Gooch heads south as Hampshire Cricket Society prepare to mark passing of an all-time great
10.12.25, 11:30 Updated 10.12.25, 11:54
Rich Edwards
The Hampshire Cricket Society will play host to one all-time England great on Wednesday - and also pay tribute to another in their final meeting before Christmas.
Robin Smith's death last week at the age of just 62 has left a huge hole at the Utilita Bowl.
And his passing, just a short time after a flurry interviews to coincide with the opening Test of the Ashes in his home city of Perth, will be marked with a minutes silence at the Romsey Golf Club.
Among those present will be former England captain Graham Gooch, who will address the society before their annual Christmas lunch.
Gooch was England captain for a large part of Smith's career, most notably on the tour to the West Indies in 1990 when the pair combined to be part of the first England side to win a Test in the Caribbean since April 1974.
Smith memorably added 172 with Allan Lamb for the fourth wicket as England sprinted ahead of the West Indies' first innings score of 164.
The Hampshire man was eventually out for a marathon 57 off 161 balls as Gooch's side wore down Viv Richards' pace attack in Jamaica.
England eventually won the Test by nine wickets.
Smith also scored 100 not out at Lord's in the first Test of that summer, as the England skipper made history by smashing 333 against India.
The pair shared a partnership of 192 in a match that introduced Sachin Tendulkar to an English audience for the first time.
Gooch will doubtless have been hit hard by a death that has shocked English cricket and brought an outpouring of emotional tributes to a player remembered as fondly nationally as he is at Hampshire.
The England captain's appearance is another highlight in the Hampshire Cricket Society's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Their meetings resume in the New Year, with Phil Neale speaking on 14 January, before Chris Broad - a hero of England's 1986/87 Ashes triumph - addressing the Society on 18 February.
Ricky Elcock - a member of that England touring party in 1990 - then concludes their 2025/26 programme on 11 March.
An emotional tribute to Smith by the Hampshire Cricket Society's long-standing newsletter editor, Alan Edwards, can be found on the link below.
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Rich Edwards is the founder and editor of The Hawk. Rich is a freelance cricket writer and lifelong Hampshire man. He has been published in a host of national publications, including The Times, The Cricketer and The Independent.