Bexhill-on-Sea, a breezy resort on Sussex’s eastern coast, was where I was on a windy day in June 1972.  Sussex v Essex in a two day 2nd XI match, where by tea on the second day I had far from distinguished myself.  While munching a sandwich and hurriedly gulping a cup of tea, Sussex’s coach, Les Lenham, approached me with a beaming smile.
“John,” he said, “You’re playing tomorrow for the first team at Hove against Worcestershire.  A spinner is needed I’m told.”
I was, of course, delighted.  By then I had only taken one 2nd XI wicket and yet to strike at a higher level.  Norman Gifford was my opposite number and nearing the 1000 marker, if not past it.
The match, as it turned out, drifted along with little to commend it and when Mike Griffith, the Sussex Captain, set Worcestershire a target of 241 in 150 minutes on the last afternoon, it was considered too steep an ordeal and Worcestershire quickly ‘put up the shutters’ and played for a draw – not uncommon in those days.
As a result I was suddenly and unexpectedly given a bowl, quite a spell, on that final sunny afternoon. Glenn Turner and Alan Ormrod were the two batsmen defending resolutely against the menacing off spin of Barclay and Joshi.  I could sense that Turner, already a considerable run-machine, was hell-bent on acquiring for himself a handy not out score, and so boost his average with the match destined to become another dreary statistic.
But his plan was thwarted and thrown into disarray by one of my unexpectedly vicious off spinners, a freak ball you might say.  As he pushed tentatively forward, the ball somehow burrowed its way between his bat and front pad, before just clipping the top of his off stump.  
It was indeed a great moment, for me at least, inspiring Tony Greig to stride over to me from slip (not far for him) and say “You’ll never bowl a better ball than that in your life.”
Memory added on January 18, 2021
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