The historic 1993 NatWest Bank Trophy win over Sussex has been emphatically voted the Greatest Ever Bears Lord's Final.
Every match on the short-list was an ‘I-was-there’ occasion but the 1993 final took the accolade by a landslide, garnering 78 per cent of the vote.
The match was not just a sensational win for Warwickshire, of course – it changed the course of one-day cricket history. By chasing down 321, Dermot Reeve’s side raised the bar for what is possible by a chasing side.
When, from the very last ball of an incredible day’s cricket, Roger Twose carved Franklyn Stephenson away for the winning runs, the greatest one-day match ever had, for the Bears fans, the perfect ending.
Those fans came pouring on to the field – and the celebratory pitch-invaders included an 11-year-old boy who would himself go on to captain the Bears to victory in a Lord’s final.
“I was there in ’93 with my family in the Grand Stand,” recalled Ian Bell. “There were a lot of Sussex fans around us and they were quite chirpy for most of the day, but the day just built and built in a fantastic way.
“I remember running on to the outfield in the dark at the end. They are special memories. That day is the reason I wanted to play for Warwickshire.”
Ian Bell
