Graveney's stroke of genius was a shot for the ages

Of all the great batsmen Mike Selvey bowled at or watched, none produced a shot as sublime as a legside boundary from Tom Graveney on a grey day in Worcester 42 years ago. Selvey recalls the day in the Guardian and how Graveney's unhurried, unflustered style was a delight to watch.

It is the second occasion, however, that carries a special significance for me. We were at New Road, myself and Surrey team‑mates, on the last day of August two years later, to play Worcestershire. This was only my fifth appearance in the County Championship and I knew nothing. There is no romantic recollection of it being an azure summer's day, with the cathedral shimmering and the Severn slumbering by. It was sweater weather and the pitch, looking at the card, must have been a green top of a kind that once offered rich pickings for Jack Flavell and Len Coldwell.

But it was on that day, from the New Road end, that I bowled to Graveney and was primary witness to a single stroke that defined everything that has followed for me since. The delivery, such as it was, contained no particular merit. It was on a length, lively enough in pace from a whippy youngster and not badly directed at around middle-and-off. At least it deserved respect. What followed is as clear as day.