Very sad news indeed. I had the pleasure of watching him play for Kent many times when I was a lad. At the end of the Pakistan v Ireland game last night there was a long shot of him packing up his laptop and leaving the dressing room. In retrospect that was a very poignant moment.
I too remember happy days down a St Lawrence groud watching him and Knott,Underwood, Asif, Shepard, Jarvis, Johnson et al.
I remember feeling very sad when he signed for Packer. He did come back for Englnad in 1980 but wasn't the same.
He is without doubt the godfather of modern one day cricket.
He was a great coach and a very good player. As a batsman i can pay him no higher compliment than to say he put me in mind of Colin Cowdrey when he played his off drives. He wasn't a bad medium fast bowler either.
He was first picked for England as a bowler, I think he batted 8 on debut in '75 against the Aussies. He ended up scoring a century at the Oval that year to save the game.
I was shocked when I heard the news. As a follower of Kent and particularly during the 1970's he was part of that fantastic all conquering Kent side packed with internationals.
When he first came into the Kent side he was primarily a medium paced seamer and batted down the order. When he got a chance to bat he looked the part.
Promoted to open the innings he had superb timing and always looked as if he had the time to play the "quicks". He had as Len has said something of Cowdrey about him, particularly driving through the covers.
As a bowler he was under-rated but he often took the scalps of the opposition best batsman.
I was surprised when Kent did not engage his services as a coach after he retired from the game.
I was surprised when Kent did not engage his services as a coach after he retired from the game.
RIP.
He was coach at Kent for a short while in between Inverarity's spells if I remember rightly.
Steve Marsh says in his book that he didn't do as well as a coach at Kent as elsewhere because too many of his contemporaries were still playing so the relationship was not strictly player coach in too many cases.
He was coach at Kent for a short while in between Inverarity's spells if I remember rightly.
I didn't know/remember that.
I notice on the Kent website, they refer to his career as a coach but don't mention he coached for them so I guess you are right and he wasn't successful. I would have loved him him to have been tempted back though once his credentials were established.
Comments
I remember feeling very sad when he signed for Packer. He did come back for Englnad in 1980 but wasn't the same.
He is without doubt the godfather of modern one day cricket.
He was a great coach and a very good player. As a batsman i can pay him no higher compliment than to say he put me in mind of Colin Cowdrey when he played his off drives. He wasn't a bad medium fast bowler either.
RIP
True DJDD, but difficult to blame him and a premonition of sport to come.
Very sad news,
RIP!!!
When he first came into the Kent side he was primarily a medium paced seamer and batted down the order. When he got a chance to bat he looked the part.
Promoted to open the innings he had superb timing and always looked as if he had the time to play the "quicks". He had as Len has said something of Cowdrey about him, particularly driving through the covers.
As a bowler he was under-rated but he often took the scalps of the opposition best batsman.
I was surprised when Kent did not engage his services as a coach after he retired from the game.
RIP.
RIP Bob RIP
He was coach at Kent for a short while in between Inverarity's spells if I remember rightly.
Steve Marsh says in his book that he didn't do as well as a coach at Kent as elsewhere because too many of his contemporaries were still playing so the relationship was not strictly player coach in too many cases.
A link to what the Kent fans think for anybody that is interested.
Click on bulletin board.
I didn't know/remember that.
I notice on the Kent website, they refer to his career as a coach but don't mention he coached for them so I guess you are right and he wasn't successful. I would have loved him him to have been tempted back though once his credentials were established.