Cricket: Emotional birthday for Gooch

Worcestershire 328-6 v Esse

The emotion of the occasion finally got to Graham Gooch after a day of toil in the field watching Reuben Spiring and Vikram Solanki piling up the runs, something that has sadly eluded the former England opener this summer and prompted him to announce his premature retirement after this match.

The usually impassive Gooch, who was also watched by his mother and aunt, said: "My father, Alf, passed away in December. He wanted me to play one last season. I'm just a bit sad that it's not been as good a season as it could have been for him, if he's watching from up there, because he was my biggest supporter. He came to all my games," he paused, swallowing hard before adding, his voice thick with emotion: "I will miss him a lot."

At the start of day he was late. By 8.45am on the first day of the last four days of his cricketing life, the stewards were fretting. But eventually, at 8.54 on his 44th birthday, he rolled up, parked in his usual spot and 20 minutes later was in the nets for the regular solitary session with his personal batting coach, Alan Lilley. It is something he has done for the bulk of his 25 seasons and there was no letting up in standards just because this was his final match for Essex.

Already a larger than usual crowd was building at Chelmsford, where he made his maiden first class hundred -- the first of 128 -- on his first appearance there (his debut had come the season before at Westcliff-on Sea). But there was to be no century yesterday.

The Essex captain, Paul Prichard, lost the toss, Worcestershire elected to bat and there was a collective groan from the disappointed 3,000, although they did have their wish granted, in part. For much of the morning they were able to watch a former England opener who has announced his impending retirement, scoring a few runs - the problem was that Tim Curtis plays for Worcestershire.

The Chelmsford town crier, Tony Appleton, marked the occasion as the players went off for tea by announcing the former England and Essex captain's birthday and conducting the crowd in a chorus of three cheers.

The great man was acutely embarrassed. He had gone over to speak with his mother, Rose, who had earlier seen her son lead out the side on his 391st first-class match for Essex and his 86th Championship appearance at the ground. But he managed to haul his habitual hangdog expression into something approaching a smile before shambling off to tea.

There was no sign of a smile in the second over after tea when Spiring, on 70 at the time, skied a catch straight back over Paul Grayson's head. Gooch at mid-on and Cowan at mid-off both went for it, but there was no audible call. They both stopped and the ball fell safely between them.

It is probably no coincidence that Gooch selected this match to make his last bow. Of all the first-class counties against whom he has played, Worcestershire have proved the best source of runs - 1,966 runs at 72.81 - and his best bowling, 7 for 14, was against the same county in 1982.

Essex could have done with something similar this time around. Apart from the one aberration, Spiring was exemplary. He is a hard hitter who is blessed with natural timing. His 14th boundary brought him the fourth hundred of his burgeoning career as he and Solanki piled up the runs for the sixth wicket.

The partnership should have been nipped in the bud when it had barely sprouted, off-spinner Peter Such missing a hard return catch when Solanki was on one.

Essex paid dearly for the two missed opportunities, the pair compiling 151, but Gooch had the last word, snapping up a good catch - the 556th of his career -- low down at short mid-on to dismiss Solanki. And he can have his say with the bat today.