"I EXPECT some of your readers have admired the statues of the Beatles in Liverpool created by Andrew Edwards set looking out across the Mersey.

A fine tribute to a magnificent time in our rich story represented by those four young men. Five years after their breakup I was escaping from work to watch another band of brothers who wrote their names in the sky.

Viv Richards was my hero but he had much help from his team mates in establishing Somerset Cricket Club’s golden age.

I have always been surprised that Richards was never offered the captaincy of the county as he was at the time the best batsman in the world and the captain of the successful West Indies cricket team.

He had also given the county great service and great performances over a happy period when they won many trophies. It was a shock to me and many others when the committee sacked him and Ian Botham left in sympathy.

Now that the cricket tests between England and the West Indies will be competing for the Richards/Botham Trophy (formerly the Wisden Trophy) it is perhaps an appropriate time for the current SCCC committee to recognise the magic time when these two players competed together in the same team.  

Can I recommend to the committee that they put all past rancour and differences aside and join the E.C.B. and Cricket West Indies in celebrating the achievements of Richards and Botham by helping to set up and support a fund to finance the creation by Andrew Edwards of a joint statue to commemorate in perpetuity these two heroes? 

There are those who will favour one over the other or wish to include Mr. Garner or Mr. Rose or even the whole team but I would go with the names on the trophy - one from each side united together. It will cost a pretty penny but I am sure if the will is there organisers can be found to rally to the cause sponsors, companies and the great general public.

Liverpool had to wait 45 years for the fab four to be suitably recognised in their city. They don’t stand in glory, it is just four lads looking out to sea.

We have waited so far 36 years for our two lads to be equally recognised looking out perhaps towards the county ground by the Riverside accessible to all and of course our visitors.

Like the Beatles, they were flawed as we all are but in their time on the field of play they were magnificent and represented the great strengths of racial harmony."

Nigel Griffin
Taunton