Book tickets to the various music and other events hosted at Utilita Bowl
Visit Hampshire Cricket and Utilita Bowl's online store to get your hands on official replica and supporter kit as well as a range of other merchandise.
Hampshire legend Barry Richards visited the The Ageas Bowl to meet fans and sign his new book 'Sundial in the Shade' on Monday
Hampshire Cricket yesterday welcomed club legend Barry Richards to the The Ageas Bowl, as he took in some of Hampshire’s LV= CC match against Durham, whilst also spending time meeting fans and also offering the chance to pick up a copy of his new book ‘Sundial in the Shade’.
Widely regarded as a ‘cricketing genius’, Richards represented the club for 10 successful years and he returned to the new setting of a team with which he has fond memories.
He was particularly impressed with the The Ageas Bowl setting, saying: ‘Being back with Hampshire – (the facilities) have changed a lot and it’s a lovely ground now. They’ve got a real test match venue here so it’s a lovely feeling to be back and to see some cricket – it really is a great cricket ground.’
‘It’s also good – I just saw Mike Taylor a little while ago and Keith Wheatley and guys that I played so it’s always nice to catch up and speak with them too.’
The right-hander was infamous for his flair with the bat and, although he is considered by many to be unfortunate not to have represented his home nation of South Africa more, Richards notes that the contributions made at Hampshire enhanced many of the fans’ experiences here.
‘There’s always a disappointment when you don’t play test cricket, I mean everyone would be disappointed but I’ve had a good life and I’ve enjoyed it and it’s been good to me. It’s particularly nice to see some of the friends I’ve met here and also meet people who say ‘thanks for the pleasure you’ve given me here,’ and that gives me pleasure to know also.’
Just one example of the success enjoyed during his tenure at the county is the Championship-winning season of 1973. In a side that featured West-Indian test duo Gordon Greenidge and Andy Roberts as well as others, Hampshire stormed to the County Championship title, despite being considered complete outsiders for the title before the campaign.
Richards featured prominently as the side went undefeated in all 20 fixtures in the competition, and upon his visit to the ground on Monday, he reflected on the title-winning season: ‘The 1973 season was a great year in retrospect we played some very good cricket. We batted well too and Gordon (Greenidge) came into his own as a player.’
Also noted for their superb fielding ability, particularly as slip fielders, Richards highlighted their role in how fielding in the game has evolved today and their role in the expansion.
He said, ‘We caught particularly well too, that was for me one of the turning points of where fielding became a very important component of cricket. A good fielding and a good catching side you’re always going to be competitive and that is taken as a given now because of that.’
The 1973 campaign, incidentally the last time Hampshire claimed the Division One crown, lives long in the memory of a number of supporters. Undoubtedly Richards was not only pivotal in his role during that year, but proved to be just one of the reasons why he became known as one of Hampshire’s greatest ever.
