AS it was the legend Sir Viv Richard's 70th birthday earlier this week, we thought it fitting to take a look back at his impressive career in Somerset.
In particular we are taking a look at his iconic, then record-breaking, innings against Warwickshire in 1985 in which he scored 322, all in one day.
Sir Viv first joined Somerset in 1974 in the same batch of new arrivals as Ian Botham, Vic Marks and Peter Roebuck.
On top of 8,540 Test runs for the West Indies, Richards hit 58 tons in his 14,698 first-class and 7,349 one-day runs for Somerset until 1986.
In that time spell he and the Somerset side won five trophies before he and Garner were ousted as overseas signings, and Botham followed in protest.
But in the 1985 match against Warwickshire, Richards' performance is perhaps one of the best ever seen in Taunton and in England.
In 294 minutes of sheer majesty, 'King Richards' reigned supreme over the Warwickshire bowlers and scored a total that broke the then record score by a Somerset batsman since Harold Gimblett's 310 in 1948.
To get to the total so quickly, Sir Viv hit 42 fours and 8 sixes in just 258 balls.
Vic Marks who skippered Somerset against Warwickshire that game and joined Richards at the crease for the latter part of his innings said it was a special day.
“I was captain in that game and I seem to remember that it was quite a lively pitch because Paul Bail got hit on the head so when Viv went into bat we were in effect 28 for two.
“The ball was zipping around and Gladstone Small was making it quite dangerous but Viv was playing like only he could and he got to his first century fairly quickly.
“When I went into join Viv the score was 324 for four, by which time he must have been close to 200.
"He was playing freely as I recall and then having gone past 200 runs were coming so fast that he didn’t probably didn’t realise that he could be in for making three hundred.
"The quick bowlers came back and that got him focussed again and he then played beautifully.”
Truly an innings that will live long in the minds of Somerset fans, it dose pose the question though, is Sir Viv Richards the best player to have played for Somerset?
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