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West Indian batsman Go‘rdon Greenidge could be the catalyst required to lift Scottish cricket into the big-time, says
Ross Parsons.
Visions occur at the most mundane of venues — there was Our Lady at Lourdes, George Best at Easter Road and now Gordon Greenidge at Titwood. . .Titwood? It‘s Scotland’s answer to Lords or Sabina Park —
well, as much as Firhill is our answer to the San Siro. Strangely it‘s at Titwood, deep in the heart of Glasgow‘s south side, that one of the greatest opening bats ever to pad up is gazing down at the finely manicured patch of turf in front of him.
He’s also glaring at us — he doesn't like hacks. Who does? After the recent destructive debate between Viv Richards and the British press pack in the West Indies, his views may have some foundation. So,
when I met him on a grey May afternoon it took some fast talking to persuade him to drop the visage of a nightclub bouncer eyeballing a drunk.
Presumably, it’s that same stony mien that has helped him to his 80 first class centuries. Since his debut century for the West Indies against India in 1974, he has been the first choice opener throughout their unprecedented period ofdominance over the cricketing world. Recently he played a leading role in the victory
over a resurgent English side in the Caribbean, rounding the series off with a blistering 149 in Antigua. All ofwhich is a far cry from the south side ofGlasgow. Thus, it's hard to see why he came to Scotland. where cricket perennially fails to set the heather alight. The great bat explains, ‘Greenock were first in with the offer after I had decided not to return to Hampshire. As far as I‘m concerned it‘s just another cricketing nation and I'm going to approach the job in as professional a manner as
The List 18— 31 May l99ll83