GARY WILSON HAS described the “surreal day” that he became a Surrey cult hero — and explained how he ended up with a drink named in his honour.
The Irish wicket-keeper was named Surrey captain last week after county skipper Graeme Smith was ruled out with a knee injury.
Wilson’s status as an Oval favourite became clear last summer when he was cheered on by a noisy group of fans who dubbed themselves “Gary Wilson’s Barmy Army” on T20 Finals day.
Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Didi Hamann was among those swept up by the party atmosphere.
“It was a bit of a surreal day alright,” Wilson said in an interview on The Slog Sweep podcast.
“It started off with ‘give us a wave’ and escalated from there really.
“People were asking me did I have family or friends in the stands but I didn’t know anyone there. It was a great day. I was very humbled by the reaction of the crowd.”
A perfect day was spoiled by Northants, who won by 102 runs, but the madness continued for Wilson.
“Someone sent me a message later on with a picture of me trending on Twitter.
“It was a bit weird. I didn’t really know how to take it at the time. I think I woke up the next day and I had a thousand new followers.
“It was very weird but it was a great day all the same.
“They named a drink after me, the Gary Wilson, which is gin and whiskey. I’m sure Gary Wilson messed a few people up that night — it’s not often I get to say that!”
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Click here to listen to this week’s episode of The Slog Sweep, hosted by Mark Robinson and Andrew Leonard.
The latest visit to ‘Club Corner’ is from Neil Cahill, the Chairman of Cliftonville Cricket Club, who provides the fascinating story of Cliftonville’s history and their hometown hero, Paul Stirling.
We also hear from Barry Chambers, Ger Siggins and David Holmes in ‘Around the Grounds’, this week’s ‘Performance of the Week’, the O’Neills ‘Team of the Week’, #AlmostCricketLegend stories and much, much more.
