A Seagull victory to savour and an afternoon with Ted Dexter
Brighton’s victory at Anfield over Liverpool last Wednesday night will be remembered long.
Of course this is not the Liverpool team that won the Premier and Champions League but the bulk of the side that achieved that took the field.
The Seagulls continued to be without our excellent young right back Tariq Lamptey and – after a year’s absence through injury – pacy Columbian winger Izquierdo was back on the bench.
It was a thoroughly deserved win with the slight dose of luck for the goal with the ball “ricocheting” – as the legendary Sixties commentator Peter Lorenzo might have said – off both Steven Alzate and Leandro Trossard, creating confusion who actually scored.
The Brighton defence without Veltman and Solly March limping off held firm.
Having beaten Spurs and ending the win-less run at the Amex, Brighton took 6 points when we would have been pleased with one.
We are now in 15th place 10 points above the relegation zone.
The only sadnesses for me were that it looks increasingly likely that Fulham will be relegated and the injury to Solly March, one of our most effective players
Yesterday I had another enjoyable sporting experience.
I am a member of Arundel CC and a Zoom interview was arranged in which Ted Dexter was interviewed by Sussex captain Johnny Barclay, now in charge at Arundel.
Barclay went to Eton where he was a cricketing prodigy.
Dexter went to Radley and excelled as a sportsman in cricket and golf.
Dexter is 85 now and recently published his autobiography 85 Not Out.
Physically frail he had all his marbles and his recollection of both the 1963 Test v West Indies at Lords, where any result was possible on the final ball, and the 1961 Test v Australia was crystal clear.
In that latter Test Richie Benaud bowled England out going slow left arm round the wicket.
Dexter spent many years in Nice and Benaud lived up the road in Beaulieu. They would meet at the African Queen at Beaulieu for pizza and copious rose wine and argue over Ted once employing 3 spinners on a wicket in an Aussie Test yonks ago that was not turning.
For us Sussex CCC boys Ted was more than a legend.
He brought our first success, winning the Gillette Cup in its first two years, sometimes and controversially moving his field to the boundary.
He might have had another career as a golfer as he was a scratch amateur.
Worcestershire wanted to sign him after Cambridge but lost interest after their Chairman invited him to stay and he destroyed him at snooker. Robin Marler, another Cambridge graduate, persuaded him to join Sussex.
I clicked on at 1.55pm but of Ted there was no sign.
He joined at 2.20pm with a flourish of his arms. After half an hour he excused himself as he had to attend to the formalities of executing his will.
It was marvellous for us to share his memories down memory lane.
