Needham's game to remember

 By Mike Latham

The sad news of Robin Jackman’s passing on Christmas Day reminded me of a famous game in which he played, the scorecard of which I found after a frantic loft search.

Jackman was a fine bowler for Surrey, winning England honours, famously nicknamed the Shoreditch Sparrow by the brilliant cricket-writer Alan Gibson in The Times.

Jackman, in 1982, was playing what proved his final season in England and my abiding memory is of him with the bat, not the ball.

This was also Andy Needham’s match.

It seemed just like another routine County Championship match at Old Trafford.

Lancashire v Surrey, Saturday 10 July 1982. Sunday League game the following day, days two and three of the county game to continue Monday and Tuesday. Simple. It’s how life was.

Of the Surrey side that played only Sylvester Clarke is missing from this team photo of the era. Back row (left to right): Bamber, Needham, Payne, Thomas, Wilson, Pauline, Lynch, Clinton, Hamer, Gibson. Front row: Smith, Intikhab Alam, Pocock, Roope, Knight, Stewart, Jackman, Howarth, Butcher, Richards.

Surrey batted first- and struggled. ‘Flat Jack’ Simmons, introduced into the Lancashire attack in the fifth over pinned opener Duncan Pauline lbw, sweeping, 6-1.

Grahame Clinton looped a catch off a defensive bat to cover, c Hayes b O’Shaughnessy (17-2), captain Roger Knight superbly caught at first slip off O’Shaughnessy by his opposite number, Clive Lloyd, 39-3.

Monte Lynch lbw O’Shaughnessy for a duck, 47-4, Kiwi Geoff Howarth, who’s hit five fours and looked comfortable, caught behind by Chris Maynard off Ian Folley for 29 (53-5). Hornby Stand, housing some of Lancashire’s most faithful supporters in raptures when Graham Roope caught bad pad by Graeme Fowler off Simmons (62-6). Time for lunch.

David Thomas, lbw Gary Speak, a Blackrod lad who opened the Lancashire bowling, 74-7.

Finally, resistance down the order. Wicketkeeper Jack Richards, no batting credentials of which to boast so far, highest score 63, joined by 25-year-old off-spinner Andy Needham, highest score 21. The Lancashire supporters rubbed their hands.

Unexpected resistance, stand of 76, dominated by Richards, showcasing the batting potential that made him an England wicketkeeper/bat. Ten fours, victim of the occasional off-spin of John Abrahams, caught and bowled for 63, 152-8. Sylvester Clarke came and went, caught behind off a half-hearted defensive edge, Abrahams, unbelievably on a hat-trick. Last man Robin Jackman repelled it, batted solidly. Needham, meanwhile, was growing in confidence, showing a solid range of attacking shots, the pair rotating the strike. Tea 191-9 off 93 overs. A good recovery.

The last session purgatory for the home side as Needham batted on, Jackman supporting him like any good, experienced pro would in the circumstances. As the shadows lengthened Surrey closed 260-9 off 121 overs, Needham 94 not out, Jackman undefeated on 38.

Sunday must have been a long day for Andy Needham, pondering his first first-class hundred. As county games were in those days, Sunday was all about the 40-over competition, the John Player League.

It was a mediocre game off memory, Surrey 172 all out, Jack Richards top-scorer with 52 off 34 balls in the middle order, Roope 35, Bernard Reidy, called up for the one-day game 4-28. Clive Lloyd steered Lancashire to a straightforward win by seven wickets, undefeated on 61, Needham 3-41 with his off spin in a losing cause.

Monday morning, a small crowd gathered at 11am, the retired and the work shy’s numbers boosted by students and school children on holiday. Needham on strike, single off Speak’s fourth ball taking him to 95.

Next over- O’Shaughnessy to Needham. Fourth ball, 4. 99. Sixth ball, 4. Maiden hundred. Handshakes all round, applause from the boundary, 248 minutes, 286 balls, nine fours.

The stand went on, just one short of the Surrey tenth wicket record of 173, established by Andy Ducat and Andy Sandham against Essex at Leyton in 1921 when Jackman was bowled, middle and leg by Hughes, heaving for 60. Needham 134 not out, 14 fours, Surrey 324 all out.

Later he kindly signed my scorebook. I always tried to get my ‘hundreds’ signed.

Needham’s day just got better. Lancashire 249 all out, only thanks to a quite superb 124 from the left-handed John Abrahams, batting at six, Needham 5-91 off 30.3 overs, a second career best in a day. The wickets of Hughes, O’Shaughnessy, Simmons, Folley and, finally, Abrahams, caught at point by Howarth.

Just enough time for the Surrey second innings to begin before nightfall, Needham sent in to accompany Pauline as opener. Single off the last ball of Speak’s first over, but as Simmons opened the Lancashire attack, popping the fourth ball to silly point, c Abrahams b Simmons 1.  Jackman came in as the second nightwatchman as Surrey closed 3 for 1 off 4 overs, 78 ahead.

The final day saw Jackman bat superbly again, finally out stumped by Chris Maynard off David Lloyd for 68. Surrey reached 176-7 off 64 overs before Knight declared, Roope undefeated on 49, Simmons 5-57.

Rumours had already circulated around the ground that Needham and his mate Pauline had celebrated his extraordinary Monday too hard, breaking a curfew. The two players were both suspended for the forthcoming Natwest Trophy tie against Northants by manager Micky Stewart.

The scorecard of a famous game

Suitably chastened Needham took the field with a Surrey side that had set Lancashire a challenging target of 252 to win in 100 minutes and 20 overs. Clive Lloyd was brilliant, imperiously leading his side towards their target, 76 in a shade under an hour, ten fours, one six, his sixth wicket stand of 88 with the in-form Abrahams (58) decisive. Last over, Lancashire 3 to win, Abrahams run out attempting a quick single off the third ball, Simmons making the winning hit with two balls remaining.

Needham? 15 overs, two for 113. Back to reality. As it was for me. Work on Wednesday after four great days at the cricket.

Needham had a glorious run in 1985, three centuries, 132 v Notts, 124 v Zimbabweans, 138 v Warwickshire, all at the Oval. To the surprise of many he left soon after for Middlesex and his career fizzled out, though he later performed well for Hertfordshire in the Minor Counties. Just over 3,000 first-class runs at 23, 123 wickets at 43 a modest haul for the talent he showed in what, for him, was a game to remember.