Watching the cricket last night I realised just how much I like Richie Benaud's voice & how it has always been there, in my 30 or so years of watching the game. I also enjoy listening to David Lloyd.
On the football side I was a big Barry Davies fan - to me the voice of football more than Motty. None of the current crop really do it for me.
A big shout for
Ted Lowe as well - I don't watch snooker anymore, but during it's Hurricane Higgins heyday he had the best voice for that sport.
Comments
his round up at the weekend was a load of funny nonsense! funny though.
Me Stuart Hall. I know its not proper sport but watch some of the Its A Knockout stuff on YouTube. Him laughing will have you in tears....
As a boy in the early 60s, I also enjoyed Dennis Compton's close-of-play summaries, just because of who he was. I must have been a very naive little chap because I remember asking my dad once why the great Dennis was slurring his words.
Why on earth they gave him the 6.30 close of play summary I really cannot imagine. Arl liked a glass or two of good claret, too, and I think in his later years Test Match Special diplomatically never scheduled him after tea-time...
I was devastated, but my dad wrote into TMS with the story & it was read out by Arlott, Johnners and all during a lunch break - something about the dog now having more cricket knowledge than Bill Frindall!!
I wish I hadn't lost the tape of the conversation - a priceless memory.
The Yanks havent heard of Sid Waddell hence how he gets away with it........
Ray "Friggin" Hudson
Bill McClaren for the Rugby
Barry Davies and Brian Moore for the football, Richie Benuad is a good shout for the cricket but I think Atherton is a rising commentary star especially when he is sat next to Michael Holding
Seriously (Sorry Steve) - Has to be Brian Moore, an absolute Gentleman of the first degree. Had the privilege of meeting him.
Cricket - Agnew and Brian "Stop it Aggers" Johnson - anyone got a link to that commentary?
Love Brundle on F1 - thank god he's going to the beeb.
Whether it is football,hockey,Ice Hockey,skating,gymnastics he always did a quality job.
Seoul olymics - hockey final 'And where were the German defence, and quite frankly, who cares?' - showed he was a real British sports fan although I believe he later said he regretted that commentary as he was meant to be unbiased but the emotion got the better of him.
How he was overlooked so often for the cup final/world cups etc for that idiot Motson I will never know.
Brian Moore was good but I always thought of hime as a jinx when it came to England team.
Dont like how the sky boys even Martin Tyler have to have the big annoucement before the adbreak... "And Its Live!!!" as they think we are watching playstation or somthing!!
European Cup nights were great too, before the overkill of the CL.
Another radio voice I enjoyed was Brian Butler.
Also liked Brian Moore on ITV, too young to remember him on radio - he did '66 fo BBC radio- and Barry Davis on BBC.
These days I like Mike Ingham and John Champion.
CMJ for cricket for me.
The link below is probably my all time favourite of him, bearing in mind the importance of the goal to me and every Spurs fan will never forget his immortal words "is he gonna have a crack, I think he is you know!..."
Away from football, Richie Benaud commentating on the cricket and Whispering Ted Lowe on the snooker stand out for me. "There's three reds left...and he's snookered on both of them!" Snooker has never been the same since he retired in 1996.
Ian Darke is fantastic on the boxing and I agree it feels strange listening to him doing the football. I think Sky have just about got the perfect commentating team on the cricket now, Bumble being the pick of the lot "ooh, start the car!"
Of the current crop, it has to be the the Tyler/Gray combo for the football, the rest are mediocre in comparison.
Will be interesting to see who does the F1 on BBC next year...
Barry Davies at his very best
I'm not a particular fan of horse racing but even I could appreciate the qualities of the two Peters, O'Sullevan and Bromley. I used to like Eddie Waring commentating on the Rugby league but true afficionados of the game had mixed feelings as to his abilities. Footballwise Brian Moore and Kenneth Wolstenholme for me.
Of the current crop Geoff Boycott in cricket and Brian Moore in rugby. Footballwise anyone but Alan Green.
Forgot to mention Stuart Storey who commentates on athletics and coached our rugby team years ago. Decent bloke too.
A radio 2 commentator when they used to be the main outlet for radio commentary in the years before 5 lIve came along. He along with Bryon Butler were the voice of midweek football for me. No pundits, no bias, opinion-free and they just captured the magic of midweek football in a way few have since. Peter was a proper commentator. His son Ron can be heard on 5Live and he sounds just like his father.
I'd also put up a shout for Harry Carpenter - his boxing commentaries on Sportsnight were brilliant.