Open Writing

After a winter of coaching and playing cricket in South Africa, it was good to be home and renew acquaintance with my Northampton friends. One of these was a young lady called Mary Page.

Northampton provided a reasonable social life, perhaps the main attraction being the Salon Dance Hall. It was here, before going to South Africa, that I had met Mary. She lived in Linden Road, not far from the County Ground and worked as a secretary. At the time she was going out with a team mate of mine. We met again at a barbeque Northants put on for the touring side and talking to her I found she and my colleague had split up. From then we saw more of each other and when I returned from South Africa our relationship became serious.

The County side had a new skipper for the 1967 season. Roger Prideaux had played for Northants for several years, he was a well spoken Cambridge graduate and an excellent batsman. Some people said Roger should be a good batsman because he had his own personal coach - his wife! She was a member of the English ladies team and could occasionally be found in the bar after a game showing Roger how he should have played a certain shot.

Perhaps I could have done with some coaching myself because I didn't have a good season. Until the game against Sussex at Eastbourne on the 19th August, I had only taken 25 wickets at an average of 37. On the other hand, I had made my highest score of 62 for the County, but still averaged only 10.6.

Confidence is an elusive thing in sport, and when everything is going well life is very enjoyable. However, when parts of your game go wrong, it is annoying and frustrating as you struggle to find the fault.

I was in that position in the summer of 1967. Prior to that season I always had a good variation in my bowling with a loop ball, a slower ball and a quicker arm ball. Looking back I remember my left shoulder was giving me some problems and a lot of pain even after receiving treatment. At the same time, one or two of my colleagues alerted me that my quicker ball delivery was getting very jerky at the elbow.

At this period in the cricket world there were many bowlers with suspect actions in England and abroad. Charlie Griffiths, the West Indian, was hurling them down like a 90mph missile. I was bowling slow left hand and I never thought twice about my colleague's comments. Then it all happened. It was after the game against Sussex, I woke up to find my name all over the sports pages. One main headline read: "Scott of Northamptonshire banned due to suspicious action"

I was dumbfounded, shocked and annoyed because this was the first I had heard of it. Imagine today a professional footballer reading in a newspaper that he had been banned for an offence he didn't know he had committed. It was the same thing and in my opinion, bordered on illegality.

One of the first things I did was to speak with County Secretary Ken Turner. He pleaded ignorance but arranged for me to visit Lords the next day to see the replays of the game where I had been reported for my suspicious action. Most of the observers at Lords agreed my bowling was fine, just my quicker delivery was a little jerky. Suddenly I remembered my team mates' comments!

Before leaving Lords I told Major Donald Carr, Chairman of the M.C.C, that I was extremely disappointed with the way the problem had been handled. There had been no warning or invitation to visit Lords to view the suspect action before releasing the news to the Press. It was so unprofessional and like being found guilty without a trial. To this day I have never received an answer to my comments.

Later I was even more incensed when I found out there were several other offenders from different counties who had been reported for their suspicious actions. None of them had been banned. They had been taken to Lords by their respective counties, their actions analysed and corrected. It seemed Lords wanted a scapegoat, they chose me and even timed it for the last two weeks of the season. This had major implications for my employer Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. Was it just inefficiency that they did not inform me in advance of the Lords' decision or were they party to it?

Writing in the Northern Echo, Mike Amos reckons my career ended that day in August 1967. He wasn't quite correct but he convinced me the M.C.C were looking for a' fall guy'. If not, why did they inform the Press and allow me to be' hung out to dry' by every sports editor in the country, before inviting me to Lords?

It still annoys me today when I look back and think how long I had played the game and never been in any trouble. Also what my family and many friends in South Shields must have thought at the time?

Conveniently, my suspension was only for two weeks and I hoped by the next season most people would have forgotten about the abhorrent affair. Practically, however, I had lost part of my armoury, but psychologically, Mike Amos was partly right, the suspension had a long term effect. My confidence had been challenged and I was always conscious of somebody watching me for any suspicious action.