Cricket is my thing and share your passion hence my nom de plume

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I loved this guy and his nickname.

Thanks dragon,

Will have a look

Not for cricket sadly.  My highest score is at Mote Park ( public pitches ) 71 n.o.

Sadly did not watch much live cricket growing up. Parents not enthused to take me. Friends into football and I always played cricket Saturday and Sunday

I never saw Hall and Griffith

But I strongly remember the Summer of '76

My wife is of jamacian heritage and we spent many  years gone by watching the anmazing bowlers and batsmen that the west indies produced.

personally i remember watching sobers play at old trafford in the 60s incredible movement batting anfd bowling.

i saw the fast bowlers of the 70s who coupled with the amazing batsmen they had were the best team i ever saw.

as i got older i watched walsh and ambrose demolish teams and took our children to see the amazing batsmen that was brian lara.

unfortunatley the hey days of west indian cricket have gone but we all have amazing memories of those wonderful cricketeres in their prime. A total priveledge.

If anyone hasn't already seen it, Fire In Babylon is a cracking documentary about the West Indies side of the 70s and 80s.
Its on Dailymotion in 2 parts. also on you tube i believe, well worth a watch.

loyal and foin are both absolutley correct of course, and i feel so priveledge to have lived in an era where both i and my family had the joy of watching them. i still love my cricket but somehow those halyson days appear to have gone for ever.

lillie and thompson were also amazing to watch such unbridled speed and aggression.

my Dad who was passionate about cricket always said that Don Bradman was the best batsmen he had ever seen

Thanks Dixie, I'll make a point of watching too.
Lillee,s figures speak for themselves but apart from them I don't think there has ever been a better balanced fast bowler than him, and I accept the Thommo tribute too.  What a duo to attack any side.

Lillee and Thomson were one of the most fearsome double acts ever. I remember good old Colin Cowdrey getting the emergency call at the age of 41 to join up with the Ashes squad in 1974, took him two days to make the journey then pretty much straight off the plane to face those two. As he went in to bat he said "Good Morning, the names Cowdrey i don't believe we've met !". Tommo's reply was unrepeatable followed by some of the most hostile bowling imaginable. No quarter asked or given. Great times.

As a youngster learning how to bowl seamers i would always try to watch Richard Hadlee when i could, he was an exceptionally talented all rounder but it was his ability to make the most of the new ball which really stood out. He shortened his run up in the second half of his career in order to lessen the toll on his body and was generally criticised for doing so at the time, however he was vindicated for his decision as his stats actually improved, his ability to swing the ball was second to none imo.

Not sure about that Honcho - sounds more like Jonty Rhodes as he was a brilliant fielder with a knack of direct hits.

Richard Hadlee was the first bowler to take 400 test wickets (final total 431) he also scored over 3,000 test runs so was a genuine world class all rounder.

Cricket thread here, lads. : https://community.betfair.com/cricket

I don't like cricket

Fast bowlers

Matty potts bowling in 20 over slog v yorkshire, whilst Carse
opens bowling for England at headingley

Funny old world.

I watched YouTube of Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith.  Early 60’s v England.
Not a helmet or other visible protection in sight and Hall warned by umpires for “hostile” bowling.
These batsmen had some bottle.

1976 -prob on u tube

I’ve seen it mate.  Utterly astonishing how he takes it and hides the pain.  He took it from Hall and Griff. too.

i did not know that YHTL. He was the epitomy of yorkshire grit for sure.

Tbh it’s makes me cry when I watch video’s Brian Close being battered by my non de plume the Whispering Death.

I watch the ball flying past his ear, his head see him get hit in the ribs and my laughing becomes uncontrolled so much so that my ribs go into spasm and the tears runs down my cheeks. What was really funny about this physical assault on an old man was that it lasted fully for 45 minutes and there was a little fellow down the other end called Jon Edrich. Close was so tough and resolute he did not try and take a single.

Brian Close literally heard death whispering through his ear - Michael Holding

Incidentally Dixie,


I do remember going to one particular match as a kid with my friends at Mote Park. We ran onto the pitch at the end as Jon Edrich was walking off. My friend said oi Edrich, when are you going to get your hundredth? I was a little shocked you could talk to a revered sportsman like that let alone call him by his surname.

I was surprised how small Derek Underwood was. I was in touching distance of all my heroes… A.P.E. Knott, Underwood, Shep, Bernard Julian, Asif Iqbal etc.

Following on from Fire  in Babylon a great film / documentary is When we were Kings about the Rumble in the Jungle.

Unbelievable footage and access to the pugilists and their entourage.

Together with a book called The Fight by Norman Mailer gives a great insight to the time.