I remember watching this at the time - it's always stuck in my head. I've watched and played a lot of cricket in my time but I don't remember seeing a spell of quick bowling like this. It looks like the ball is coming off a sports-hall floor and Steve Marsh is taking it above his head in the blink of an eye. Sheer pace. So glad it's up on here - no one else I know has ever heard of Duncan Spencer. No speed gun, but this must surely be 95+mph. Shame he never reached his potential.
It was unbelievable wasn’t it. It’s as if the commentators didn’t want to admit it was the quickest bowling they’d witnessed. By all accounts Viv said it was the quickest spell of bowling he’d ever faced!
I saw this live. It was an unbelievable spell of lightning fast bowling from a virtually unknown young cricketer. Then he just slipped off the radar. Debilitating injuries put paid to what could have been an outstanding career. Coming back to this clip, what speed. The ball was bouncing like a wet tape ball on cement. The wicket keeper was standing a long way back. This was exciting and spectacular cricket at its best and still gave me goose bumps 20 years later.
There is so much happening here in the Viv sequence. Viv is a legend, an all-time great. He knows it. We all know it. He must have seen from the sidelines that Spencer was express but he still would not don a helmet. Too proud, maybe. He's famous for his fearlessness. The very first ball at 7:12 is short of a length & Viv's left forearm, raising up protectively, hints at his surprise as he defends. He replays the stroke, walks down the wicket, pats at invisible objects on its surface, his busy body English betraying his nerves. The next delivery is very telling at 7:43. The ball spits off the pitch & angles in, too quick for Viv, striking him in the chest. See how he has completely lost his concentration, not aware he is out of his crease until the w/k tosses the ball at the stumps. I absolutely must not cop a short one in the face, he is thinking now. His only head protection is a cloth cap. Still, in camera close up, he is determined to show he remains unruffled & cool. The third delivery is survival mode at 8:33 with Viv arching back instinctively to save his skull as the rising ball caroms off the bat handle. Too calmly, Viv ambles through for a single but the zoom shows a very serious face. Then at 9:29 is the rashest of shots, especially for Viv. The kind of shot he might have taken as an eight-year-old, an undisciplined mighty swing with his gaze skyward. A predetermined shot. I'm going to swat at it, no matter what. With a top-edge lob to the bowler himself Viv's body & mind concede defeat together. He's out, except it's a no-ball. I believe that Viv, in that moment, wished Spencer had not overstepped. Viv's 41, past his prime, & he's had enough today, from this "young pretender." Summoned back to the crease, he offers up a strained smile, pats at the pitch again, & is then too slow to react to the next delivery, a fuller ball that might've missed leg stump by a centimetre or so, taking it awkwardly on the pads in anticlimax. What a story this was. Every second of it was riveting.
@@IsaacAsimov1992 - No worries. Viv saw that his goose was cooked at ball #1 from this bloke. I don't care who you are you're a total ning-nong going helmetless to face 95 mph, especially on a club wicket. You can be maimed. Killed. But the drama here involves the ump, too. Big time. He makes "certainly a very late no-ball call" after Viv pops it up to Spencer. Looks to me like the bowler's boot is on the line (& not over it), but I could be wrong. The footage is grainy & my eyes are bad. Then Viv gets rapped on the pads with one that stays low. Spencer appeals. I was a bowler once. You only appeal like that when you know you've trapped your man plumb. Not out, says the ump. Spencer's smile is wry. These cloudy old eyes reckon that that ball would've busted leg stump about halfway up. Splintered it. For my money (which is exactly 2 cents) our man was twice a goner. That day a lot of people came to see The Great Batsman bat, not get out in the first over. Thousands of people, probably. And thusly, miraculously, Sir Viv bats on, makes 40-odd, & Glamorgan wins. As if scripted by the Gods of Cricket, with the gentleman in the white hat more than a bit player. Duncan Spencer won the moral victory though. He knows that ball after ball he beat his man like a dusty rug. And Viv knows it better than anybody.
I was in the ground that day desperate to see Kent finally win a trophy. For 22 years I've had it in my head that it was a little too convenient that the only no-ball of the day in 100 overs was the one that got Viv 'out' in his final innings. Such were the camera angles in 1993 theres no definitive answer as to whether it was a genuine no ball or not. Hard to tell from the footage. Well done to the uploader for putting this on here - certainly brought back memories of that great season when Kent were so nearly Sunday Lge champs. Also gutted I sold my Kent 1993 shirt on e-Bay now - it still looks great!
I am here after Robert Key mentioned about this video present on youtube on Sky broadcast of Kent vs Essex Vitality blast match. Man this guy is fast for sure.Great genuine pace.
This guy was from West Australia......you should have seen him bowling in club cricket here in perth back in the day....truly frightening stuff...there is a youngster from WA named Lance Morris who is causing the same excitement right now.....he has played Shield already.....truly fast
I used to open the bowling with him here in Perth for Gosnells in the WACA District comp. I pushed into it whilst he made all A-Grade batsmen shit at the other end..great fun watching that unfold!! Facing him in the nets at 6pm bowling a foot over the front line wasn't fun though !
+kim8them well without the speed gun it is just a guess but definitely 150km plus - I have bowled in the same net as Shaun Tate at the WACA nets one day helping prepare for a 1-dayer and Spanner was quicker than him, so maybe nudging up around 155/160km
+Rickvred1173 I'm writing an article on Duncan for Wisden and wondered if you might be up for a quick interview. I've spoken to Duncan and Daryl Foster among others. If you're interested, you can email me on rob.smyth@theguardian.com if you like. Cheers.
Like some of the other correspondents, I remember watching this when it was on - such was the impact Duncan Spencer made. I kept waiting to see him go on to greater things but sadly injury interfered. Wonderful spell of bowling here certainly woke up the Sunday crowd. Thank goodness the BBC were there to record it and that you have kindly loaded it here for us to enjoy again.
If it was Viv Richards in his prime, he would've put Spencers short pitched balls over the square leg boundary. He was 41 at the time and past his best.
@@St_AngusYoung sorry pal but I watched that live and remember thinking even Viv in his prime would have struggled against that sort of pace it was it was jaw dropping
Duncan played at my club Armadale, Perth Western Australia in the mid 2000s. He played mainly as a batsman and bowled some spin due to his back injury. He did bowl off a long run one day though and it was rapid. Especially on a synthetic pitch.
Cricketing history is dotted with players like Spencer: guys who were so obsessed speed that they exceeded their bodies' capabilities and injured themselves into early retirement. Mohammad Zahid of Pakistan is similar case. He debuted around the same time as Shoaib and in the early days stole the headlines from him as well. He only managed a handful of tests and a recurrent stress fracture ended his career. Nowadays, bowlers like this can earn a living in the shortest form of the game, because four overs every three days is manageable. Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes have made decent careers for themselves where twenty years ago they would've been out on the scrap heap.
When you can bowl like this wouldn’t you be completely and utterly seduced or obsessed as you say by your ability to bowl fast. Life is pretty mundane let’s be honest, however, just imagine having the ability to bowl at 100mph or pretty close to that mark as Spencer is here. Burn like a comet for a short time or like a flickering flame without reward.
Duncan spencer's action is little similar to shoaib akhtar's action in 1999. His speed is unbelievable in this spell. I am also a fast bowler so i am very happy to see this spell of lightning. Wonderful bowler with hard luck
+Oh Adams There's one article about him - can't remember where - which says he was timed once, predictably with speed in the high nineties. I saw this spell; having seen many international fast bowlers as a spectator I have never seen anyone come close to this bloke save Brett Lee (never saw Shoaib Akhtar). Nobody looked comfortable, love the way they're all looking for quick singles off him if he manages to hit their bat with the ball!
Those are definitely 150+ nasty thunderbolts from Spencer. Man he looks not just fast but RAPID! Damn! Wonder why he didn't get any chance to play for his country...
At 10:10 the ball raps Viv on the pad & the commentator calmly & dismissively says "That was going down the leg side," except that it wasn't. Viv was moving in front of the stumps even before the damn ball left Spencer's hand. Look at the puff of dust that comes up from the pitch where Viv's shoe scuffs it as the ball hits the left pad. Note that at that precise moment the pad is plumb in front of middle & leg. Spencer did not bowl wide of the stumps but immediately adjacent to them so it's almost a straight up-&-down delivery with a slight inward deviation off the wicket. Look at the bowler's exuberant reaction. Got him! Watch it in slow-mo. It was out, definitely, the ball going on to smash leg stump square on. See how disappointed Spencer is at the ump's call. Look at his body language. Viv tries to high-five him but Spencer wants none of it. Who wouldn't want to claim Viv Richards' scalp? Viv was out & both men know it. "It's all adventurous stuff, played in a wonderful spirit," says the complete clod of a commentator.
Crumbs, I had forgotten all about this but I too watched it back in the day. The narrative was all Richards's final match and Glamorgan's title push but Spencer was a revelation on the day. Genuinely fast bowlers tend to burn out faster than any other kind of cricketer - it goes with the territory. No surprise that the ones with real longevity (Lillee, Ambrose, McGrath) tend to have high, classical actions. Also, the sunday league was the t20 of its day, but how tame it looks now...
If this poor bastard had been born 15 years later, he would have made truckloads of cash as a T20 specialist, had his workload properly managed and been a global superstar.
No Helmet against Viv Richards at that age with that almost top international pace in game viv wants to win some of the last top cricket we will see in a long since and to come. What cricketing warriors.
Interestingly, this guy returned from cricketing exile to play two games for Sussex in 2006! One was tour match against the Sri Lankans, and it would've been interesting to see how he was bowling, 13 years after this video was shot.
He's very quick. Always hard to tell without a speed gun. Definitely over 150km/h, IMO. Maybe 155+. His teammates in WA, reckon he may have peaked at 160km/r. Some players refused to face him in the nets. His short ball was deadly as he was only five eight, so it came at the batsmen's throat.
That's proper quick on what looked like a "roady" pitch. He got Viv thinking that he shoulda worn a helmet. www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2016/sep/16/duncan-spencer-cricket-fast-bowler That was probably the golden age of County Cricket in my mind. I remember back then probably every WI player and some that only played for islands were playing CC not to mention some proper cricketers from AUS and PAK. You knew which County your favorite players played for even if you had no clue where Glamorgan or Kent were. Now it's just has-beens and never will bes in County Cricket.
yeah spencer was involved in a steroids controversy. he was the first sportsperson in australia to be given a ban for it, however at the time his back was absolutely destroyed from bowling his 'slinging' action. sort of unlucky in a way because his back was in his words 'worse then lillee's'. viv richards called him 'the fastest white man alive' around this early 90s period
I played cricket with Duncan @ Willetton in 1990..he played in the u17 as a 16 year old and hit several guys in the head...he was seriously scary to face at training
Amazing, and that was a one off speed recording. Imagine if he was timed in every game, he could've bowled at 160-165 in some instances. The ball doesn't dip on it's way to the keeper at all, incredible.
www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2016/sep/16/duncan-spencer-cricket-fast-bowler A long and fascinating look into Duncan Spencer's career. Well worth a read.
I was at this game. Notable as Viv's last match, he was given a standing ovation, unusual as we Kent fans have a reputation for being stingy with praise. Duncan Spencer bowled as fast as lightning that afternoon and I think Viv said that he was one of the fastest he'd ever faced. The Glamorgan supporters celebrated victory with some wonderful singing afterwards.
I think the steroid thing was naivety, plus when he took it he didn't think he had a realistic chance of returning to professional sport. He'd probably receive better advice if he were at the same stage in his career today, if not only because a bowler that quick would have been earmarked for greater things. It was frightening just to watch, I've seen Akram, Waqar, Ambrose, Walsh and Donald in the flesh on several occasions, this bloke was faster. Dale looked terrified.
This guy look way quicker than Thomson and Shoaib Akhtar. I think he crossed 100+mph in this spell. Viv Richard played Thompson bowling with ease but in this match he was struggling to this fast bowler he is seriously quick.
Spencer was fast, but no way was he quicker than Thomson or Shoaib. Also remember that Viv was 41 at the time and well past his best compared to when he was in his prime facing Thomson.
I remember this well on tv. Do you have the rest of Viv's duel v Spencer at all? Sadly, I seem to remember the latter involved in a sreoids controversy, if memory serves...
@cricketexplained8526 Really? I'll have another look later then, cheers. There shouldn't be many to trawl through after all. But otherwise, if you do come up with the figure, that would be great to learn of. I mean just how much over 90mph was he in this spell? That is the big question here I think. I'm hoping for a 95ish kind of figure to reinforce this rather special piece of footage... but it's sometimes relative how batters 'feel' pace (along with additional pitch conditions and weather on the day).
@cricketexplained8526 - well, that is most excellent work, sir/madam! Of course, if you are right that is. But certainly, it sounds about right, and 'feels' about right, too. And I like that your generalisation concurs with mine. Either way, it's an excellent bit of recent historical footage to reflect on. I may even have watched the Grandstand episode when it was first broadcast, and those scorecard graphics bring back good memories of a time when cricket on TV had yet to move over to Sky! Thank you again for your calculation efforts!
I just watch a video titled From the Vault: Tait’s rapid bowling against Pakistan...Tait hit 160km in that spell and some deliveries here would be comparable with what Tait was bowling.
I remember watching this at the time - it's always stuck in my head. I've watched and played a lot of cricket in my time but I don't remember seeing a spell of quick bowling like this. It looks like the ball is coming off a sports-hall floor and Steve Marsh is taking it above his head in the blink of an eye. Sheer pace. So glad it's up on here - no one else I know has ever heard of Duncan Spencer. No speed gun, but this must surely be 95+mph. Shame he never reached his potential.
It was unbelievable wasn’t it. It’s as if the commentators didn’t want to admit it was the quickest bowling they’d witnessed. By all accounts Viv said it was the quickest spell of bowling he’d ever faced!
I saw this live. It was an unbelievable spell of lightning fast bowling from a virtually unknown young cricketer. Then he just slipped off the radar. Debilitating injuries put paid to what could have been an outstanding career. Coming back to this clip, what speed. The ball was bouncing like a wet tape ball on cement. The wicket keeper was standing a long way back. This was exciting and spectacular cricket at its best and still gave me goose bumps 20 years later.
U know almost every signal ball beat for speed - this is almost unheard off- Amazing
I saw him bowl at the WACA. He was even more frightening on that pitch.
There is so much happening here in the Viv sequence. Viv is a legend, an all-time great. He knows it. We all know it. He must have seen from the sidelines that Spencer was express but he still would not don a helmet. Too proud, maybe. He's famous for his fearlessness. The very first ball at 7:12 is short of a length & Viv's left forearm, raising up protectively, hints at his surprise as he defends. He replays the stroke, walks down the wicket, pats at invisible objects on its surface, his busy body English betraying his nerves. The next delivery is very telling at 7:43. The ball spits off the pitch & angles in, too quick for Viv, striking him in the chest. See how he has completely lost his concentration, not aware he is out of his crease until the w/k tosses the ball at the stumps. I absolutely must not cop a short one in the face, he is thinking now. His only head protection is a cloth cap. Still, in camera close up, he is determined to show he remains unruffled & cool. The third delivery is survival mode at 8:33 with Viv arching back instinctively to save his skull as the rising ball caroms off the bat handle. Too calmly, Viv ambles through for a single but the zoom shows a very serious face. Then at 9:29 is the rashest of shots, especially for Viv. The kind of shot he might have taken as an eight-year-old, an undisciplined mighty swing with his gaze skyward. A predetermined shot. I'm going to swat at it, no matter what. With a top-edge lob to the bowler himself Viv's body & mind concede defeat together. He's out, except it's a no-ball. I believe that Viv, in that moment, wished Spencer had not overstepped. Viv's 41, past his prime, & he's had enough today, from this "young pretender." Summoned back to the crease, he offers up a strained smile, pats at the pitch again, & is then too slow to react to the next delivery, a fuller ball that might've missed leg stump by a centimetre or so, taking it awkwardly on the pads in anticlimax. What a story this was. Every second of it was riveting.
Excellent post.
Thanks mate.
@@IsaacAsimov1992 - No worries. Viv saw that his goose was cooked at ball #1 from this bloke. I don't care who you are you're a total ning-nong going helmetless to face 95 mph, especially on a club wicket. You can be maimed. Killed. But the drama here involves the ump, too. Big time. He makes "certainly a very late no-ball call" after Viv pops it up to Spencer. Looks to me like the bowler's boot is on the line (& not over it), but I could be wrong. The footage is grainy & my eyes are bad. Then Viv gets rapped on the pads with one that stays low. Spencer appeals. I was a bowler once. You only appeal like that when you know you've trapped your man plumb. Not out, says the ump. Spencer's smile is wry. These cloudy old eyes reckon that that ball would've busted leg stump about halfway up. Splintered it. For my money (which is exactly 2 cents) our man was twice a goner. That day a lot of people came to see The Great Batsman bat, not get out in the first over. Thousands of people, probably. And thusly, miraculously, Sir Viv bats on, makes 40-odd, & Glamorgan wins. As if scripted by the Gods of Cricket, with the gentleman in the white hat more than a bit player. Duncan Spencer won the moral victory though. He knows that ball after ball he beat his man like a dusty rug. And Viv knows it better than anybody.
Great breakdown. This is a fascinating encounter.
Viv has played faster bowler then spencer
@@royp7541
Not according Viv he hasn’t
I was in the ground that day desperate to see Kent finally win a trophy. For 22 years I've had it in my head that it was a little too convenient that the only no-ball of the day in 100 overs was the one that got Viv 'out' in his final innings. Such were the camera angles in 1993 theres no definitive answer as to whether it was a genuine no ball or not. Hard to tell from the footage. Well done to the uploader for putting this on here - certainly brought back memories of that great season when Kent were so nearly Sunday Lge champs. Also gutted I sold my Kent 1993 shirt on e-Bay now - it still looks great!
Sorry, Glamorgan won
You waited 22 years, glamorgan had waited even longer!!!! Great day out from my point of view, and I still have my Glamorgan shirt
I am here after Robert Key mentioned about this video present on youtube on Sky broadcast of Kent vs Essex Vitality blast match.
Man this guy is fast for sure.Great genuine pace.
This guy was from West Australia......you should have seen him bowling in club cricket here in perth back in the day....truly frightening stuff...there is a youngster from WA named Lance Morris who is causing the same excitement right now.....he has played Shield already.....truly fast
Quickest bowler that Viv ever faced, he said. I love the gesture right at the end too. Long live King Viv.
Good Lord, what a find, last time I saw Spencer bowl, he tore through the South Australian middle-order. Huge props to the uploader.
I used to open the bowling with him here in Perth for Gosnells in the WACA District comp. I pushed into it whilst he made all A-Grade batsmen shit at the other end..great fun watching that unfold!! Facing him in the nets at 6pm bowling a foot over the front line wasn't fun though !
Yes mate he had wire and screws put in his back..he was quicker than Gough. His action is much like Danny Morrison`s of NZ
Played U17/3rd Grade with Gosnells around the same time... those net sessions were terrifying
+Rickvred1173 So how quick was he ? (estimated kph)
+kim8them well without the speed gun it is just a guess but definitely 150km plus - I have bowled in the same net as Shaun Tate at the WACA nets one day helping prepare for a 1-dayer and Spanner was quicker than him, so maybe nudging up around 155/160km
+Rickvred1173 I'm writing an article on Duncan for Wisden and wondered if you might be up for a quick interview. I've spoken to Duncan and Daryl Foster among others. If you're interested, you can email me on rob.smyth@theguardian.com if you like. Cheers.
8:00 Somewhere in Yorkshire, Brian Close would have been yelling "Yes, now you know how it feels".
If you look at his bowling you can find that he got pace and lift off the wicket. Amazing talent we unfortunately couldn't enjoy.
Sad this guy never got to play test cricket. Definitely a talented player.
Had 36 wickets in 16 FC at an average of 39.
@@beingalibukhari He suffered a lot of injuries.
He did play a few tests for the West Indies and scored quite a few runs, if I remember correctly.
@@portcullis5622 Duncan Spencer?
@@stupendous1068 I know. Only joking!
Can’t believe I’d never heard of him! He’s rapid. This is a real gem of an upload.
Like some of the other correspondents, I remember watching this when it was on - such was the impact Duncan Spencer made. I kept waiting to see him go on to greater things but sadly injury interfered. Wonderful spell of bowling here certainly woke up the Sunday crowd. Thank goodness the BBC were there to record it and that you have kindly loaded it here for us to enjoy again.
The good old days of Sunday League cricket on BBC 2.
That's unbelievably quick. He's got The Viv ruffled.
If it was Viv Richards in his prime, he would've put Spencers short pitched balls over the square leg boundary. He was 41 at the time and past his best.
@@St_AngusYoung Viv said he was the fastest he ever faced, so there is more to it than what your comment suggests
@@St_AngusYoung sorry pal but I watched that live and remember thinking even Viv in his prime would have struggled against that sort of pace it was it was jaw dropping
Duncan played at my club Armadale, Perth Western Australia in the mid 2000s. He played mainly as a batsman and bowled some spin due to his back injury. He did bowl off a long run one day though and it was rapid. Especially on a synthetic pitch.
Cricketing history is dotted with players like Spencer: guys who were so obsessed speed that they exceeded their bodies' capabilities and injured themselves into early retirement. Mohammad Zahid of Pakistan is similar case. He debuted around the same time as Shoaib and in the early days stole the headlines from him as well. He only managed a handful of tests and a recurrent stress fracture ended his career. Nowadays, bowlers like this can earn a living in the shortest form of the game, because four overs every three days is manageable. Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes have made decent careers for themselves where twenty years ago they would've been out on the scrap heap.
Few? Zahid played just 1 Test.
Simon jones was the same his action wasnt natural and inevitably he became injury prone
@@danieljones3955 I think his action is more similar to Danny Morrison
When you can bowl like this wouldn’t you be completely and utterly seduced or obsessed as you say by your ability to bowl fast. Life is pretty mundane let’s be honest, however, just imagine having the ability to bowl at 100mph or pretty close to that mark as Spencer is here. Burn like a comet for a short time or like a flickering flame without reward.
@@Minami97145 tests and 11 odis. In one odi he made Brian Lara jump all over and eventually took his wicket easily, with sheer pace.
Ok..I am in shock as this is the first time I've seen this bowler. I'll come back and comment when I regain my composure :-)
IT'S BEEN 9 YEARS!
According to RICKY PONTING in his MEMOIR, Spencer and Shoaib Akhtar are the two fastest bowler he has ever faced.
Duncan spencer's action is little similar to shoaib akhtar's action in 1999. His speed is unbelievable in this spell. I am also a fast bowler so i am very happy to see this spell of lightning. Wonderful bowler with hard luck
You are right. The dynamics are similar but Akhtar used to build more torque in his arm during loading...
Nope
He is bowling above 150 great talent
Please upload more from this match. I remember watching it and it was one of the first games that got me into cricket.
"He ducked almost posthumously." Love it!
Amazing video and best bowling
What an entry,standing ovation,it shows the kind of respect this man earned throughout his career a true legend.
This dude is really very fast. I reckon some of his balls are in the 95 mph range. Maybe more.
+Oh Adams There's one article about him - can't remember where - which says he was timed once, predictably with speed in the high nineties. I saw this spell; having seen many international fast bowlers as a spectator I have never seen anyone come close to this bloke save Brett Lee (never saw Shoaib Akhtar). Nobody looked comfortable, love the way they're all looking for quick singles off him if he manages to hit their bat with the ball!
@@ianb9729 Recorded at 98mph..
Those deliveries could be anywhere from 93-98s. You just have to look at how and where the wicketkeeper is taking the ball to see how much pace is on.
And he's standing a fair distance back....
...and we told some unsuspecting Glamorgan fan who'd never heard of him that he was an up-and-coming spin bowler :)
His that quick his name is falling of his top
Those are definitely 150+ nasty thunderbolts from Spencer. Man he looks not just fast but RAPID! Damn! Wonder why he didn't get any chance to play for his country...
Injuries.
Because he wasn’t all that good. He struggled to hold down a place in the Kent team.
At 10:10 the ball raps Viv on the pad & the commentator calmly & dismissively says "That was going down the leg side," except that it wasn't. Viv was moving in front of the stumps even before the damn ball left Spencer's hand. Look at the puff of dust that comes up from the pitch where Viv's shoe scuffs it as the ball hits the left pad. Note that at that precise moment the pad is plumb in front of middle & leg. Spencer did not bowl wide of the stumps but immediately adjacent to them so it's almost a straight up-&-down delivery with a slight inward deviation off the wicket. Look at the bowler's exuberant reaction. Got him! Watch it in slow-mo. It was out, definitely, the ball going on to smash leg stump square on. See how disappointed Spencer is at the ump's call. Look at his body language. Viv tries to high-five him but Spencer wants none of it. Who wouldn't want to claim Viv Richards' scalp? Viv was out & both men know it. "It's all adventurous stuff, played in a wonderful spirit," says the complete clod of a commentator.
He would've been a T20 specialist now ...awesome stuff !!
standing ovation for viv entry , real king
Crumbs, I had forgotten all about this but I too watched it back in the day. The narrative was all Richards's final match and Glamorgan's title push but Spencer was a revelation on the day.
Genuinely fast bowlers tend to burn out faster than any other kind of cricketer - it goes with the territory. No surprise that the ones with real longevity (Lillee, Ambrose, McGrath) tend to have high, classical actions.
Also, the sunday league was the t20 of its day, but how tame it looks now...
Thank you so much for uploading this!
Other than Jeff Thomson in December 1974, Duncan Spencer was the fastest bowler I have ever seen live (at the WACA)
I'm sure I heard Maynard say "thank f**k for that" when he was given out lbw
If this poor bastard had been born 15 years later, he would have made truckloads of cash as a T20 specialist, had his workload properly managed and been a global superstar.
No Helmet against Viv Richards at that age with that almost top international pace in game viv wants to win some of the last top cricket we will see in a long since and to come.
What cricketing warriors.
Duncan A Spenceforth was a magnificent bowler, and a magnificent man. RIP.
Duncan Spencer is still alive.
only bowler who comes to my mind is Bond ,Shane Bond.
He was just 21 years old at that time...Richards was 41 at that time.
Interestingly, this guy returned from cricketing exile to play two games for Sussex in 2006! One was tour match against the Sri Lankans, and it would've been interesting to see how he was bowling, 13 years after this video was shot.
no way!
He took Sangakarra's wkt which turned out to be the last of his career.
U need to have guts to face such a bowler without helmet.
So sad that he couldn't make it big :(
His run up is that of a harmless seamer, then WHOOSH
He's very quick. Always hard to tell without a speed gun. Definitely over 150km/h, IMO. Maybe 155+. His teammates in WA, reckon he may have peaked at 160km/r. Some players refused to face him in the nets. His short ball was deadly as he was only five eight, so it came at the batsmen's throat.
That's proper quick on what looked like a "roady" pitch. He got Viv thinking that he shoulda worn a helmet. www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2016/sep/16/duncan-spencer-cricket-fast-bowler
That was probably the golden age of County Cricket in my mind. I remember back then probably every WI player and some that only played for islands were playing CC not to mention some proper cricketers from AUS and PAK. You knew which County your favorite players played for even if you had no clue where Glamorgan or Kent were. Now it's just has-beens and never will bes in County Cricket.
yeah spencer was involved in a steroids controversy. he was the first sportsperson in australia to be given a ban for it, however at the time his back was absolutely destroyed from bowling his 'slinging' action. sort of unlucky in a way because his back was in his words 'worse then lillee's'. viv richards called him 'the fastest white man alive' around this early 90s period
'he ducked almost posthumously' Vik Marx had a way words that his Uncle Karl lacked - Don almost killed the bugger at 2.21
I played cricket with Duncan @ Willetton in 1990..he played in the u17 as a 16 year old and hit several guys in the head...he was seriously scary to face at training
I'd say about 150-155. That ball is skidding off the pitch like crazy.
There was an article that said he's been clocked once at 157.7kph 98 mph.
Amazing, and that was a one off speed recording. Imagine if he was timed in every game, he could've bowled at 160-165 in some instances.
The ball doesn't dip on it's way to the keeper at all, incredible.
www.theguardian.com/sport/the-nightwatchman/2016/sep/16/duncan-spencer-cricket-fast-bowler A long and fascinating look into Duncan Spencer's career. Well worth a read.
Love his run up. Nice and easy.
I was at this game. Notable as Viv's last match, he was given a standing ovation, unusual as we Kent fans have a reputation for being stingy with praise. Duncan Spencer bowled as fast as lightning that afternoon and I think Viv said that he was one of the fastest he'd ever faced. The Glamorgan supporters celebrated victory with some wonderful singing afterwards.
Glamorgan won the trophy in Canterbury.
Huge attendance 15000?
Huge attendance 15000?
Great pace! Anyone got footage of Andre Van Troost
He was rapid too!
WOW. HOW QUICK IS THAT!
@robcoates Ha ha - "The Rooster"! Geez, he was quick - it's just a pity he rarely pitched it on the cut strip!
The best batsman I have ever seen...
Insta brought me here. And I'm glad I did, this guy is RAPID.
He is really fast🔥🔥🔥
Happy 50th birthday Duncan Spencer!!!
Where can I see the rest of the video - any idea?
Wow what speed looks like missile
Man you can hear the ball hitting the gloves loudly 🌚
I think the steroid thing was naivety, plus when he took it he didn't think he had a realistic chance of returning to professional sport. He'd probably receive better advice if he were at the same stage in his career today, if not only because a bowler that quick would have been earmarked for greater things. It was frightening just to watch, I've seen Akram, Waqar, Ambrose, Walsh and Donald in the flesh on several occasions, this bloke was faster. Dale looked terrified.
Is there anymore to this video - how many did the great man get?
This guy look way quicker than Thomson and Shoaib Akhtar. I think he crossed 100+mph in this spell. Viv Richard played Thompson bowling with ease but in this match he was struggling to this fast bowler he is seriously quick.
No he wasn't as quick as Thompson and shoib.and viv had retired way past his best in 1993.
Spencer was fast, but no way was he quicker than Thomson or Shoaib. Also remember that Viv was 41 at the time and well past his best compared to when he was in his prime facing Thomson.
Sees the bowler bowling at 90+ miles per hour and the batsmen struggling to see the ball.....walks out without helmet 🤦♂️
Ok. What’s your point? Are you trying to make a point? Finish your thoughts stupid.
Legend
I remember this well on tv. Do you have the rest of Viv's duel v Spencer at all? Sadly, I seem to remember the latter involved in a sreoids controversy, if memory serves...
Very handsome bowler Mr D S
What a huge crowd
0:00 - "none of you know who I am. Now watch this."
If Wood is bowling 97mph, then how quick is Spencer here?
I can not believe this
I am a huge cricket fan and how come I have never heard of him
Batsmen are struggling to even touch the ball
5.58 gossemps when viv came in to bat.
Greatest batsman ever.
Lovely action
Shocked that I never read about him in Pakistan. None of our papers wroye about him in 90s or 2000s.
I wonder if anyone could have a go at working out the speed from the VT?
@cricketexplained8526 Really? I'll have another look later then, cheers. There shouldn't be many to trawl through after all. But otherwise, if you do come up with the figure, that would be great to learn of. I mean just how much over 90mph was he in this spell? That is the big question here I think. I'm hoping for a 95ish kind of figure to reinforce this rather special piece of footage... but it's sometimes relative how batters 'feel' pace (along with additional pitch conditions and weather on the day).
@cricketexplained8526 - well, that is most excellent work, sir/madam! Of course, if you are right that is. But certainly, it sounds about right, and 'feels' about right, too. And I like that your generalisation concurs with mine. Either way, it's an excellent bit of recent historical footage to reflect on. I may even have watched the Grandstand episode when it was first broadcast, and those scorecard graphics bring back good memories of a time when cricket on TV had yet to move over to Sky! Thank you again for your calculation efforts!
Duncan Spencer was genuinely quick and, age 41, Viv Richards was past his best, his reflexs slower than in his pomp.
What the hell viv play him without helmet 🙄. It scare me like a nightmare
He looks like Juan from "That was Epic" RUclips channel
Dale was the Private Pike of that Glamorgan team.
Classic side arm action !!
His speed should been measured thunderbolt hit Vivian richards
Holy shit how come this dude never played test cricket?
Injury plague the promising career
So no footage of Viv making a single run?
I posted the video to showcase Duncan Spencer.
That NO BALL call was BS.
You are exactly right. Spencer was ripped off next ball, too, which was LBW.
I just watch a video titled From the Vault: Tait’s rapid bowling against Pakistan...Tait hit 160km in that spell and some deliveries here would be comparable with what Tait was bowling.
Blimey that's quick, must be close to 100mph stuff.
Why is Viv not chewing his gum???
+Rajan Chidambaram Becasue he knows shit just got real :)
Why he didn't play for England?,he looks far far better bowler then most mediocre fast bowlers playing for England in 90s.
Injuries took a heavy toll on his career unfortunately.
There is also player named Mohammad zahir who was claim to be faster than Shoaib Akhtar.
fuck me he was quick
Why wasn't HE included in English team
Too many injuries, unfortunately.
I was there
Umpire is from Antigua