bowling line up alongside John Leiva No but Philip and David Axelrod Yeah well obviously over time it meant everything and of so obviously got fun memories you know it probably started with a 6 in though it is $66.00 very about the underdogs you know we only had a staff of 10 professionals it was cut. You know it was a long time before we were only going to win the Benson and Hedges and the early heavy chairmanships Amy It was fantastic Now when we talk about that Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord's the people expect to have mentioned the atmosphere that how it was that day they just felt lucky was a crowd of Essex and some of your teammates would have had the experience that playing Test matches in front of such a big crowd but what was it like for ya. Yeah well as you already said it was a fantastic fantastic experience and they were the majority of Essex supporters and . Certainly when we went down to the field I was made off to join leave on the bold Boland and it was pushed back to me and I said. John Larkin on the parking lot he filled my hands I was that numb and you know that nervous it was a it was a real experience really but I mean as as you got into the going believe it or not you didn't really hear the crowd who just concentrating so much on the going but it was just walk down those steps it was a fantastic experience having done it many many times before but never with a full house it was just myself and people I brought audience to it a new Smith and capons it was just something that we never experienced before and you mention the the net side of things ethics of the people on the records school with the bass I was part of that bowling you know how did you feel going out to defend that school. Yeah I mean obviously it was a good school it was a very good school you know I mean crime growing girls Chamakh young people they all batted fantastically well obviously express especially Gucci and we felt that if we bowled anything like you know we could defend that total. You know nerves were going to come in and obviously when I 1st came on the ball I was nervous but once you got through 2 or 3 balls you know you settle in and it's like dogging in any any game which might sound a bit strange but it was and you know it proved to be the case on not just myself but students on and people you know we just we just dialed in and we were fortunate to win the game I mean at one stage we look like we're going to win it easily and then of course sorry came back into the game but we managed to see it through in the end I need to tell you we can in the finals the what do you member of your performance Yes you know at the time we found a way out of that I was going to bowl and throughout that season we'd worked out how I was going to bowl which was unusual fail basically set somebody in my top the bowling but. Things are going to with him about the thought of good catch him can make you and that made me relax more and I can remember I think I bowled 10 of those about 40 something like that so you know I was obviously pleased to tell me the contribution that you said at the beginning of this it was a tremendous season not just because he won that Benson and Hedges Cup the fast times was that the 1st time he won the the county championship as a whole the season was just huge best 6 if he got any other standout memories from it well obviously winning and winning the championship the end was a standout standout memory sticks were saw the we are great players obviously but we were also friends you know with the camaraderie within the the team was was exceptional no other county had never had I don't think a camera Audrey like we had you know we all got on we were pleased to be in each other's company and we enjoyed the guy I mean obviously when we were out there we played cricket hard the butt off the family also enjoyed ourselves and I think the general memories of that friendship and that come are always always stayed with us and you know I still see quite a few of the lads on a regular basis what I'm going to ask you about that because you had a reputation of being a bit of a jolly cause and asked me the whole team did really didn't they say How important was that team spirit for the performance and the success so I think it was vital I really do it certainly it was volatile for me because as you say I did have this reputation but some it was something that the just you know you you concentrate when the ball was being bowled but if you were down in the outfield Whiting for the ball was bowled an expo you know you could have a laugh and joke with the crowd sometimes did some silly things but once a bowl was being bowled again you switch back home and I think to be honest today in the game seems to be and is much more serious and I just wonder whether I. Played on the environment but I mean I was the only one who you know I mean we had quite a few exceptional people like riding the bike I mean of course the outfield I mean that wasn't me and I like to say I thought it was actually capons but I got the blame for what I got the blame for mostly as I think in those days. And what did winning most teachers in 1992 your confidence as a player but also say the team as well yeah speaking as an individual the conference was given to me by Captain Kay FLETCHER You know he is to stand in some ridiculous positions when I was bowling and sometimes I feel I don't want you in there you said ball the ball and to have that you know Qantas given to you by your captain I mean that there was a fact that was fantastic for me you know he's a he's his general captaincy was that was exceptional as well and we were very fortunate to have him but as far as you know the camaraderie is concerned when you look through our team you know you like to join us McKeown Hardy Fletcher and then we had the bowlers leave an act fielding Turner and it was just a great combination of really really Test cricketers and also good good very good professionals. From B.B.C.'s akes Morse 979 memory 3 com article the latest Taiwanese romanist Ryan who managed Ryan thank you very much Victoria William 25 looking particularly heavy the softening says these are all the slow following an early accident on the clockwise sign that the in 25 between junction 29000 and city from Lakeside there was an accident between junction 26 and 27 but it looks like that now cleared on the anticlockwise side there was a breakdown once again that being clear between 226 and 25 as well elsewhere on the senses I can 0 busy that moving between the Woodside roundabout in charge Kona still rather heavy on Potter road westbound the Army and Navy in JONES That and the A 120. Stop start at galleys Kona public transport looking to the sea to see line buses replace trains stingrays because of engineering was taking place this weekend and the same will be happening on the great angry line between what Foote and south of Victoria latest I'll have a nice update in half an hour Keeping you informed when it matters B.B.C.'s extravagant. The B.B.C.'s 6 there has been some community groups who has been interested in running the library but I want to also introduce other things as well that will bring people to the buildings people to have not necessarily visited the library for the last few years is a huge honor really of Sita where the race is massive goes a to get involved with something like Geoff rugby that 2 years ago I didn't even know existed and now I'm part of I can help inspire other people here how the hearing impaired all safe in my country is brilliant because. We got stuck with. A 6 Music to Essex event this is what we do every single day B.B.C. Essex. And this is around the way Kate we're looking back at the 1979 season for Essex just before the child when we were hearing from Ray Aist and I got B.B.C.'s cricket commentator Nick Glass Hill in the studio with me and Nick way it was a paper for Essex Yes And when you look back at those Tata winning years between 79 and 92 what Essex did was they tend to have 2 spinners working in tandem that were really effective and the 1st major combination was start of race and David outfield and then later on we had John Charles and Peter such and they made use of pitches that tend to wear wear a bit more easily and in those days there were 3 day matches pitchers not quite of the same quality as you see these days and so good spinners would come into their own they played a crucial role in Essex winning which happened ship that year and race chipped in with a couple of wicket. A good time I think to pay tribute to Essex in the field in this match because it was an easy sorry to give it a go and as our caller mentioned they were ahead after 30 overs knows a good partnership between Jeff however and Roger Knight but John Lever to make its case point to race with it with 3 and as he also held their catches in there was a very important catch by Neil Smith the end of that partnership and from then on you felt the Essex were on their way and just quickly and I was saying to race he was seen as a bit of a joke wasn't he thinks science underestimated him yes and I think you know he makes a good point about you know the team spirit he also paid tribute to his colleagues I think quite rightly we'll hear from more of them later on but yes perhaps a player who might have been underestimated but he played a very key role and very nice to hear from him and say we can't underestimate his performance in terms of winning the title and becoming such a strong day spin was spin was really quite an important part of it well we've heard a lot about the captaincy and made a ship of Keith Flecha from players and supporters and like well let's hear from him then he's been telling me how he felt in that 979 season yeah I think it's the best you know the best. Because it was 6 sorry all Essex falters. Frosting nearly. 6. Did you feel any pressure going into it because at that point you've been with the club around 17 years you need a history of the club and the how elusive a title has been it was there any extra pressure Oh I think there's always pressure any. Big guys all the big days it's always pressure I don't think I'll find any more pressure than than if you know in the Big Bash if you like it wasn't both of which let's put it that way and just describe that atmosphere at Lord's what you can. Has a summer leave over because. When impasses went out to bat behold what a mess and he went out to bat and the whole place just erupted it was just it was just one of those things. I've never known it before never known it since cricket matches and. And the fact that Graham Don't ask us to a good start on the chemical in coming in as well did that help set to any possible nerves that they were there and things going yes it was not a good decent start in big matches. But Kenny else can you go out and come in they just said they said to me the work is a Good which we need we need a lot. Of flatus with a little that was it it was so we didn't need a lot of us and we've seen many innings from Guy Graham but how special was that one on that day it was fairly special this was all this concern you know because he's fired a lot of good innings is for a 6 England series a quality playa and when you get big occasions you need to quality plywoods you test for quality players to turn up and Gucci to use as well was to big occasions. When John leave it to that final wicket How were your emotions then. Relieved to saw I don't think. Of those things you know you're just on love winning anyway love the new anything and they gave a cricket to win the final Yeah something special and given that Essex history that we've we've mentioned on the occasion as well were you able to take it all in that the time or was it something you had to reflect on. You reflects on it like you know you don't take it all in. We celebrate a bit and I think we had a Sunday league game next I think then the culture stuff. So we couldn't settle it that much because we were playing the next. I did you realise that season when you when you won that title and then going on to win the big house championship as well that would then open the floodgates going into the 1980 S. I guess maybe perhaps at the time it didn't feel like the beginning of an era we feel to you knowing 70 we finished 2nd so we knew the side that could could win it because. We'd all grown up together. We would could saw it as No 2. And the nice thing about 7 you know is that we won the kind of jump ship for funk going to spare so it was it was we wanted for the easy. How is it the win at Lord's compared to the County Championship win could you compare them or was it just or the you know the icing on top of the cake for a great season then you can can compare them to be all this obviously loads as a one off one by often or one match all for the final season to carry championship is still to me the the competition to win because it is Persia will the best of the season and the last thing about 79 is that. What do we win 11 games something but we bowled every sought out twice so we were never given a declaration on that we won it taking 20 wickets every match for the most important thing always said that. He looked to win the game for the 1st goal is not a good look at it when the guy well for 101520 years because by that's all I'm the guy Marco I'm so stop because I'm winning thinking winning that's what we did and that side he had and that you lead a just legend during a round table now when you see some of them will come around and people just know you hear everyone is they talk about $970.00 not knowing what made that team so special. Obviously we have a lot of good players but we grew up for a long lost cause we've been together for 9 years so we grew up together so we will we will friends we'll still friends so which is a lovely saying but obviously we've got some quality plus plus. What health doesn't fall of 6 to who could comfortably play Test match cricket who gets on and what about team spirit is that coming to it so and I yeah some of them not it's a bit of a laugh and a joke because wow yeah that's what it is Teen Spirit is very simple whatever saw you play teams says a lot easier if you're winning but now it seems for the following is is a great thing as a separate growing up together so we all knew each other we will fight and if we went out to We'd all go out to eat together you know when we're all the way through finished off thing so it was it was a good atmosphere there any games from that count championship season that stick out. Or caught on a service member perhaps you're helpless but one individual Now we want to know that it was a book like this of places to wouldn't little thought in those days was pretty average place but the average ground to be honest but we had to win it somewhere and so we want to. Just please we want it how special would it be if the team now could do the same thing in 201940 years don't be absolutely special themselves through very much involved with us it's so involved with the 1st in quite a lot so yeah it really special and we were top of the table now I think by 3 or 4 points so yeah if we keep playing the way we've been playing over the last month and we've got every child's being quite involved still do you have a share your wisdom with them Jevon Paul anything of your experience of all this talking tonight definite. Thing I'll do if I think something is rotten sort of the child and was caught as it should put all this pressure to do. Not what of no Most of them since they were to the top schools are still on the under 15 mins so most of the ball is a lot of them are coming through the under 15 so it's not as if I don't know them well solved call it easy because I was thinking it might be a better if you did it this way. Is that nice as well not just the fact that you have that I need to you have that legendary status having done what you did as a player but the fact that you've also had that influence on the play is that we see now having that success is wow that must feel even more of an in chief meant Yeah I saw it too for the for the young players we're producing in Essex we've we've always produce young players and we hopefully for the years to come we would use it but you know I do get men to satisfaction seeing a young lad of out in the armed fifteen's like you step you and salt to do well you know we've got this young period is coming that I've seen was with me about 4 years ago it's not and he's done well since he's coming in. Not the old cook out of the all the young while. He was with me under 15 is about it yeah I do get a lot of satisfaction. Assume come through as Keith that sharing his $979.00 memories with me Nick Gledhill Keith letter was a very special kept saying and then coached and now an ambassador Thessa What is it that made him so special Well think unrivaled in terms of his captaincy you know sometimes we will moment supect our composite ethics 11 from the last 40 years and they tend to be 3 names everyone would pick as a given Graham Gooch John Lever and Keith Fletcher as captain you can make an argument about whether they're 6 better batsman and Keith lecture is a very good batsman but my word is captaincy gets him in there on its own because that was the key really he was a master tactician he was prepared to risk losing in order to win and he managed that side superbly on the field he mentions there were some very great talents but of course you had to actually make sure there was a man coordinating it doing the planning making sure the game was going the way he wanted making the changes he would he would make field adjustments just thinking ahead of the game planning the next move and you just cannot underestimate his his impact it was absolutely brilliant of course he played a lot of international cricket he wasn't at his best probably as a 1st team coach when he had that role but as Keith was saying there were managing the youngsters he's got he's got a lot out of that needs done very well with those he's been he's bought through and I think you know unrivaled in terms of his impact on Essex as a captain he was so important I'm not saying it would have been impossible to achieve what they did without him but it would be an awful lot tougher because you had to have somebody there who was putting all the strands together and that's what Keith virtue did and he wasn't afraid to make the yet big decisions either which we'll hear more about from David Axelrod a little bit later on this hour I've been asking you this afternoon fuel memories of 979 Tim has been on touch on Twitter at B.B.C.'s explore He says all some seem all some squad or some season and thanks to day. He's been in touch to say he's enjoying listening. More to com We've also got more of the 979. What we got next well the tail end of the new wave if you were here when the police about to make it big they're going to have a message in a bottle as an next single but this one actually not made the Top 41st time around then Roxanne was a hit and then this one came back and it's on its way to number constant losing it . You. The police with Constanta losing you on around the wicket haul of on the 1979 look back as we celebrate Essex's great to see and more memories to come just to tell you on day 3 of the Ashes Test between England women and Australia's women at. England are 124 for 4. On $424.00 I thought 8 and Australia just need to avoid defeat in order to retain the Ashes and of course THEY WIN T 20 action those 2 sides at Chelmsford on Friday night as parts of that series and some other sports news to bring you as well England out of the net but World Cup of the semifinal states have been beaten by New Zealand So tomorrow's final is between New Zealand and Australia J. . Will have more on that for us in a round about an hour's time but let's head back to our club cricket game for the afternoon Dick Davis is at Castle Park for us it's the Essex Cricket League Division One coaches to any Essex who while 2nd against Southend who all night were just pulling up for the football season by bringing you an Essex doll baby how things going. Well today until you started that sentence they were going quite well for coaches to but not so much now they need now they restricted south into 206 when no one in their 50 overs and they were one without loss of 2 overs and they just lost the 1st wicket it was played only it was played on I mean they got a full face of the bat and then just a bounce a couple of times then just trickled on to the stumps and dislodge the bailed very unfortunate So they've lost the 1st one for one now but that'll probably be nothing more than a setback because theoretically coaches to win this and well 206 in 50 overs was that's only a smidgen over 4 and over so you think that it win but on the other hand it's not the best of starts and I'm sure the tournaments in next we don't think they didn't think it was a best seller which is clearly not he's the skipper here not the statement of the obvious. Always seems you making a bit of a habit this season and losing a couple early so. You're not entirely on surprising but you could have been better . I was Casper Everett he's been getting quite a few runs this year 140 for the last week so that kind of says seizing on far a little bit and then he had a weekend off for a holiday so you know that's the fully made right you've got to you've got to keep your heart right now you don't sound to me. As if you're directly from this area no no no I hail from or can the New Zealand originally you know how long you've been here. It's my 4th season so you know I washed from the Syria I met her when I was playing cricket in London and she came back museum with me for a few years and we've got 2 little girls and she was quite came for them to see where she's from so here we are and you're quite happy that she persuaded you to play the coldest Wow Obviously I have my moments where I miss home. Oh yeah I mean rather than any. Oh yeah yeah I know it's a lovely ground it's a great place to be I mean you look out there and it's it's it's a genuine cricket wicket you know you really feel like you're playing at these and stand a cricket despite the fact that on occasion it's not. You're probably aware that up until about 4 or 5 years ago the county used to play here and it played here. Part of 100 years so some of the some of the many very best players in the world abetted and build on that track your position where the history of the group yeah I mean I think Colin Perkins the president here is written a bit of an almanac on the. Spot all of those stats and historians I think I've actually still got the album back in my car it's quite an impressive piece of literature so he's done or some pieces also of work or some work there and it's just for us it's a lot of a lot of what we try and do was as pay homage to that history because we're pretty privileged to be able to play here with now if you've been here 4 years at one stage during that 4 years obviously you're playing in the in the Premier Division. By the very fact that they're lying 2nd in the table and of the last 3 out of 10 they very clearly if not hell bent very very keen to get back up to the top level. Yeah I mean obviously it has to be the end goal regardless of whether we do it the season or whenever it happens as a group it's not our main focus we're very much set our starts on each game you know sitting in a level that we want to want to perform to and being very disappointed if we don't very pleased if we do so if we do that week in week out and we play to the standards that we know that we can then ideally the game looks after itself. And from you all for years here playing with coaches turned against you know obviously in that time numerous other sides in the Premiership and in the 1st Division. How impression otherwise are you with the with the general level of club cricket. Certainly the Premier League's very strong I really enjoyed our time there. Is a definite gap so you've probably got 4 or 5 teams in the Premier League that a very strong and then you've got the bottom 5 or 6 teams in the Premier League and in the top probably 4 teams in this league that are all pretty comparable so I'm not surprised there's a bit of switching between the divisions. You know there is those those top 4 or 5 clubs in the Premier is tend to hold the balance of power. As an example you know we lost a number of our players when we came down to those those top 5 clubs so. You know it's just the way it is. It's disappointing because it does mean that. You know the the base developing talent ends up being all in the same place. So it's not personal opinion it's not the best thing for the development of cricket as a whole in the region. But it does force clubs like us to really focus on developing our youngsters and bring them through and that's what we're doing I mean how average age now Team today is probably only about $23.00 so we do have a young squad and we've got lots of guys coming through that are really putting pressure on all the old codgers like May which is fantastic you know. You know if we can if we can get guys like me playing toes then that we've done a really good job so yeah. It sounds like a weird ambition but I know what you mean I know you. Will once you've gone past you know the point we have to shoeing your own. Progress in the game has got to be all about the progress of the people around you right and so you know I'm hell bent on staying in the ones but I'll be very pleased if I don't it was a strange conundrum. I can see what you mean your coach this season Jonny best it Graeme he's a he's a fellow Kiwi instrumental in getting here was you know incidents not so Johnny Johnny is a really good mate of mine from back in New Zealand we both play for a club called suburbs near Len in Oakland which is boasted. The right of black caps and they were open ice as players a really strong club and when we say it's about you know redeveloping with the squad. For me it was it was you know a golden opportunity to get someone like that over who's used to a club that has a culture of success a culture developing its own talent bringing them through and so. You know we had a committee meeting we were where do we go from here and and I was actually going out to New Zealand at Christmas so I sat down with them and just had a chat and the rest is history I guess. Between you your captain and Kate you're doing a very good job here is to critique I was just going to be quick quick update beforehand back I don't think it's much has happened while I've been talking to Tara now it's now moved on to 7 for one after 3 or 4 overs so thanks very much for talking to me. I have to be neutral because. Both sides were in coaches to but I'm actually from South in myself so I just hope you play to the best of your ability. As there are thank you very much. Well that balances out and doesn't exist Dix from South and I'm from coaches say that week I can't say the B.B.C. Pashto that I will be back with Dick in the last hour of the program to have more on that game between coaches to and Southend at Casal pop but right now we're talking about $979.00 more memories from play is to come but we've been hearing from fans as well on their thoughts on the game let's hate from a couple more fans now. I'm Chris. Not being able to watch it I was getting out of school for a job I was working on a political campaign. Trying to get invited into people's living room. Into area to talk about a candidate that in. The crypt it was go in my memory don't want it happened that it belonged. I didn't watch a lot of the county in the championship but we had just near the A before to go to the phones. But my parents lived in getting a pop so we were going to go on holiday there when I wasn't working I was able to live with them and. That could be a positive way I got it but. There's got to. Be great. Rob in all when he's gone on I become a member that yeah I don't remember it but I remember almost never being in the Member Area that I would sit in. The river and the ball. I know that it than ever to delegate. He couldn't believe it and I was you know I was 16. It's not as if I remember the long route but I every time I found some older that I was doing well you really need to get me tell me why something would go wrong. And the other thing I remember seeing Bryan Harvey in the pavilion having just got out tearing about 10 or 12 bloggers up to between dressing room in the middle of something gaining some strength not me now along with apparently taking a bit of every single member of the team in the middle of the match I thought that was a very calm approach. It was a good idea on the rare occasions and how he and wrong somebody was going on it out everybody else in the raid in particular right for the year was phenomenal and that was behind the story of him riding his bike around the ground which I did but I also remember a moment where there was a local campaign I think and the conservative candidate went by you know with the microphone on the car doesn't get to vote for me and the Queen over there on the ground over to tell you who strangely enough had a blue white scarf. The next time the Tory candidate came by ready to bank the race the way that is if you're on a soccer stadium. You got a good round of applause for everybody but you know the fact they can enjoy that Curtin while winning was quite impressive. That's Chris found sky with his memories originally from chance that me now lives in a switch in Massachusetts and more 979 memories on the way for you 40 minutes to 5 now. From B.B.C. I say let's get the latest out and about in the county Alex Ryan has a Japanese for us. Thank you very much Victoria we're looking to the senses not much has changed really of course in coach just drive a new bike was most acute because of those roadworks run which rode the A 120 eastbound once again while the slower gallies corner approaches to the Army and Navy the softening up into the snow on battery road westbound still very slow there we've got can be road however clear between more side roundabout and church corner but the A 13 stops to stop that's near Runnymede chase Killen road because those temporary lights look into the clockwise and 25 you heading this direction is very slow and accident earlier on the softening is still causing delays between junction $29.00 for about an and 30 for the Lakeside and on public transport or bus service is running on the sea to Ceylon to graze that's because of engineering works and replaced by service is also running on the great Anglia line in Whitford and south in Victoria that's the latest on have more in half an hour. When it masses. Travel . Around the week 8 with Victoria poly on B.B.C. Essex thank you for joining me this afternoon we're looking back a Essex's great 979 season I've been asking me for your memories Barry from was going touch Hello Barry what do you remember Hi Victoria great programmers afternoon really been driving around the country the county and now got back home and so really great memories not only of the the final and the semifinal and over the up to that great day but. The fact that at that time you know there was a really great guys around in the county and it was wonderful that as far as I was concerned that the pleasure of playing against them you did it was because back in the seventy's late late seventy's there was no trips to Dubai or ready Portugal for forensics in those days at the beginning beginning of the season they used to play cricket against local sides usually selected local town sides as. As part of their pre-season routine and I was a player at House that in those days and we had the pleasure of hosting a match most seasons for quite a few years against what always used to be a very very strong Essex team and it was in fact it was the year before they went on to win. The finals and start that great run that my particular memories came flooding back in particular because I still keep in my possession loads and loads of old press clippings of matches that I took part in ready and dug at the one with the picture of Essex. Saw it playing against state and led by key Fletcher with still a grand duke chemical and Brian Hardy Capon Dave that Phil Keith Boyce reggae sed still in it's she there still Evan majority of which went on the course to win the trophy and. It was always a pleasure to obviously to play against better opposition but crikey to play against a team that was a full county team and including Test cricket as you know was quite owner and real and probably nerve wracking there was no you don't imagine for me and for several others but it was a great occasion and that particular year I remember it well because I told the story to a few people over the years we used to get. The opportunity batted 1st we would be given a bonus of $100.00 runs. And we then batted an Essex had to chase them down and that particular year just the year before they won the trophy we we we batted in our openness went in and with lever and Boyce and Stewart there was the sort of a quick quick man managed to see them off although we lost a wicket at about 20 or I think 20 or 30 and I went in 1st wicket down and scrambled around for a little while and got 6 or 7 runs together and then on top. Embraced and you know people of today on the program of talk about you know the different characters and . In particular a great character love these lefties cricket love to socialize and he's very 1st border May was a rank long haul which I really took a fancy to it helps to have a little. Pavilion with fast roof in those days and that square leg it was very tempting to to try and dispatch case. So we raced over the over the balcony for 6 and this long haul just didn't get up and I missed the bolo together and was plumb L.B.W. . Right literally fell on the ground law thing as did our home empire because it was such a terrible bull to get away with the it out of it managed to see all these quick bowlers these sort of test level quick bowlers and then on come ready with the spinners and and got a couple of wickets and me included but they were always quite games and you know this particular game I think the record show that ready helps that actually be 6 on that occasion because we we we mass $239.00 and as 6 were bowled out for a $100.00 a 5 and I was chuffed to bits because I called him to jail on the battery of one of Aspin as and then David that failed followed see right at the end the inning so do you didn't get many runs but a couple of couple catches and but lovely to play with such quality players and part of a match that was a genuine. Friendly practice as part of the county's you know start to their season before they started the caddy matches proper Absolutely and we're trying to say not. Barry thank you so much for your coach and Barry mention that about David Axelrod he was one of the members of the 979 S. Exclude who didn't play in that Benson and Hedges Cup Final they did play a huge row in the County Championship trying to he was one of the spin 2 in the long side race taking several 5 with a whole. In the 2nd half of the season he's now the club's president and David has been telling me why that season would always be remembered that people forget that we've been quite close in the 10 years before there was a lot of relief rather than just enjoyment about this because a lot of members used to write to us and say things like well we love watching you because you're so inconsistent Well it didn't really help us very much so actually to nail a trophy or 2 trophies was very good and like you say even mine is that the year before passage it felt like maybe it was leading up to this point that you thought you'd been with the club since 966 at that point so say did you feel a particular moment within that 979 season where you thought yeah this is the season where we're going to do it. I think both from a team and from a personal point of view the crucial game really was against Nottinghamshire south and in July raised and I hadn't got 20 wickets between us up till then it had been very much quite a wet summer. Bowling attack of John Lever and do it Philip had just taken everything before them in July I didn't play for 3 games I hadn't boat for a month and we were playing Nottinghamshire we didn't have jumbly but we didn't have Graham Gooch and they were all major rivals they were very close to us and we needed really to win that and somehow Ryan I remembered what we had to do and we managed to beat them and I think from then on we felt perhaps we can win this thing a joke about perhaps not taking the wickets in the early part of the season but then it was in me Dorcas time you are known to have a 5 game a 51 in the nets and then and 6 after that it's a kind of picked up the momentum as you when I got on a roll really I think I think the Nottinghamshire game it gave me a huge amount of confidence suddenly realize I could go a could remember it and I think the same thing for Russia as well and we just had 3 turning wickets that won that one to think then we. We went to Hampshire and it turned on the 4th innings and then we came back to coach it and that was an experimental wicket which to so I got 3 lots of 5 wickets in the last innings and I actually thought I contributed something towards the season anyway and going back to the fact that you'd been in the 1978 season that that gave you a bit of something extra going into 979 did you feel confident that yes we can do this yeah I think so I mean I think gradually throughout the you know throughout the seventy's all 3 day and you know a 3 day cricket got better. We'd always been pretty good at the one day stuff right from the late sixty's we were very unlucky not to win. The you know the Sunday league ball pool nor one of the run or something we got to semi finals we just didn't quite get over the line so I think we all thought well that we were OK The one day game but I think the thing. In the late seventies we started to look as if we could really compete with the big guns so to speak and I think 78 helped a lot but you never know every season is different so you can't rest on if you've just got to carry on and was that not seeing him again was that a personal highlight he is why were there any other games stick out in your memory now that was the that was my personal highlight certainly that was the one that I as I say really felt I had contributed I mean the other interesting thing about that game of course which is something I do remember is that we had a loss we could stand and that was to turn and we put on 40 and the winning margin was 40 so I contributed with the bat amazingly as well. And as well as as well is that you are part of the 3rd. Don't leave a race no but Philip Keith Now what was it like being a part of that. Well I mean one of the great things was somehow we all stayed fit that was the really thing OK threats are always says that he began the season with 5 bowlers in the end of the season with 5 bowlers we did seem to stay fit we didn't really have that many injuries we obviously lost J.K. For a few games in Test matches just we lost Graeme go to another say they the important thing was to win games without them and I think that gave the rest of us a lot of confidence but it was a very settled side really a very settled bowling side you know exactly what you were going to do whether there's one day cricket or 4 day cricket everybody knew their job and just got on with it and how important was that Keith letter as captain he was a super tactician and he. Yeah you made a made a lot of crucial decisions during that season I mean he would be the 1st to say his man management skills were not great but we all liked him so much we didn't really care very much for we just we just got on with it and we used to call him the ambassador he was fairly Joe Blanton there is cations but he was a very good captain in the you know the best I've ever played and certainly I know a you as a team maybe had a bit of a reputation for being Joe you could have been a bit about things do you think perhaps sometimes all the sides underestimated you till because of. A lot of them have said in the past and people I played against have said to be used to turn up at Chelsea far away and suddenly found we'd lost Yes I think the I think the real thing was that we we took the game very seriously but we didn't take ourselves very seriously that was that that was the difference and we used to say it's you know it's not will 3 so we must we'll just enjoy what we're doing it and I think we were just a lot of characters who did enjoy it and I think that helped but we have a very close report still it's very easy to talk about team spirit it's easy to have team spirit when you're winning but we had team spirit when in the late sixty's when we were losing most things I think we just grew up together what about for you when it came to the Benson and Hedges that season because you were involved in the great games but then you missed out towards the end of it was that hard to take. Tough very tough indeed it was one of the saddest you know you're always you know you want to be involved if you're a professional sportsman you want to be in vote and if your side bowed because Ray was injured I'd vote in the group games and. Really I was on good form and then Keith came to me at the corner violence if you've been up to this but you weren't playing oh thanks faith that's right well done and you know that was it so yeah. The whole of the 79 season for me is change with sadness as well as excitement an enjoyment championship following that. You know it's not like a sob story but I've never been a balcony I've never done that sort of thing and I would have liked to have done it but it just wasn't to be I you know I wasn't I just wasn't are the fortunate and lucky enough to you know well to do that so yes in 79 Everyone talks about 79 and every cut it must have been marvelous Yes it was but you know there are elements of it which I can do without How did you feel that day them when when they were doing that stuff. Out of it actually a little bit I mean I was there obviously I was 12 mad I mean I was there I can remember. I mean I was just obviously delighted they won but you'd like to be a part of actually winning it and as I say. I remember I thought perhaps it might be 12 medals so I went out on the balcony and they said Clear off basically the thing and I think summed up the day anyways and that actually happen you know we got to quite a few other finals after that and it happened all the time I played in quarter finals and semifinals but never actually managed to finals. After 22 years I think it was I played my whole career if you like these is great but it's slightly changed with you know a lot of disappointment even have held that I've never and that's one of the greatest friends because I always believe Keith only ever did any team selection for the benefit of the side not for any personal animal or anything and we are the best friends you know we have Was have been. Did it feel that my men at the end of the season when he had left at the touch of a god less of those last few years it was that this was the beginning of a name this was going to be the starting special for 6 years one of the things that I always thought was you had to learn how to win and I said that funnily enough when when we beat not a lot of years later and Richard Hadlee and I said on the Commodore's commentating the time I said I think we've learned how to win and he said that's exactly right and not happened in the next year they won we'd been through so many near misses that once you get over the line somehow you think you're going to get over the line again whereas before you persist in the think we've done it again we've lost it now you think someone will turn up something will happen and it did you just get that confidence of knowing that you can win but it took so long time to learn that as David Act sharing his memories with me and Nick final thoughts from you then how significant was that season I 61 loss to hear from David who I work with he was summariser in our early season coverage on B.B.C. Essex A great to hear from David obviously disappointed that he didn't play in the game but what an impact he made in terms of winning the championship but yeah it was the year it all came together I think we put it in one sentence and a very good emerging side suddenly found that they were winning consistently and having won the Benson and Hedges Cup they just carried on they rode straight on secured those important wins in the championship to win it ridiculously easy with you know a month of a season so to spare Middlesex came on stronger next year it didn't quite repeat it straight away because they were very very strong but then they had that run of 3 more championships in the space of 4 years in the mid eighty's was still a very strong side start of the Win the Sunday League Lord's win in 1905 and if you follow years and then more success much happened chip in the early ninety's but after 103 years of trying it was certainly worth the wait 979 and that final 4.