As you may have read earlier, the 1975 Prudential World Cup Final made a real impression on me as a 13 year-old cricket fan. It was the climax to a tournament short and sweet by today's standards but it was the first time that the world's top cricketing nations got together to compete for a trophy.
Back then, the sport was essentially run from Lord's and so that was the fitting venue for the Final. After two one-sided semis, the top teams around in the mid-70s, Australia and the West Indies, were to slug it out for the title of world champions on 21st June, the Summer Solstice and 'longest day'. Good job there was so much daylight because the match started at 11am and didn't finish until 8.42pm, and there were no floodlights in those days!
It was a hot sunny day, which was to be typical of that English summer. Half the crowd seemed to have the Caribbean spirit with them, and I don't just mean rum! They introduced the sound of beer cans being clanked together to make a sound simultaneously irritating yet thrillingly atmospheric, and Clive Lloyd's side must have felt a real buzz to step out at the home of cricket to hear so many supporters in the stands. The Windies had already beaten Australia once in the group stage and so they already had the upper hand. Nevertheless, Aussie never give up easily and fight to the end. This trait came to the fore in this match, too.
The West Indies batted first, but the Aussies were soon on top. After some early patience, a Lillee bouncer was met by an extravagant hook from Roy Fredericks which sailed into the stands. The crowd's delirious cheers were silenced by the realisation that in the process of swivelling to make the shot, the batsman had trodden on his stumps: 12-1. Lillee, Gilmour and, perhaps surprisingly, Thomson continued to tighten the screw. Not even Kallicharran or Greenidge could play their shots, and after 18 overs, the score was only 50-3.
Enter the captain, Clive Lloyd. In 1975, he was probably the most exciting player on the planet, for whom one-day cricket was made: a powerful strokemaker and brilliant fielder in the covers. I'd seen him produce amazing innings for Lancashire so what came next was no real surprise. Supported by the veteran Rohan Kanhai, the tall bespectacled figure got into his stride, making good bowlers like Lillee and Max Walker look very ordinary indeed. His second fifty came in ten overs and was adjudged caught behind for 102 having dominated the 4th wicket partnership of 149. Wickets continued to fall, five for Gilmour, but some late-order hitting, notably by Keith Boyce, took the Windies to 291-8 after the allotted sixty overs.
I had been a bit miffed to have missed most of Lloyd's innings, having to attend a school fete that afternoon (!) but I was relieved to get home to witness the match's memorable climax. At the start of the Australian innings, Rick McCosker didn't last long, but Turner and skipper Ian Chappell kept the scoreboard ticking over at the expense of Roberts, Julien, Holder and Boyce. However, I was surprised to see Clive put himself on to bowl at third change. As he had done with the bat, he changed the complexion of the innings with his loping medium-pace dobbers. He kept an exquisite length, frustrating the batsmen. He went on to take 1-38 in his 12 overs but more valuable than that was pressure he exerted forcing the batsmen to take risks running singles, especially to 23 year-old Viv Richards. Three times he swooped in the covers and either whipped a throw to the 'keeper or hurled down the stumps in the blink of an eye. Turner and both Chappell brothers met this fate. Walters swished and missed at Lloyd and Boyce bowled the dangerous Rod Marsh, leaving the Aussies on 195-6 and behind the required run rate. Yet the drama continued.
The West Indies supporters were by now scenting victory and were amassing on the boundary rope. When Kanhai clasped a skier from Gilmour, hundreds invaded the pitch to mob him. Ross Edwards, the last recognised batsman, did not last much longer, then Vanburn Holder ran out Walker who'd gone for a suicidal run and was wisely sent back by Jeff Thomson. At 233-9, Australia still needed 59 runs with just 37 balls and one wicket remaining. Lillee and Thomson may have been famous for their bowling partnership but now Aussie hopes rested on their batting together.
Twenty runs were scavenged from the next three overs before a premature pitch invasion was ended when Thomson made his ground to avert a fifth run-out. The next ball created a farcical situation. Thomson heaved at a ball from Holder, managing only to sky the ball to the awaiting Fredericks. The stands emptied, not really noticing that the fielder had hurled the ball at the stumps and missed. Umpire Tom Spencer had signalled a no-ball but the ball was lost in the melee! Thomson and Lillee decided to keep on running. After all, if the ball never reappeared could they get the last 30-odd runs from this one delivery?! Perhaps sensibly, Spencer called a halt and signalled three - or was it two? - to the scorers, and play stopped until the outfield was cleared of spectators.
Andy Roberts restricted the Aussies to three off the next over , so it was 21 needed from the last two. By now, it was gone 8.30pm. No idea if I'd had my tea by then but I certainly couldn't tear myself from the telly! Two singles and a leg-bye followed then, having heaved and missed Holder's fourth delivery, Thomson set off for a ludicrous bye to Deryck Murray behind the stumps. He failed to beat the underarm throw and this time the players sprinted like fury to the pavilion to avoid the onrushing fans. What an amazing match! If we get anything like that in 2011 I don't think my heart could take it!
