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But if a fictional match between the two
sides was to take place, who would take
home the bragging rights? And who are
the matchwinners to rival the 1989 side
in 2013?
Three men qualified to make these
judgments are Eddie Hemmings, Bruce
French and Andy Afford. All three
played roles in sealing the 1989 win for
Nottinghamshire, and have been keeping an
eye on the county ever since.
“In terms of match winners, the current
Notts team don’t have one, they have
eleven,” said former spinner Afford.
“Alex Hales and Michael Lumb are
exceptional, if one of those two play well,
Notts will win the game. Lumb’s versatility
goes unnoticed too.
“It’s very rare for a batsman to be able to
able to make a big score at a rate of more
than a run a ball, before playing through an
entire day in the longer format.”
It’s not only the batsmen in this summer’s
side who have impressed Afford.While the
likes of Samit Patel, Ajmal Shahzad and
Jake Ball have been rightly lauded for their
wicket-taking, he has reserved praise for
opening seamer Harry Gurney.
“He’s got this fantastic befuddled smile on
his face when he plays,” said Afford.
“He feels a throwback to the 1980’s, he’d fit
in our side nicely. He’s a little limited in the
field, and he’s a true number 11 with the
bat, but he is also a very, very good bowler.”
Eddie Hemmings scored the winning runs
in the 1989 final with the match’s last ball,
moving across to squirt John Lever away for
a vital four.
“For me, there’s that man David Hussey,”
said Hemmings.
“He came in lower down the order, and
changed games in an instant.
“The opening batsmen lay the foundations,
then Huss would come in and take the game
away from the other team.”
Hussey shared an excellent 99-run
partnership with captain Chris Read to
take the final away from Glamorgan, whose
early wickets had brought the two sides
much closer. Bruce French, who kept
wicket in 1989, opted for his counterpart as
Nottinghamshire’s most valuable player.
“You lead with your leader, Chris Read,” he
said.
“Years ago I got a phone call from the Club,
asking if I wanted to come and do some
wicket-keeping coaching, as they had signed
an 18-year-old lad who looked really good. I
came down, joined in and saw Chris Read’s
talent early on, and he has played a huge
part in the club’s fortunes and successes
since then.
“His averages have been very good, and
his keeping is exceptional. He has been a
brilliant captain too, and for him to make
all these decisions while still performing
as strongly as he has is testament to his
quality.”
The Notts Outlaws side that took to the
Lord’s turf this summer boasted nine
international players, drawing fitting
parallels with the 1989 side.Then, they
opened with England Pair Chris Broad
and Paul Pollard, there wasTim Robinson,
Derek Randall and, of course, Franklyn
Stephenson.
But how would the sides fair in a contest
between the two? Randall and Stephenson
have gone down in Nottinghamshire’s
cricketing folklore, but could Randall score
as well against Broad or Swann?Would
Stephenson’s fabled slower ball outdo the
likes of Taylor, Lumb and Patel?
“The old side would have the edge, without
a doubt,” Hemmings.
“If you sit and look at the batting line up
for our side in 1989 and then at the 2013
team, there is no comparison.
“We silenced a lot of critics that day as
everyone looked at us thinking we were
nowhere near as good as the side that went
before us, but we proved them wrong.”
The side that Hemmings speaks so highly
of included the likes of Clive Rice and
Richard Hadlee, in one of Nottinghamshire
cricket’s golden periods.Through the
1980’s they made their way to four finals,
and despite the 1989 team being without
those two figures, they were a force to be
reckoned with.
“The 1989 side would win, no doubt,” said
French.
“That was our fourth final in a short
period of time, and there’s no substitute for
experience in those cases.
“It would be a great contest, there would be
fireworks.
“Imagine it coming down to the final ball
again, I can see it now, Eddie Hemmings on
strike and no fielder at third man.”
Two solid votes for the classic side, then,
with only Afford’s die to cast.
“The 2013 side has the power to beat us, I
don’t think we could match their run rate,”
he said.
“On a pitch that was doing a bit, we’d have
a chance, but it would be tough. Both sides
have great players in all departments.
“I find it really hard to agree with people
who say that the game was better back in the
day.The athletes who play cricket today are
far superior to those in the 1980’s.
“Water doesn’t get slower, it’s the swimmers
that keep breaking records by swimming
faster.”
“If you look at the batting line
up for our side in 1989 and then
at the 2013 team, there is no
comparison.”
Eddie Hemmings