultimate match this year too was Essex, in Cardiff again. They won that one handsomely.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)