Warwickshire avoided the follow-on and the match ended in a draw. And there was drama against the West Indies on Saturday 28 May 1988 when Graeme Hick needed 153 to score 1,000 runs before the end of May. He reached his century and more than 3,000 people were on the ground when at 5.30pm, he cut Curtly Ambrose to the boundary to reach 153. Hick went on to 172 before he was out but rain meant that the last two days were academic. Gloriously Canterbury Week paid no heed to the August change of dates. It remained in its usual place until the 1990 Week started on Wednesday 25 July and ended on Tuesday 31 July – the first occasion that the festival or some part of it had not been played in August. It continued to host two Championship matches, with a limited-overs game. Since the introduction of a four-day Championship only a single such game and a limited-overs fixture have been played. In Kent, the main beneficiary of the later August holiday was Folkestone, where the fixtures were part of the Week at Cheriton Road. Never more than 1970, when Kent, last at the start of July, had climbed to sixth on the eve of August Bank Holiday. Folkestone Week began with a visit from Nottinghamshire and an unbeaten hundred from Sobers, the closure coming at 376 for four. On Monday Kent slumped to 27 for five but Brian Luckhurst (156 not out), with support from Alan Ealham and John Shepherd, enabled Cowdrey to declare 66 behind. A further declaration left Kent 282, a target they achieved with three wickets and eight balls to spare. In other important clashes, Derbyshire were victims of Don Shepherd at Swansea, the Roses match was drawn and Surrey lost to Worcestershire at The Oval. Kent, second after the holiday round, moved to the top with victory over Leicestershire in the second match of Folkestone Week and a draw at The Oval secured their first title for 57 years. Matches against Hampshire evoked memories, when superb batting by Gordon Greenidge and Trevor Jesty made mincemeat of a target of 312 at Bournemouth in 1978, countered by some notable performances by Derek Underwood on the same ground. And there must be acknowledgement of David O’Sullivan, Hampshire’s slow left-arm bowler from New Zealand. At Bournemouth, during the title-winning year of 1973, Nottinghamshire were swept aside during August Bank Holiday by O’Sullivan, 28.5-16-41-11; alas, he was not retained at the season’s end, the regulations allowing only two overseas players and Hampshire choosing Barry Richards and Andy Roberts. Somerset and Gloucestershire continued their traditional rivalry for many years, with duels involving Zaheer Abbas and Ian Botham and a maiden hundred from Viv Richards. Soon Richards would surpass himself with a display in 1977 fit for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee when Spring Bank Holiday was delayed until June to coincide with the extended festivities. Somerset, beginning their second innings 196 behind, had lost three men for 76 before Richards turned the game on its head – 241 not out with four sixes and 32 fours. The match was drawn but Richards made the Tuesday holiday memorable. Gloucestershire’s Mike Procter struck six sixes from consecutive deliveries during two overs by Dennis Breakwell at Taunton in August 1979. Only Botham could match such goings-on and his day came at Taunton on Saturday 24 May 1980 when he took 107 minutes over his first century and 58 over his second. His peerless 228 in 184 minutes included ten sixes and 27 fours and he shared a fourth wicket partnership of 310 with Peter Denning. Groundstaff and spectators were kept busy retrieving the ball from distant car parks and the groundsman’s cabbage patch, some of the sixes landing Changing Partners 186