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You've got a free rein with this one, no decade limitations. Just give us your favourite, not the one that necessarily did the most for Notts or had the best stats as an International, just who is/was your favourite Nottinghamshire player ever.
Not always totally serious and by fans for the fans of Notts Outlaws and Nottinghamshire CCC. Why not contribute yourself; write a review, article, photographs, statistics or to have a whine. Contact methods are shown above. Publication does not necessarily mean agreement with comments, but if it makes just one person smile then it can't all be bad. No offence is ever intended, just a smile. Words are just opinions and not certified facts.
Wow ! Derek for sure !
ReplyDeleteThis is almost impossible to narrow down to just one, so whilst I'm piecing it all together I will mention the Nottinghamshire legend that is Shoaib"never played a game"Akhtar. Remember seeing a few "Shoaib 100 MPH" replica shirts walking around the ground, who sadly never saw the Rawalpindi Express actually sling a ball down in anger.
ReplyDeleteMonsieur Randall for sure..
ReplyDeleteObvious runners and riders are Rice, Hadlee, Jonno, Sax,Frank, The Hussmeister & Fleming.
Franklyn rather.
DeleteThis will surprise many but I'm going for someone from the modern era who as per the title of his autobiography had his career cut short. James"Titch"Taylor no less. Not only would he have gone on to become a top international player on the odd occasion I spoke to him was very polite and unassuming.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really deserve a voice as a Lancashire fan even though I have been a Notts member. Not sure my choice would qualify anyway since I never saw him in the flesh play for Notts but I did see him in the flesh play for the West Indies a couple of times. Sobers ; beyond compare.
ReplyDeleteYou do absolutely deserve a voice lanky des, how can anybody not say Gary sobers really?The poise, the elegance, the grace, the fluidity of movement and all round skill( and that was just watching him put his kit in the car at stumps)there probably has never been better and he played for Notts.
DeleteYes FRBB ; Thanks for the support there. Had that very difficult to define quality of presence that leaps out at you as soon as you walk into the ground and see such cricketers in the middle.
DeleteI have seen suggestions in discussions for Jacques Kallis as the best all-rounder of all time. A very fine cricketer but nobody who ever saw the two play would ever make that suggestion. It’s about more than statistics.
Having been a Notts Member for many years I have seen all the great players batting ,bowling and fielding on the Trent Bridge manicured baize . The player who has given me the most pleasure has been Richard Hadlee, followed by Clive Rice and Derek Randall .
ReplyDeleteRichard Hadlee was always a pleasure to watch . He had a beautifully smooth , almost effortless bowling action . Still very effective in later years when he shortened his run up .Who would you want to see coming into bat at number 6 or 7 ? Regardless of the match circumstances I would always plump for Hadlee even above the ever reliable Chris Read . Hadlee could occupy the crease if required to but was also capable of very fast scoring . He hit many an enormous six at the right time for Notts .
Looking back ,its amazing to think we had Hadlee bowling from one end and aggressive Clive Rice at the other . With Groundsman Ron Allsopp "knowing" how to produce a suitable wicket for our " quicks " its amazing how many County matches were almost won by lunch of the first day ! Just look at some match statistics of the time they bowled together ,which was quite considerable .
Hadlee wore a peculiar type of helmet in his latter years . It was an all white one similar to one worn by motor cyclists. When he left Notts for good I tried to obtain the helmet as a souvenir but someone else beat me to it .
Other Notts players who have given me great pleasure include Franklyn Stephenson ( saw him complete the famous 100 wkts/1000 runs double at TB) - Mark Ealham - always a joy to watch - Hussey of course -Samit Patel Notts through and through- Broad and Robinson batting together - and we must not forget K.P.!? Not a big team player but must have felt like he was the only batsman in the side on occasions ?
I could go on -but HADLEE is the man for me .
THERE HAS BEEN A PRETTY DISAPPOINTING RESPONSE TO THIS THREAD !
COME ON NOTTS FANS - GET BEHIND NOTTSVIEW AND MAKE A VALID CONTRIBUTION !!
Do it now !
That promise that Dave Hussey would return has been another of the great Mick Newell let downs that have surrounded his tenure. Dave Hussey fabulous player.
ReplyDeleteYes Dixy, I always say he must be the best player to never play test cricket ? It's worth everyone reminding ourselves of just how good his record is for Notts in the seasons he played for us. He also played in that entertaining style. Always recall one innings in particular around 2006 I think when we were playing the Essex boys and apart from the bowler and keeper at times the other nine fielders were on the boundary and he was still hitting sixes. Looked like he would be only the second player to hit a triple century for us but think he holed out twenty odd short. An astonishing innings.
DeleteBasher Hassan
ReplyDeleteLike most of you I follow the club up and down the country. I speak to many opposition fans. There’s one name that usually comes up first. If not first then third. It usually goes Randall, Hadlee and rice.ofcourse the best player is not necessarily your favourite player.but in dereks case it’s generally pretty near to it.pietersen though a very very fine player I can’t think of as “Notts” and will
ReplyDeleteNever be truly loved despite his extraordinary skills .
LankyDes, you're ALWAYS most welcome on this forumn. You're a very knowledgeable cricket fan and exactly who we want to hear from. it don't matter you're a Lancashire fan you're opinion on Nottsview is greatly appreciated. Being born in 1968 I never saw Sir Gary play, saw Jacques Kallis on many occasions and a brilliant player. But yes, from what I've read and seen on TV Sobers had that mystical ingredient of pure magic in addition to his performances and stats. Keep posting Lanky !!!!!
ReplyDeleteAll are welcome, even our friends from Derby. My own personal favourite Notts player is Sir Richard.
ReplyDeleteWhat, Sir Richard Logan ?
Deleteno, Daft of course - HB Daft's dad
DeleteHadlee
Lol sir richard logan.probably comes under the category of things have to get worse before they get better.
ReplyDeleteAs other contributors have said, "favourite" is not the same as "greatest", but my favourite without a doubt is Derek, although I'd sooner see him field than bat (I seem to remember Ed Balls said much the same thing on TMS). Another favourite from the same era who no one has mentioned is Mike Harris, who would have scored more runs if he hadn't had to double up as a wicket keeper.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest Notts player ever? Well, no William Clarke would mean no Trent Bridge, so perhaps it
should be him, but there are a number of candidates from the 19th century: Shaw, Shrewsbury and William Gunn, for example. My grandfather, who saw the 1929 side would have said Harold Larwood in less time than it took England's fastest ever bowler (the only one whose memory Fred Trueman deferred to) to propel a ball down the wicket.
From my era though and despite everything that Sir Richard achieved (and without Hadlee I don't believe that Notts would have actually won anything), the greatest Notts player is Clive Rice. To understand why, you have to appreciate how hopeless the team was and had been for a generation in all forms of cricket - think of the 2019 season repeated endlessly, like some cycle of purgatory, not just in the county championship but in limited overs too. When Sobers left (and I am so glad that no one has nominated him) and Clive arrived, we started to compete again.
'Bomber' Wells!!! - a legend. Everything a cricketer would not be today!!!
ReplyDeleteA former neighbour of mine, a great bloke, RIP.
ReplyDeleteYou must of lived in ruddo . He spent the whole of the 1960 s and 70s waiting for the number 14 or 54 bus outside our house.
DeleteBefore my time as a player, correct me if I’m wrong but it’s him that started the Nottingham cricket lovers society I think.
You must have lived on Wilford Road then. You are correct in both of your deductions.
ReplyDeleteI did.although I left there in 1976 my late mother continued to live there until about 5 years ago.
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