Hi everyone!
A couple of years ago in June 2017 The
Clock of Life told the tale – on his 65th birthday – of a Young
Boy’s first game of club cricket, exactly 50 years before in June 1967.
All the classic ingredients, of course.
The debutant on
strike.
The game going to the
last ball; the Death Ball.
One wicket left, 3
runs to win.
Dad watching - impassively - from the Long Off boundary.
Watching from the Long Off boundary
I’ll let you look up the blog & read just what happened next …
The blog went on to tell how the Young Boy was taken under the wing of The Hawks’ Sunday XI captain, Des Hitch.
A retired semi-professional footballer for Eastbourne United, Des was an
estate agent and sometime property developer.
He was the first person I knew who owned a Jaguar.
The S-type
Driven by Des; &
in the 1980's by DI Jack Regan in The Sweeney
In the next few seasons Des improved my cricket (a bit!) and my after
match drinking (a lot!!).
Des was an optimist at Sport and in Life generally.
“So, Young Ric”, he would often tell me:
“If you’re
going to Dream, then Dream Big.”
In September 1971, just before going to university, I played my last
game under Des’s captaincy.
In the changing room at the end of the game Des said a few words in
front of the team to wish me luck.
After a “couple” of pints with the opposition, Des drove me home.
If Des ever drove his Jag at less than 80 miles an hour, well it must
have been when he was in reverse!
We soon reached Farmcombe Road.
I thanked Des for all he had done to help me Grow Up over the last 4
years.
He smiled and said: “Ric,
“If you ever think it
is time to be Mature, then think again. And put it off!!”
Des handed me a piece of paper, saying it might help me in the coming
years:
All men
dream, but not equally.
Those who
dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find
that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day
are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make
them possible.
T E Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia)
In the many years since 1971, well I like to think I have Dreamed, maybe sometimes Dreamed Big.
OK; a couple may have
turned out to be Nightmares!!
Of course, as the decades rolled by, I came to accept not all my Dreams would actually come true.
In 1992 I turned 40.
That year Jaguar showed a TV advert for their new car.
(Hint: Non parli Italiano? Nessun problema!)
What else are Dreams
for,
If not to come true
The following year in 1993 I applied for a new job.
As the CEO told me a few years later:
408 people, Ric,
applied.
407 could do the job
perfectly OK.
But we found You!!
And in 1997 - after a successful IPO to the Stock Market – and a mere 26
years after my last lift home with Des, the Jag arrived!!
---
At Hove Actually we’re
well into the T20 Season.
As I write, after 8 games
The Mighty Sussex Sharks are Top of the South Group, with 5 consecutive wins.
Last Friday evening it
was the game against Middlesex.
Plenty of Sussex Legends
on the pitch.
And in the crowd too!
Up at the Cromwell Road end
I was delighted to welcome
Tim, a friend from Bickley and a lifelong Gloucestershire supporter, to his
first ever Sussex game.
Tim’s daughter Lucy
has recently moved to Hove, which I hope will prompt him to plenty more cricket
watching!
Next to Tim is Emma,
once a resident of Hampshire (do they even play cricket?), but now living in
Haywards Heath in the Mighty County of Sussex.
A few weeks ago See, I am sending an Angel told the
story of the Where & Why Emma and I
became friends.
The Where is:
Lime Wood hotel, New Forest
I was chairing an Audit Committee there at which Emma was presenting.
How many Audit Committees have I chaired in the last 20 years?
Far too many!!
And the one I remember the best was that one at Lime Wood.
Around 3.30 we broke for Tea and sat out on the patio.
Emma asked whether she could take a look round the hotel and its
facilities.
About half an hour later, Emma returned.
She announced that the hotel was wonderful.
And as for the Why …
If I had been given a million goes, I would never-ever have
guessed What Emma would say.
“It’s where I’m going
to have my Wedding Reception!”
TBH, I didn’t know that Emma had a fiancé, never mind a date
for her wedding.
“That’s lovely, Emma”, I said.
“When do you hope to
get married?”
“Oh no, Ric.
I thought I’d choose
the Reception venue first!”
And then find a Husband!!”
The following Sunday evening I was having dinner at Merryfield with Dianne and
the Girls.
We were chatting about what we’d been up to during the week.
I told them about Emma & The Wedding Reception.
Nicole immediately said she completely agreed with Emma’s order of
selection.
Laura agreed.
I turned to Dianne …who said:
“Reception, then
Husband.
Exactly what I
should have done!!!”
Was I in a parallel universe?
As Nicole was asking me what I thought, I heard the pips on the wireless for
7 o’clock.
Memories came flooding back of Sunday cricket for The Hawks.
In those now long, long ago days pubs shut on a Sunday at 2.30 and then
re-opened at 7 o’clock.
If cricket finished early, we’d sit in the Jag outside the pub listening to The Top
20 on Radio 1 & 2.
As the pips started, Des would send me to knock on the pub door to get
the publican to open up.
“What do You think, Dad?”
There was only the one answer:
“If you’re
going to Dream, then Dream Big.”
… …
It’s a couple of Seasons since Emma and I last watched cricket together.
I really, really would like to tell you that she did get married at Lime
Wood …
But the sad, sad truth is that Emma never did.
Isn't that the risk you inevitably have to take when you Dream and Dream Big?
The best I can offer you, dear reader, is a quote from Martin Luther King:
---
Just two T20 home matches left this season …
How about coming to a Friday night game at Hove Actually?
After
all ….
Why read a Lord Ric Cricket Blog, when you can star in your own.
See you soon!!
Lord Ric of Beckley Furnace
Follow me on Twitter: LordRic52
PS
Oh come on, dear reader, this is a Lord Ric blog !
Last ball of the
game, one wicket left, 3 to win.
It’s always, but
always going to be the one-bounce through midwicket for 4!!
OK, Emma never did get married at Lime Wood.
But …
She did meet James.
Went on their first
date to The Jolly Sailor at Hamble.
Decided during the
Main course that James was The One!
And on Friday 27 April 2018 got married!!
With a wonderful Reception at The Montagu Arms in Beaulieu !!!
If not to come true
Des would be pleased that Jaguar Land Rover made the car !!
Des would be pleased that Jaguar Land Rover made the car !!
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