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Vintage Cricket

Red Wimp

Red Wimp

Vital Football Legend
Enjoyed watching highlights on Beeb yesterday, even if England did get well beaten by West Indies. Great to see Greenidge play one of the all time great innings (without a helmet), but also to see Botham in his prime. And hear Jim Laker & Benaud barely talking compared to today.
Another one next week
 
Red Wimp said:
Enjoyed watching highlights on Beeb yesterday, even if England did get well beaten by West Indies. Great to see Greenidge play one of the all time great innings (without a helmet), but also to see Botham in his prime. And hear Jim Laker & Benaud barely talking compared to today.
Another one next week
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That West Indies team was something else. Not only a great team but thoroughly entertaining.
Jim Laker is probably my favourite sports commentator of all time. Relaxed style, he just told you what happened without giving his opinion and knew when to talk, and more importantly when not to. Had a very soothing voice too, I don’t think any other commentator has come close to emulating him.
 
S6Ian said:
That West Indies team was something else. Not only a great team but thoroughly entertaining.
Jim Laker is probably my favourite sports commentator of all time. Relaxed style, he just told you what happened without giving his opinion and knew when to talk, and more importantly when not to. Had a very soothing voice too, I don’t think any other commentator has come close to emulating him.
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I remember standing by Joel Garner, at Trent Bridge, when I was about 12. The man was a giant!
Also, remember being on holiday watching Shane Warne in his last test match. A group in the bar were saying how pleased they were that he was done. Clearly not fans of cricket in general, not sure how you could not want to see the fella bowl. Mouthy Aussie for sure, but a genius with the ball.
 
Memories of watching the International Cavaliers XI playing against the counties on Sunday afternoons in the late 60s.

The popularity of these matches probably led to the formation of the Player's Sunday League in 1969. Laker could commentate on an over without actually saying anything until the sixth ball had been bowled.
 
S6Ian said:
That West Indies team was something else. Not only a great team but thoroughly entertaining.
Jim Laker is probably my favourite sports commentator of all time. Relaxed style, he just told you what happened without giving his opinion and knew when to talk, and more importantly when not to. Had a very soothing voice too, I don’t think any other commentator has come close to emulating him.
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Nobody has come close to Richie Benaud imho
 
Always thought Benaud was a bit overrated. Atherton and Hussain do a great job today.. all be it in a different style to the past.
 
plumbob said:
I remember standing by Joel Garner, at Trent Bridge, when I was about 12. The man was a giant!
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By contrast, I took my younger son to his first County cricket match when he was in his early teens. It was at Chesterfield between Derbyshire and Warwickshire, Derbys were batting. Brian Lara was fielding near the boundary and my son got his autograph, but couldn't believe that Lara was smaller than he was
 
This week was 1991 at Headingley. Noticeable the sparse crowd, although weather looked a bit grim, but why wouldn’t you want to see Marshall, Ambrose & Walsh bowling & Richards, Hooper, Richardson, Haynes & Dujon batting !
A brilliant innings by Gooch and great to see Richie Richardson batting in a floppy hat against an attack including Devon Malcolm!
And England won
 
Red Wimp said:
This week was 1991 at Headingley. Noticeable the sparse crowd, although weather looked a bit grim, but why wouldn’t you want to see Marshall, Ambrose & Walsh bowling & Richards, Hooper, Richardson, Haynes & Dujon batting !
A brilliant innings by Gooch and great to see Richie Richardson batting in a floppy hat against an attack including Devon Malcolm!
And England won
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Those maroon floppy hats are stronger than you think. I once ducked into a short-ball and the brim of the hat deflected the ball away from my face and safely to the keeper! Wouldn't have been a pretty sight otherwise, as I found out daydreaming at first slip and looking at Fulbeck church clock!
 
I can't remember owt about it, but I saw a day of Derbyshire vs Windies at Chesterfield in 1963. Looking at the dates of that match (17-19 July) it was obviously an end of term trip from the City School.
 
My first test was v West Indies at Trent Bridge 1957. My dad took me on the 4th day (Monday) when Windies were still in their first innings. Fred Trueman bowled brilliantly in the morning and Frank Worrell carried his bat for the Windies. All of the 3 W's played for Windies as did Sobers, Ramadhin and Valentine of calypso fame, and a young Rohan Kanhai as well as Collie Smith who smashed the bowling all round the ground late in the day. Smith was taken far too early. England featured Cowdrey, May, Trueman, Statham, Godfrey Evans, Barnacle Bailey and Tom Graveney who made a huge score in the England first innings.
I couldn't have had a better introduction to the great game.
 
Impecunious said:
My first test was v West Indies at Trent Bridge 1957. My dad took me on the 4th day (Monday) when Windies were still in their first innings. Fred Trueman bowled brilliantly in the morning and Frank Worrell carried his bat for the Windies. All of the 3 W's played for Windies as did Sobers, Ramadhin and Valentine of calypso fame, and a young Rohan Kanhai as well as Collie Smith who smashed the bowling all round the ground late in the day. Smith was taken far too early. England featured Cowdrey, May, Trueman, Statham, Godfrey Evans, Barnacle Bailey and Tom Graveney who made a huge score in the England first innings.
I couldn't have had a better introduction to the great game.
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When I used to go to Trent Bridge for test match in the 70s/80s used to see Godfrey Evans walking around, I have a feeling that he used to set the odds for the bookies, but was unmistakable because of his whiskers. All those other names I only 1st hand from commentary I think
 
German Imp said:
Agreed, really enjoyed both Richie B & Jim L with Peter West hosting the show on the BBC. Really enjoyed watching cricket on the BBC growing up.
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Yep. You could settle down for day, have a book handy for the slower periods, potter around for a bit. No intrusive stat-graphics every 30s. A different world to Sky, et al.

I still like watching Test Cricket, mind. Tend to do it in a pub these days, still with the book on hand. Watched one of the critical 2005 days in a pub in Nottingham with a lone Aussie who joined me for a chat. All very friendly and a knowledgeable fellow.
 
NottyImp said:
Yep. You could settle down for day, have a book handy for the slower periods, potter around for a bit. No intrusive stat-graphics every 30s. A different world to Sky, et al.

I still like watching Test Cricket, mind. Tend to do it in a pub these days, still with the book on hand. Watched one of the critical 2005 days in a pub in Nottingham with a lone Aussie who joined me for a chat. All very friendly and a knowledgeable fellow.
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The stats things do my head in with every sport on TV.
On the German football on BT, after about 10 minutes, something comes up that basically shows the player positions and an arrow from each one showing the average place that they have moved to for that time. A complete load of horse-shit that just block about 20% of the screen for a couple of minutes. WTF!!
 
1995 this week.
Highlights were the batting of Brian Lara, Dominic Cork taking a hat trick in the 1st over of a day, how slow John Emburey bowled & Mike Watkinson looking like a promising all-rounder but obviously didn’t fulfil this
 
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