Lives in Cricket No 45 - Brief Candles 2

10 So close up. There was [wicket-keeper] Chris Nevin who had passed me going in to bat when I was going out - his pads were off. ‘First ball’ was all he said, with a smile. 1 I realised then my accomplishment and felt rather proud.” Glenn’s words give us a valuable insight into the mind of a batsman - especially a relatively inexperienced batsman - as an innings develops, and a landmark approaches. Batting can seem so easy, until just a brief loss of focus can spoil the good work of the previous hours. In recognising this, as in so many other respects (including his openness, his friendliness, his lack of bitterness about getting so near and yet so far, and his overall perspective on the role of cricket in life), he reminds me of Stuart Moffat, featured in the original Brief Candles for his innings of 169 in the Varsity Match of 2002; although in Stuart’s case it wasn’t the approaching 100 that caused the loss of focus, but the knowledge that a new debut record score was within reach. 2 To complete their season, Wellington still had one Shell Trophy match to play, again at home, against champions-elect Canterbury. Unsurprisingly after his outstanding start, Glenn was retained in the side for this match, “which I couldn’t wait for. Playing against Geoff Allott who was a feared bowler, along with Chris Harris who I played with [in England] in ’89.” But then, nemesis again: “Not a ball was bowled. It rained for all four days!!!! End of the season. Darn.” In fact, the four-day game was called off after three days, and a single- innings, non-limited-overs, match was arranged for the final day, with Shell Trophy points still at stake. But as Glenn said, it rained throughout day four as well, and the revised match too was completely washed out. Surely there was next season to look forward to? “The next season started with me in the squad. We started with a pre-season game in which I made a low score. We then played down in Lincoln and Shane Bond had me caught at slip. He was very fast - the fastest I had faced. I was never picked again.” Wellington’s batting was strengthened in that season by the arrival of Matthew Bell from Northern Districts, and there was no place for Glenn. He made some useful runs for the B eleven, including “a good hundred; but by then others were preferred. It is not something I dwell on too much. Life moves on.” So his first-class career was over, though a career average of 86.50 was something to cherish. But cricket could not be left behind altogether. In 1998 Glenn travelled to England and played for Gomersal in the Central Yorkshire League. “It was great - a completely different life [than] I was used to, with people I found hard to understand (I went to Barnsley and couldn’t understand anyone!!). We won the league and I played well.” He had been recommended to 1 Glenn’s memory has let him down here, I fear. In fact, Nevin was not out at the end of Wellington’s innings; the batsman who came in to replace Glenn, and was out to his first ball, was actually Mark Jefferson. 2 See Brief Candles chapter 4, and especially page 67.