Lives in Cricket No 14 - Jack Bond

of the Match for his 83 not out against Worcestershire, was again the pillar without which the Lancashire innings would have foundered. He had been involved, if not wholly culpable, in the run out of his namesake, and the only way he could repay his colleagues was to make runs. Partners came and went, Jack among them, until Simmons stayed to add 91 while Lloyd went on to 109 out of his team’s 203 for seven. The Essex innings also started badly, but a spirited knock by Keith Boyce was followed by a seventh-wicket stand of 74 between Stuart Turner and Robin Hobbs. Only 18 were needed from 19 balls, when Lever and Shuttleworth induced injudicious shots to straight balls, Hobbs, in the words of John Woodcock, ‘going for a glance that would have tested Ranji at his best.’ With the quicker men bowled out, the final over was entrusted to Hughes. He needed just two balls to settle frayed nerves and edge his side home by 12 runs. Clive Lloyd took another Man of the Match award, but the memory Jack carries of his innings is of a call for gloves halfway through his innings. ‘He didn’t need to change his gloves, but he had to get a message to the twelfth man. Clive had just seen his fiancée in one of the stands trying to get into a seat. He’d forgotten to get her sorted out with a complimentary ticket. He’s in the middle of this crucial innings in a Gillette tie and he spots Waveney all that way off!’ The semi-final brought Lancashire their first home game in the competition – and a match that would be etched in the annals of one-day cricket. Jack remembers the excitement the tie generated as both counties’ supporters converged on the ground: ‘The roads were chock-a-block. The lads were told to get in early because we’d experienced big crowds before.’ Winning the toss and opting to chase a target, Jack led his men out as a capacity crowd thronged the stands in eager anticipation. Athletic fielding kept the score in check and lunch was taken at 83 for one after 33 overs. Spectators, who had basked in warm sunshine at the start, now learned that it is always a wise precaution to take an umbrella to Old Trafford. An hour was lost to rain. When play resumed, Gloucestershire’s second wicket soon fell, bringing their danger man Mike Procter to the crease. Starting with circumspection, he was soon expanding his strokes and beating the field on both sides of the wicket. Procter’s 65 made sure his side would post a challenging total but, needing 230 for 100 ‘A great catch to end a great innings’