I was indoctrinated as a Somerset Cricket supporter from the moment I was born. They had never won a trophy in their entire history. They simply had to beat the bottom county Glamorgan on the final day of the 1976 season to put that right. They would only be pipped at the post if they lost and Kent won. Both the Somerset and Kent matches were on TV and the trophy was in a helicopter ready to be ferried to the winners' venue.
Kent won easily. Somerset's game went to the last ball. Even a tie would have secured Somerset their first trophy and that required 3 but as Burgess bludgeoned the ball into the outfield, the non-striker Dredge couldn't run fast enough. Somerset lost the game by 1 run and the trophy on run rate (by 0.42 of a run).
This sporting heartache has prepared me for a life of near misses. My teams almost always come an agonising second. As I write this, my football team Welling United are clear at the top of their league with 7 games to go. I can tell you now we will be pipped at the post.
Peter Wanless
Memory added on March 29, 2013
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