When I went to Barbados for a spot of cricket, I had a Gray Nichols (SL500 or something like that...four little scoops in the back?) and bumped into the West Indies team in transit. Called Joel Garner Colin Croft
- he kept saying 'Naaat Crraaft' 'Naat Crraaft' - I was sooo stupid. Anyway, Garner Croft and all the team of that era on the back of the bat, along with Charlie Griffiths, Wes Hall, Garfield Sobers - and all the regular hangers on who used to trail around after me...
Played against Desmond Haynes just as he was beginning his career too - another signatory.
I broke the bat some months later and just gave it away to one of the opposition - it didn't seem to mean much at the time (apart from how much a new one might cost an impoverished art student
) but it did to the old boy I gave it to...
Got plenty of New Zealand / France team autographs on jerseys / ball etc etc - useful for the 'sporting moments' part of life.
I have been asked for my autograph three times. All by junior enthusiasts at rugby matches.
Little do they know how unvaluable their inscriptions...