Favourite commentators

I am presuming you are fishing here RC ?

Mitchell is not the worst on show today by any means but todays commentators are not fit to lace the shoes of the likes of Arlott and Benaud.

I used to play rugby at school in those days Hayden and loved the BBC games, great memories.

Presumably RC was referring to cricket commentators such as Bailey/Laker/Mosey/Johnston/CMJ etc.

The 70s in to the 80s were the golden age of commentary with the likes of Motty, Coleman and Davies on MOTD and Moore, Sinstadt, Johns etc on The Big Match.
The brilliant Peter Jones and Bryon Butler on Radio Two.
Harry Carpenter for Boxing.

But the undisputed king of them all was Peter O'Sullevan, the voice of racing. What a voice and what a commentator with a remarkable knack of calling the winner in close finishes. A terrific bloke as well by all accounts.

Having read his life story "Calling The Horses" i believe his stakes may have been a bit higher back in the day Hayden !


Imagine having to commentate on your own horse winning the Triumph Hurdle and trying to remain impartial, you would never have believed he owned little Attivo from the way he described the finish. It was only afterwards he said in an almost apologetic manner "winner of the 1974 Daily Express Triumph Hurdle, Attivo, owned by err, Peter O'Sullevan.."


POS had a decent bet on Attivo before he had even run at big odds, which makes his calm demeanour during the race even more admirable

Atherton pour moi.

Of the modern era , I also enjoy Mitchell and also like Steven Finn .

Got to agree with Dixie re Arlott, Benaud and Johnson.

I don't mind Ali Mitchell as she is cricket, although she tries to hard imho. There used to be a Caribbean lady who was pretty good too.

Things have changed a lot. We have youtube now and all the televised tv. Before this some people only saw cricket in grainy black and white, before that they only heard from crackly radio waves. Some may never have been to a Test Match, even if they had unless you are behind the bowlers arm how can you really tell what is going in.

These old guys just evoked cricket and imagery. The new guys do not have that. We have people like Vaughan telling people constantly how good a " better " is then the batsmen has been out a number of times very next ball. I remember Cook particularly on Vaughan's first comment in the box and was in mid sentence when Cook was out when Vaughan said once he is in this grove he will bat all day!

We can also see what is happening in real time and super slow HD. We can also see the state of the pitch and what is happening. Also back in the day nearly everybody would have played cricket so had sort of rudimentary. I have been watching Andrew Flintoff try to raise a cricket team oop North. It is embarrassing how inept some of these kids are. It is a great show on Sunday nights if anyone has not seen it yet.

Bill McClaren tbf they were all great .... and Keith Wood scores, he is going to have a glorious if somewhat short career.

Sid Widell ooooh  Eric Bristow, he shows as much charity as Eberneze Scrooge

There are so many more. For cricket it always was Arlott, Johnson, Benaud and Blowers of course!

I like Stuart Broad on tv and Atherton. Radio wise I like Jonathan Agnew.

I've been watching the Freddie Flintoff series WD, he's such a naturally good communicator. Most would never be able to coax those ferals to pick up a bat and ball !

It is sad how so many of them had no idea who he was or indeed have any idea about how to play cricket. Obviously being ex grammar school boys we both had every chance to play in our youth, but even my mates who went to the local comp played the game. Every school should be playing it, what's gone wrong ?


I recently read Blowers memoir of his days on TMS, some cracking tales in there. By way of a culture change i am now reading John Cooper Clarke's life story, utterly hilarious but not for those easily offended

The Bard of Salford!

I liked him and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

I was shocked those kids didn’t know who Freddy was. Shocked at how useless the6 were at cricket, shocked at how unathletic they were and shocked at their attitude.

I am not surprised that every adult had given up on them. I would have asked the kid who called the lady a bitche if he would have given up on himself. I thought the grown up’s particularly Freddy handled it really well. It was depressing and soul lifting at the same time. I feel angry at and sorry for these kids at the same time. They say it takes a village to raise a child. What chance do a majority of them have.

I shall keep off the politics but these children need hope.

I am really shocked Dixie,

I can't stand kids but these just come across as retards. What a life they have. Really am absolutely shocked. I am a little surprised as I would have thought in adversity breeds a little unity and camaraderie. When you think about the Indian opener Jaiswal who travelled to Bombay on his own when he was 10. I wouldn't trust these kids to tie their own shoe laces. I really hope Freddy succeeds with these kids because they all deserve better than life has dealt them so far.

Great times back in the day eh! Extraordinary to see people like Ice Cube come through like they did and put their poetry to music. I don't read poetry but Leonard Cohen would be my favourite if I did.

OMG Whitbread Hop farm?

His songs are pure poetry WD, so reading not strictly necessary. Anthem, If It Be Your Will, Dance Me To The End Of Love etc. I wish i could write something half as good.

Closing Time is a superb example of his craft, an unusually lively song which initially seems to be a raucous ode to drunken revellers but is really a poignant lament about ageing and the end of life. Starts off with :

Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
and the band is really happening
and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
And my very sweet companion
she's the Angel of Compassion
she's rubbing half the world against her thigh

Then later :


Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing
but there's nothing really happening
and the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night
And my very close companion
gets me fumbling gets me laughing
she's a hundred but she's wearing
something tight
and I lift my glass to the Awful Truth
which you can't reveal to the Ears of Youth
except to say it isn't worth a dime
And the whole damn place goes crazy twice
and it's once for the devil and once for Christ
but the Boss don't like these dizzy heights
we're busted in the blinding lights,
busted in the blinding lights
of CLOSING TIME

Give it a listen if you've not heard it before.

Yes he was due to play at the Hop Farm for two nights in September 2012. Never did find out exactly why it was switched to the arena. He only started touring again (in his seventies) due to being ripped off by his ex manager. Sold out venues all over the world, think he was genuinely humbled by how revered he was.

Watched the second episode with Freddie the other night. Quiet touching when he's sat down with the lad who's mum committed suicide when he's 6 months old. Without getting into politics Fred almost seems wasted coaching cricket think the government need to talk to people like him to understand more about the background of the average person in this country. Hopefully will be a catalyst for youth clubs to start being opened again although very much doubt it.

Don’t want to get political on this but you are right King.

They pay millions and billions on management consultants. Better off buying people like Freddie a few beers and see what need# to be done. We all know it. Apologies for this but the recent March, you know I am an anti fascist, was full of people who are being ignored and not listened to. Our politicians need to listen. The gravy train is coming to the buffers at break neck speed. That’s all I got to say ‘bout that on a cricket forum.

Dury’s band were top notch too! I still listen to Rythmn Stick just for the band. Yes Punk era was great and gone too soon.

We'd need an English translation first Honcho

His contemporary Coleridge is more my cup of tea. The epic Ancient Mariner was written a year after Burns' death.

I do like Tam O'Shanter though , another fine poem.

Benaud and Nance best non brits.

Glenn mcGrath about the best of new lot.

Think Alex Hartley does a good job of the ladies.

Yes i remember the Tam O'Shanter from my late teens WD, but rarely went there as it was a bit of a hike from the Town Centre if me and my mates were on a pub crawl. Would drive past it on the way to OATS now and then.
Think it was a Truman pub from memory and changed it's name a couple of times, was called The Manhattan last time i went there many moons ago. Back about twenty years ago coming down the hill i  noticed it was no more and inevitably had been replaced by flats 

I thought the last highway robbery was committed by Man City at Wembley against the Gills in 1999

Henry Longhirst?

I am not familiar.

I am not a fan of Alex sadly. Too matesy with co commentator.

Henry was the John Arlott of golf, we could do with his like today.

Alex Hartley sounds like Orville The Duck's twin sister

Any sad dismal simp who thinks that brainless women cricket commentators like Alison Mitchell and the paj33t DEI hire Isa Guha are good commentators are not worth bothering with.
Mark Nicholas - peerless amongst current cricket commentators. Shame his MMC duties curtailed his commentating.  Along with David Gower.
Peter Aliss - no peer in golf commentary.
Bill McClaren - rugby.  No more to be said.  "Hands like dinner plates" one of his gems.
Richie Benaud obviously.
Horse racing - the incomparable Mark Johnson and Stewart Machin and "Languid" Simon Holt.  And NOT that shrieky brainless t@rt @PARX Jessica Paquette.  Or that idiot Tim "wiv up on the inside" Peters.

great thread , fabulous memories of the great comms , sir peter was my no1 of all sports,    but along with the commentators, the themes tunes to these great sporting events were also brilliant  compared to todays ,     heres one of my fav
  from midweek soccer   .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NiIt5lF1TU