In the summer of 1966 Tom Graveney was 39 years old and hadn’t played Test cricket for three years. Like many a professional sportsman, he had decided to provide for his retirement by opening a sports shop – Tom Graveney Sports – in Redditch, Worcestershire, where I went to school.
One day, a friend and I stayed on after school to play tennis; it must have been early June, and we had just finished our A-levels. When we got to the tennis courts we realised we had forgotten to bring any balls. No matter, Tom’s shop was just up the road.
So we strolled along in the late afternoon sunshine and walked into the shop to find, to our amazement, our hero himself standing behind the counter. Rather poignantly, he was watching a small portable television that was showing England being bowled out for 167 by the West Indies in the first Test at Old Trafford. The next day, West Indies completed a victory by an innings and 40 runs.
After that poor performance, two weeks later Tom was recalled for the second Test at Lord’s, where he made 96 in England’s first innings. He went on to average 76 in the series, and, to our delight, held his place in the side until he finished his Test career at 41.
