40 years ago - remembering the day Essex bowled out Surrey for 14
- Published
Neil Foster (right) took 908 first-class wickets in his career at an average of 24.44
"On that particular evening, everything we laid a bat on was caught behind the wicket or at slip, everything we missed was either bowled or lbw. It was a complete freak."
It was 40 years ago this week that Alan Butcher was in the Surrey side bowled out for 14 by Essex, still the lowest innings total in a County Championship game since before World War One.
Having bowled Essex out for 287 on the opening day's play, Surrey began their first innings in the final session - and 14 overs later, it was all over.
Seven players made ducks as West Indies paceman Norbert Phillip returned incredible figures of 6-4, supported well by Neil Foster, who took 4-10.
"The way it usually worked, the first day had been rained off and being a three day game, we'd got 280 odd, we'd have a bit of a bowl, they'd score a few runs and then we'd start talking about declarations and see if we could make a game of it on the last day - 14 all out ruined that idea," Foster told BBC Essex's Around The Wicket.
"You never expect things like that to happen. I think we had 45 minutes to bat at the end of the day. We thought we'd had quite a good day actually, bowling Essex out. We thought we might lose a couple of wickets, but all 10 in 40 minutes for 14, we weren't too happy about that," Butcher recalled.
"[Captain] Roger Knight, when asked by the press, said 'we didn't bat awfully well', which has got to go down as one of the greatest understatements of all time."
SURREY FIRST INNINGS
Butcher c East b Phillip 2
Clinton c East b Foster 6
Needham b Foster 0
Knight lbw Phillip 0
Lynch lbw Phillip 0
Richards c Turner b Phillip 0
Thomas lbw Foster 0
Payne b Phillip 0
Monkhouse lbw Phillip 2
Clarke b Foster 4
Pocock not out 0
Extras 0
By 1983, left-handed opener Butcher's brief international career was already behind him - one Test and a single one-day international - and it was son Mark who would make a bigger impact with England, hitting eight centuries in 71 Tests.
Foster, though, went on to win his first Test cap against New Zealand three months later in a summer which ended with Essex becoming county champions for the second time.
"I was 21, that was my first game in the first team that year [because of back trouble]. Often we might have a side 5-3, but they might get 70 odd, which is still a low score, but nothing like 14. I was too young and too naive to realise how historic it was, but I've lived off it ever since to a degree," the now 61-year-old said.
"We both swung it and had fortune as well. Both Alan and Graham Clinton were caught down the leg side which is an unusual form of dismissal for both openers to be out that way.
"Norbert was a very hit and miss type - if he was on song, he was a really good bowler, but if he didn't swing it, he'd bowl half volleys on your leg stump, that sort of thing. He was special on this day. He created all the pressure - hence I got slogged a bit, I went for 10."
Butcher, now 69, moved into coaching when his playing career ended and had spells with both Surrey and Essex as well as being in charge of Zimbabwe's national team for a spell.
Alan Butcher scored 22,667 first-class runs during his career, including 46 hundreds and 123 50s
These days it is Coggeshall Town CC that are benefitting from his experience of more than 50 years in the game - but he cannot escape reminders of that day at the end of May 1983.
"It's always a talking point. [But] If I'd been too embarrassed about it, I wouldn't have stayed living in Essex for 30 years," he said.
Essex - then captained by Keith Fletcher and with a batting line-up headed by Graham Gooch - won 11 of their 24 Championship games that summer to finish 16 points clear of Middlesex at the top of the then single division, with Surrey back in eighth place.
But their victories did not include that game at Chelmsford as Surrey followed their 14 all out with 185-2 in their second innings to secure a draw.
Foster said: "It was an amazing thing to have happened. The next day, only taking two wickets, put it into perspective as to how bizarre it was.
"It did swing around a lot but it was a decent wicket and it was just one of those perfect storms as far as Essex were concerned, or imperfect on the Surrey side of it."
Once on opposite sides on the field, the pair do chat from time to time about the state of the modern game.
"We try not to be judgemental and try not to think it was better in our day, but inevitably we manage to critique the way its played now in a negative light too often," added Foster.
Essex were on the receiving end when they were bowled out for 20 by Lancashire almost 10 years ago - the lowest Championship total of the 21st century.
But Butcher thinks it is "unlikely" Surrey's unwanted feat will be beaten.
"It's always fun. It's part of the game's history. These things happen. You can just see the humour of it when it comes around. I've learned to live with it."