Essex clinched the title in 1984 after a dramatic day in Taunton. They would take the same outcome this year
By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog
Any budding screenwriters who want to pen a
Hollywood blockbuster about the County Championship should investigate the 1984 season. A campaign that ran from April to September came down to the penultimate ball of a match in Somerset, with the fate of two counties hanging in the air at Taunton.
The script would involve an underdog who nearly became a hero, a substitute fielder who earned legendary status for a county he never represented, panic on the streets of Chelmsford, agonising failure for one team and unadulterated delight for another. The story may not have the angle of a love interest but, come the end of 11 September 1984, Keith Fletcher probably kissed Richard Ollis in relief.