![]() ![]() There was a marquee set up, food was plentiful and drinks flowed. The England captain had not spared any expense. In the evening, the Australian cricketers left the premises of their shabby Dudley Hotel and made their way to the party Greig was hosting in his Brighton home. Now it was his turn to return the favour. He had even penned a ‘Thank you Melbourne’ letter for the Age. ![]() Greig had left the Centenary Test in garlands, lavished with fellowship and all assortments of bonhomie and goodwill. The traditional form of the game could not have been celebrated in a better manner. Australia had won by 45 runs, a curious, irresistibly poetic, recurrence of the margin of victory of the very first Test match a hundred years earlier. In front of a glittering array of Ashes luminaries from eras stretching back to the First World War, the two teams had contested one of the greatest Test matches ever. Tony Greig, the charismatic captain of England, had enjoyed incredible hospitality at Melbourne a couple of months earlier when he had taken his side to play the Centenary Test match. However, the intense excitement lay elsewhere. The players dashed off, the score reading 35 for 1. Snow just had sufficient time to send the off-stump of Davis cartwheeling. The clouds that threatened since the morning released the downpour within an hour. No one expected the cricket to go on for long. Australia would bat, Sussex would bowl, and one could spot the tall frame of John Snow limbering up as Craig Serjeant and Ian Davis prepared to go out and open the innings. Especially with the grey clouds hovering over the seaside town of Hove as Greg Chappell won the spin of the coin against Tony Greig. It appeared to be just another early tour match for Australia. ![]()
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