IF Seamus O'Connell was the greatest Amateur footballer that I saw, then Garry Sobers, or Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, to give him his correct title, was the greatest cricketer

Forty-five years ago, Thursday and Friday August 23rd and August 24th 1973, I watched Sobers make his last Test Match century at Lords Cricket ground. It was worth the entrance fee just to watch him emerge from the famous Long Room at Lords, and make his way to the crease because he had this graceful, elegant way of doing things. His first boundary came off Bob Willis who, at 85-90mph, bowled him a half volley outside off stump and Sobers just caressed the ball through point for 4 runs.

That signalled an immediate response from the West Indies' supporters close to me, a whistle blew,, a chubby guy stood up and banged a big bass drum, another blew a trumpet before a Calypso band snaked up and down the boundary. Sobers went on to make 150 not out and the Windies closed on 652-8, which meant more music and dancing from the Calypso band.

Sobers was only 21 years old when he made his World record 365 not out against Pakistan on the 1957-58 tour, but what made him great was that at First Class and Test Match level he could bowl three types of delivery. He often opened the bowling, and on the 1966 tour of England gave Yorkshire and England opener Geoff Boycott a torturous time in the Trent Bridge Test before nailing him lbw for 0 with a little inswinger.

He bowled left arm orthodox finger spin, but after the emergence of Lance Gibbs concentrated more on bowling unorthodox back of the hand chinamen and googlies. He was a brilliant close field. I can't recall any other cricketer in my lifetime being able to do all those things at Test Match level as well as holding three world records because on Saturday August 31st 1968 he broke another two World records.

Playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea, Sobers came in with the Notts score 300-5 and with quick runs needed if Notts were to win he hit left arm spinner Malcolm Nash for six 6's which was then the highest score ever made from a 6 ball over and also the most 6's from a six ball over. A schoolboy is said to have found one ball rolling down the street, and was later allowed to present it to the great man. Former Sunderland centre forward Trevor Ford was also fielding as a substitute for Glamorgan.

Trevor Ford broke a record because when he was transferred from Aston Villa to Sunderland for £30,000 in October 1950 it broke the British transfer fee record. At Roker Park he formed a strike partnership with England international Len Shackleton, but the pair did not get on, and Shackleton, known as 'the clown prince of soccer,' often played passes to Ford to make the Welshman look second rate. This is probably why, when an England football selector was asked , "Why did Shackleton only win 5 England caps,?" the selector replied "Because England play at Wembley Stadium, not the London Palladium."