not wearing a helmet - sheer madness!

[dellzeqq]

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r6Iyv8q3LU&feature=related


Happy Birthday, Sir Viv!


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VROvuMY6mA&feature=related

 

[Aperitif]

Happy Birthday him!
When I played cricket in Barbados - circa 1976, apart from playing cricket, I frequented 'places' around the island including the Carribean Pepper Pot, and there was a calypso artist by the name of King Short Shirt who ruled the sound waves! I had to have this vinyl and duly bought. The tune popular at the time was 'Tourist Leggo' - which was my encouragement to buy:



but, hidden within the Long-Playing vinyl was praise for Viv Richards. The words are brilliant - he ruled cricket at that time!
"No bowler holds a terror for Vivian Richards, not Thompson or Lillee, not Bedi or Chandrasekhar...perfect co-ordination of body and mind..." I remember it so well!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxWyqO7s36A

 

[smutchin]

A true sporting legend and a great, great man. I consider myself extremely privileged to have seen him play a few times, albeit past his peak but still magnificent (I'm too young to have seen him at his best).

My son, not a huge cricket fan, had never even heard of him until I took him to the cinema to see Fire In Babylon a few months ago, but he was completely captivated.

d.

 

[RedRider]

Brilliant, truly a great man! Fire in Babylon is on BBC iplayer at the mo'.

 

[User482]

Amazingly enough, he played for Rishton in the Lancashire League, in 1987, when he was still West Indies captain. When they played Ramsbottom (my home town), he was caught on the boundary, trying to hit a six - the fielder has dined out on it ever since...

 

[gaz]

Who is this viv richards?...

My son, not a huge cricket fan, had never even heard of him until I took him to the cinema to see Fire In Babylon a few months ago, but he was completely captivated.

 

[Aperitif]

Today's Guardian weekly assemblage of stuff in the sports section has this clip of Viv Richards at the crease. Notice the pleasant ambiance in the arena while 'Top Hand' is hard at work!

 

[martint235]

Good at dealing with sledging too. Greg Thomas taunted him during a county game when Viv missed a few balls. "It's red, round and weigh about 5 ounces in case you were wondering". Richards hit the next ball out of the ground and turned to Thomas and said "You know what it looks like, go and find it". Class!

 

[Dayvo]

Spent far too many of the wee hours last night on youtube re-living the 70s and 80s with King Viv entertaining me as much as ever.

And that walk on his way to the crease with a 3.5 lbs SS Jumbo in his hands, ready to murder the bowler, any bowler....

Modest, humble, devastating.

Happy 60th, Viv!

 

[Dayvo]

Great comment on Dell's vid: on why he didn't wear a gumshield - 'it didn't do good for my chewing gum.'

 

[smutchin]

Did Viv Richards ever get hit in the face by a ball? I don't recall that he did.

I remember when Malcolm Marshall planted one on Mike Gatting's nose. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke. And he was wearing a helmet at the time. Risk compensation, eh?

d.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I met him and Ian Botham back in the 80s. Botham was a rude surly bear but Viv was both charming and helpful.

My daughter's off to Antigua tomorrow - if he's there we could send him a cake

 

[rich p]

A bit late but HB King Viv. The best ever.

 

[lay]

Last yr. - some bloke on the chainy went down - touch o'wheels y'no and he was the only one not wearing a helmet - TUT bloody TUT !!!