How Madeirans shared in heroics of Stokes

THE CRICKETER'S MOMENTS OF THE SUMMER - HUW TURBERVILL reflects on taking in Ben Stokes' Headingley heroics from the relative calm of a Portuguese football stadium

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As Marítimo and Tondela lolloped about in conditions far too stifling for football in their Portuguese top-flight encounter on the island of Madeira, I embarrassed my son Ben by screeching out in horror.

Pat Cummins was flinging the ball to Nathan Lyon, and it looked for all the world as if Jack Leach was going to be run out, and Australia would retain the Ashes with two Tests still to play.

The noise awoke my surrounding Madeirans from their stupor in the modest crowd of 5,568 during an entirely uneventful first half, and I realised how lucky we are these days to have mobile phones, allowing us to watch the cricket when we go on package holidays.

Of course when I booked the tickets to the football the week before, I didn’t really think that the first half would clash with the epic finale of England’s unbelievable run-chase at Headingley, one of the most pulsating afternoons of cricket ever.

I’d watched most of the previous four days’ play on my phone near the hotel swimming pool thanks to the free wi-fi, to the consternation of my wife and daughters (going back to the hotel room during the lunch and tea intervals to recharge it). Now it was time to take the plunge.

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Ben Stokes and Jack Leach served up an hour of endless drama

Twitter provided score updates to take my son and I from 30 runs needed to 10, but now there was nothing else for it: unlock the mobile data on my phone, turn on Sky Go and watch my 4G be sucked up faster than water by a camel in the desert.

I haven’t seen my bill yet, but there will be no regrets, those last 10 minutes were amazing. It was all done and dusted by half-time, and actually the football improved considerably after the break, the hosts fighting back twice from a goal behind, only to lose 3-2.

The views of the nearby mountains must also make it one of Europe’s most attractive football grounds.

It was all a far cry from the days before mobiles. I distinctly recall trying to find out how Ian Salisbury was faring on his Test debut in 1992 as I holidayed in Deauville, France.

It was a proud moment for a Sussex fan, not to mention being a novel one, as the last of our players to earn the call for national service was Ian Greig 10 years earlier.

I guess I could have rung home to discover the score, but I waited until I could buy an English newspaper the next day. It was on the back page of The Times.

Salisbury had fared well against Pakistan at Lord’s, and the pride of Sussex resident Christopher Martin-Jenkins, not to mention his delight at the success of a leg-spinner, shone through in his report.

Salisbury had first-innings figures of 2 for 73, and had dismissed Javed Miandad with a beauty, drawing him forward, and finding his edge. It sailed through to Ian Botham – hands on knees – at slip.

There was also the holiday in France in 1993 when I drained the battery of my friend’s car listening on 198 LW to Sussex being denied by Warwickshire in that high-scoring NatWest Trophy final.

Sussex couldn’t really lose after scoring 321 in their 60 overs, could they? Oh yes they could, thanks to Asif Din’s brilliance.

It was always disappointing when the car ventured further south in France on holidays, and the Test Match Special signal gradually disappeared until the point when the white noise became so unbearable that my parents finally made me pull the plug.

If you had told cricket fans then that 25 years later they would be able to watch it on their phones, who would have believed it?

To paraphrase Harold Macmillan, we have never had it so good. 

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