1970 DOCKER SHIELD A tribute to Malcolm Richards By Neil Mallett 3rd July 2020 Malcolm Richards Neil Mallett Former England hockey captain, Neil Mallett remembers 50 years ago as he played in the Docker Shield cricket final - the World’s oldest schools cricket competition. Dedicated as a tribute to school cricket master - Malcolm Richards The 1970 final Docker shield schools cricket final had everlasting tribute to our cricket master of the time everything and was a classic in every respect. - from Malcolm Richards (now aged 77 ) as to how powerful the contrasting educational philosophies of the two the sporting bond between teacher and pupil can schools involved, to the ebb and flow of an incredibly become when focussed in pursuit of a common goal. exciting game of cricket, dreams into reality back Malcolm was popular and likeable around the school stories, personal best performances, off field disputes, and a good all-rounder in club cricket himself at a touch of “needle “and a thrilling finale. This final had Halesowen, had steadily built cricket up within the everything and contains lifelong lessons for teachers, overall fabric of school life and what occurred in 1970 schoolboy cricketers and for anyone that’s involved in represented a milestone moment of how far cricket coaching the game these days. under his leadership had developed. Overall, success World’s oldest schools cricket competition on the sports field was an important strategy of Dating back to 1886, the Docker Shield cricket driving the reputation of the new “Grammar - competition is the world’s oldest schools’ cricket Technical school “and cricket along with athletics was competition that is traditionally contested and sought viewed as the key drivers in summer. The PE after every year by school cricket team within department had all become set on achieving the Birmingham. As a former pupil at Lordswood games related objective across all sports. Grammar Technical school (as it was called in my time A diet of one after school net sessions per week plus there from 1967-74 ) here are some of my personal matches on games afternoons plus some afterschool memories and recollections of when our school’s matches and Saturday morning school matches were under 15 cricket team ( year 10 nowadays ) had a shot the formulae behind the Richards cricket led approach. at the prestigious shield trophy back in 1970 for the By combining a set of promising young cricketers one and only time in the school’s history – bringing across two successive year age groups was also a key both memories and the lessons learned, flooding back element in his strategy- in that it both broadened the of the day some 50 years ago this month that we players mentally and strengthened the talent base, played the final against Castle Vale comprehensive resulting in raising the bar for selection and had the school at Edgbaston. In his article reporting on the effect of introducing an internal performance edge of game, journalist Ray Longhorn described it as “as one competitiveness, even before the team was selected. of the most exciting finals in the history of the Suffice to say it was more than one year’s work competition. “ involved here to formulate the recipe required, blend Genuine school teacher commitment the right players together, establish the right culture in The backstory to the final is also worthy of mention combining both a growth and winning mindset. here and is my attempt of placing on record an Significantly under Malcolm’s tutelage, he placed a 1 great deal of emphasis on the mantra that although We thought we had a useful varied bowling attack. Led played by individuals, cricket was above all a team by Howard Knight the fastest of our bowlers who’d game – which maintained a sense of overall already been selected for Warwickshire U-13’s, Andy enjoyment with grounding in equal measures. Illidge could both swing and seam the ball and Paul Griffin, Andy Terry and Nick Perrin were all steady Every schoolboy’s dream reliable seamers. One obvious area missing……. but I’ll My own memories of the final itself started with the come onto that later. spinetingling excitement of walking through the doors marked “Players entrance “ located at the back of the Our lads were used to skittling out most teams we’d pavilion and into what seemed to be the enormous encountered, once we’d got through the top 2 or 3 home dressing room at Edgbaston with the attendant opposition batsmen on mostly seamer friendly pitches on duty showing us where things were and where we and here, we came up against it as things weren’t would be allowed to view from etc. It was such a thrill going according to plan. If my memory serves me just to experience being inside the inner sanctum and correctly, we made the initial breakthrough after the thoughts of where so many great cricketers had Castle Vale openers had already put on over 50 and actually walked changed and played before – Howard they continued to pile on the runs. It wasn’t looking Knight and I had stood outside those doors previously too good and it felt like we were tense under the a few time before, autograph hunting at lunch and tea pressure of the occasion. Anyway, like on many during County Championship games, hoping to get a occasions then like now, the arrival of a drinks break glimpse - but on this occasion we were literally had a significant impact on proceedings - as it walking in their footsteps as that day at least we were provided us with a short time to regroup and actually allowed inside. importantly just enough time for them to stop for a moment and think. Following in the footsteps of our hero’s Inside the dressing room itself, there were lockers with According to teacher Richards, during the break in players names on - including the then current play, he quietly told Ian Scott ( “ Scotty “ ) our captain Warwickshire stars of the era Dennis Amiss, John to bring me on to try and bowl my embryonic leg Jameson, M.J. K. Smith Rohan Kanhai, A.C. Smith, breaks as they probably hadn’t come across this type Lance Gibbs, Norman McVicker David Brown et al. All of bowling before and this may be the best way of Warwickshire based test playing legends. When we taking wickets on this flat Edgbaston track. I was the eventually ventured out onto the outfield itself with youngest in our team at 13 years of age so it was a what felt like a carpet under your feet to take a look at huge gamble - for them both! the pitch that was cut towards the edge of the square Anyway, due to a huge dose of nerves it took a couple towards the Eric Hollies Stand– rock hard with no grass of overs for me to settle down and I had some tap by comparison with the seamer friendly “top pitch “at initially, but then hunch paid off as the switch of Lordswood. Empty stands of course, but nevertheless approach and change of seamer at the other end, looking back in the direction of the pavilion from the began to work as the in form Castle Vale opener and square, still an unforgettable image to savour and their captain was soon stumped by our keeper “ Jock “ great vantage point from where to taste the Stein off me - just after he’d reached a very good half atmosphere. century when he danced down the wicket and missed We lost the toss and were bowling and Castle Vale a straight one – no D.R.S in those days so just a simple made an extremely good start when our usually good raise of the finger by the neutral square leg umpire. It and reliable fast and medium bowling attack struggled was just the breakthrough we needed and the to make any inroads on the road of a pitch. It was such Richards inspired masterstroke had worked! 97-1 had an enormous contrast to what we were used to – become 97-2. Sheldon Heath, George Dixon, St. Phillips and Holford Learn from your schoolboy errors Drive even our own top pitch at Lordswood, where Being small of stature at the time, I was then the outfields were gang mown rugby or football encouraged to launch the ball higher and higher and pitches and where the actual cricket pitches was told to “get it up there” flight the ball and not to themselves we really just shorter cut grass - so were bowl short. We sensed an immediate shift in not in no way comparable like this Edgbaston belter. momentum now though as the “ fear of spin “ took 2 hold of their dressing room and the potential At the beginning of our innings we were soon in embarrassment of getting out to this slow bowling trouble. Our opener “Jock”Stein, a powerfully built bombardment started to prey on the minds of their rugby playing forward / pinch hitter type went early, batsmen - particularly now that their star turn man and the talented Mike Sheldon our other opener had apparently succumbed to it. On reflection I think started well, played a few good shots but then got it’s true to describe what was going on as being a bowled as he was looking to be set. My replacement schoolboy error! at 3 was also out early so we were soon reduced to 25- 3. Not looking quite so good now again as the As my and our teams’ confidence grew, we sensed momentum had now swung very much back in Castle that theirs had temporarily dropped a bit and at least Vale’s favour again for now we were back in the game - the reality is that on the day they found all sorts of ways to get Putting on the style themselves out as happens with spin and so failed to Nick Perrin, our stylish talisman was by far our most build upon the great start they’d made.