RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler

Late in the evening on September 7, 1963, a musical variety show at the Victoria Palace Theatre was halted mid-performance and some special guests were invited up onto the stage.
The players of Sussex CCC had just beaten Worcestershire in the inaugural Gillette Cup final in front of 24,000 at Lord’s and were already drinking their way through a £25 win bonus. The club would bank a cheque for £1,889 the following week.
Thanks to an open invitation from cricket fan and theatre director Tony Mercer, they had their moment in the limelight, received a rousing ova...