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108-742: Former Somerset and England fast bowler Fred Rumsey founded the Professional Cricketers’ Association in 1967. Before the creation of the PCA English cricket players had little to no say in the administration of the game in England and Wales. Rumsey's creation of a players union was recognised when the PCA appointed him honorary life founder member and a vice-president. John Arlott became the first president in 1968. Wisden noted that his "democratic views and wise counsel earned him much respect in

216-472: A Test century in just 70 minutes. England regained the Ashes in 1904 under the captaincy of Pelham Warner . R. E. Foster scored 287 on his debut and Wilfred Rhodes took 15 wickets in a match. In 1905–06, England lost 4–1 against South Africa. England avenged the defeat in 1907, when they won the series 1–0 under the captaincy of Foster. However, they lost the 1909 Ashes series against Australia, using 25 players in

324-569: A cricket commentator at the end of the 1980 season. "The decision was freely taken; and although it was not easy to go, was a better choice than, one day, being told to go." Four days after the Centenary Test at Lord's ended in a draw, Arlott made his very last commentary, covering the Gillette Cup Final between Surrey and Middlesex for BBC Radio 3 . Leaving New Alresford in 1981, after 20 years, he moved to The Vines on Alderney in

432-435: A day together when he was staying on the island. "At six minutes past nine every morning the phone would ring. John would say, 'C'mon over – and bring your thirst with you.' At the end when the emphysema took over and he was struggling with speech he had an oxygen mask and I often had to empty his bag for him. But he liked me being there because I knew to wait and let him finish his sentences between gasps. I didn't try to say

540-516: A founding nation, is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test , One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right. England and Australia were the first teams to play a Test match (15–19 March 1877), and along with South Africa , these nations formed

648-506: A great attraction to the British public. With Australia sending a weakened team and the South African bowlers being ineffective England dominated the tournament winning four of their six matches. The match between Australia and South Africa at Lord's was visited by King George V , the first time a reigning monarch had watched Test cricket. England went on one more tour before the outbreak of

756-451: A large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R. I. P. As a result of this loss, the tour of 1882–83 was dubbed by England captain Ivo Bligh as "the quest to regain the ashes". England, with a mixture of amateurs and professionals, won the series 2–1. Bligh was presented with an urn that contained some ashes, which have variously been said to be of a bail , ball or even

864-483: A local policeman and a Hampshire member. It was quite a memorable day in the field, with the Nawab of Pataudi scoring an elegant undefeated century for Worcester in one of his very rare appearances on the county circuit. The match ultimately fizzled out as just a tame draw with Hampshire scoring 313 and 91 – 2 and Worcester 413 – 3 declared. It was his one and only appearance in a first class cricket fixture and it proved to be

972-509: A margin of "very few notches". Such matches were repeated on numerous occasions for the best part of a century. In 1846 William Clarke formed the All-England Eleven . This team eventually competed against a United All-England Eleven with annual matches occurring between 1847 and 1856. These matches were arguably the most important contest of the English season if judged by the quality of

1080-678: A mentor for Arlott's poetic ambitions. Arlott subsequently joined the BBC as the Overseas Literary Producer the following year. He was asked by the Head of the BBC Overseas Service , Donald Stevenson, to commentate on the warm-up games of India's tour of England in 1946 . Arlott's commentary "went down very well in India" and he was invited to continue to commentate on further matches, including

1188-450: A number of cricketers of competitive quality and good temperament: and it would be good to watch." During a stopover in Sicily in 1949, on his return journey from South Africa, Arlott tasted wine for the first time at the age of 35 . From that day he eschewed beer and spirits and devoted himself to cultivating his love of wine . The following year, after recommending some wine to John Marshall,

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1296-546: A record breaking stand of 359 between Hutton and Cyril Washbrook . The decade ended with England drawing the Test series against New Zealand, with every match ending in a draw. Their fortunes changed on the 1953 Ashes tour as they won the series 1–0. England did not lose a series between their 1950–51 and 1958–59 tours of Australia and secured famous victory in 1954–55 under the captaincy of Len Hutton , thanks to Frank Tyson whose 6/85 at Sydney and 7/27 at Melbourne are remembered as

1404-605: A records clerk (1930–34). His friend David Rayvern Allen noted that it was there that "he discovered humanity in often dislocated forms, [which] was fundamental to his personal development." This was followed by twelve years as a policeman (1934–1946) in the Southampton County Borough Police Force, which later amalgamated with the Hampshire Constabulary in 1967. He progressed to the rank of sergeant while stationed at Southampton , and enjoyed

1512-508: A sports shop in Fleet Street after his retirement from cricket. Arlott's admiration and respect led him to establish the Master's Club to honour his birthday, on 16 December. The inaugural lunch was held in 1953 at a restaurant in Fleet Street and was attended by John Marshall (London Evening News ), Kenneth Adam (BBC) and Alf Gover (Surrey). Membership of the club increased over the years and

1620-468: A twelfth man for the following game. Being willing and available, young Arlott was co-opted and he travelled with the team to Worcester . Hampshire had had to use three substitute fielders when two of their XI were injured and skipper Cecil Paris suffered a puncture on his way to the ground. The following day, the match report in the Western Daily Press named one of the substitutes as "Harlott",

1728-443: A victory by four wickets. The first Test match on English soil occurred in 1880 with England victorious; this was the first time England fielded a fully representative side with W. G. Grace included in the team. England lost their first home series 1–0 in 1882, with The Sporting Times printing an obituary on English cricket: OF ENGLISH CRICKET , WHICH DIED AT THE OVAL ON 29th AUGUST, 1882, Deeply lamented by

1836-501: A view was expressed in the press that their elevation had proved a mistake although Learie Constantine did the double on the tour. In the 1929–30 season England went on two concurrent tours with one team going to New Zealand (who were granted Test status earlier that year) and the other to the West Indies. Despite sending two separate teams England won both tours beating New Zealand 1–0 and the West Indies 2–1. The 1930 Ashes series saw

1944-426: A woman's veil, and so The Ashes was born. A fourth match was then played which Australia won by four wickets. However, the match was not considered part of the Ashes series. England dominated many of these early contests, with England winning the Ashes series 10 times between 1884 and 1898. During this period England also played their first Test match against South Africa in 1889 at Port Elizabeth . England won

2052-519: A young Don Bradman dominate the tour, scoring 974 runs in his seven Test innings. He scored 254 at Lord's, 334 at Headingley and 232 at The Oval . Australia regained the Ashes winning the series 3–1. As a result of Bradman's prolific run-scoring the England captain Douglas Jardine chose to develop the already existing leg theory into fast leg theory, or bodyline , as a tactic to stop Bradman. Fast leg theory involved bowling fast balls directly at

2160-462: Is commemorated in The Radio Academy 's Hall of Fame. Arlott was married three times: his first wife was Dawn Rees (married 18 May 1940 – divorced 1958), with whom he had two sons, James Andrew (1944–1965) and Timothy Mark (born 1950). His second wife was Valerie France (married July 1960 – died 1976), with whom he had a third son Robert, (born 1963), after a daughter named Lynne had died at birth

2268-469: Is deep enough, is his very personal philosophy and it governs his whole way of life, it governs his belief, and it certainly governs the people with whom he is prepared to mix." The motion was duly defeated by 334–160. Despite their opposing positions over the issue, Arlott was drinking with Wooller in the Cambridge Union Bar shortly after the debate had finished. Arlott maintained his strong views on

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2376-646: The News Chronicle , where he stayed until the paper folded in 1960. He began reporting football matches for The Observer in 1958. He also wrote occasional articles for The Times . Arlott joined The Guardian in 1968 as chief cricket correspondent, where he would stay until 1980. He was also asked to comment on football matches . He was assigned at his own request to cover the Manchester United v Red Star Belgrade European Cup match in Yugoslavia . At

2484-589: The Central Lancashire Cricket League in 1960. Arlott subsequently said that this was the achievement in his career of which he felt most proud. After topping the Central Lancashire League batting averages in his first season he subsequently graduated to the first-class county circuit with Worcestershire in 1964. D'Oliveira acquired British nationality the following year and was selected to play for England, making his Test debut against

2592-628: The Channel Islands . His health was fragile and he suffered from emphysema and chronic bronchitis after years of smoking. England cricket team Test kit ODI kit T20I kit The England men's cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket . Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. England , as

2700-477: The First World War , beating South Africa 4–0, with Barnes taking 49 wickets in the series. England's first match after the war was in the 1920–21 season against Australia. Still feeling the effects of the war England went down to a series of crushing defeats and suffered their first whitewash losing the series 5–0. Six Australians scored hundreds while Mailey spun out 36 English batsmen. Things were no better in

2808-780: The ICC in 1991 following the South African government's legalisation of the ANC and the release of Nelson Mandela . Following the cancellation of the 1968 England tour by the South African government, the Cambridge Union decided to hold a debate on the motion "That politics should not intrude on sporting contacts". Former England captain Ted Dexter was invited to propose the motion, seconded by veteran all-round sportsman Wilf Wooller who had skippered Glamorgan to their first county championship in 1948. Both of these ex-players were friends of Arlott. Opposing

2916-767: The ICC T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022 , and were runners-up in 2016 . As of September 2024 , England are ranked third in Tests, seventh in ODIs and fourth in T20Is by the ICC. The first recorded incidence of a team with a claim to represent England comes from 9 July 1739 when an "All-England" team, which consisted of 11 gentlemen from any part of England exclusive of Kent , played against "the Unconquerable County" of Kent and lost by

3024-504: The Liberal candidate for Epping in both the 1955 and 1959 general elections , coming third on both occasions but achieving strong support at a time when the Liberals were weak nationally. He appeared frequently on the radio programme Any Questions? , on which panellists debate topical issues of the day. Reviewing John Arlott: Cricket's Radical Voice , broadcast on BBC Radio 4 to mark

3132-493: The Melbourne Cricket Ground came to be regarded as the inaugural Test match. The combined Australian XI won this Test match by 45 runs with Charles Bannerman of Australia scoring the first Test century. At the time, the match was promoted as James Lillywhite's XI v Combined Victoria and New South Wales . The teams played a return match on the same ground at Easter, 1877, when Lillywhite's team avenged their loss with

3240-512: The Sunday League from 1969 to 1980. These John Player Sunday League limited over fixtures were 40 overs a side and were usually played between 2.00 pm and 6.30 pm. Arlott commentated on the first 20 overs of each innings with Jim Laker usually covering the last 20. He also briefly wrote, directed and narrated a topical local series for the BBC called ABC of the South in the 1960s but radio

3348-583: The Test and County Cricket Board and Kerry Packer over his World Series Cricket . In 1999, it played a key rôle in the formation of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA). An anti-doping education programme was launched in 2006, followed in 2008 by an addictive behaviour programme, covering subjects such as problem gambling , and in 2009 an awareness campaign about skin cancer . England women players have been admitted to membership of

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3456-565: The Test matches , initiating a 34-year career as a cricket commentator for the BBC. At first he encountered some resentment from his colleagues in the commentary box, initially clashing with EW Swanton , but despite this he rapidly established his own particular niche. From 1946 until he retired at the end of the 1980 season, Arlott covered every single home Test match. He went on only two overseas England tours, to South Africa in 1948–1949 and Australia in 1954–1955. Prior to 1957, BBC radio covered every home Test match, with Arlott normally one of

3564-528: The Transvaal in apartheid -era South Africa. Harold Goldblatt was a chartered accountant who was asked by Arlott to assist the PCA. It was he who negotiated the minimum wage, the standard contract and insurance cover for all players. He utilized the over-rate fines from 1985 to form the Cricket Association Charity, for the benefit of former County players who had fallen on hard financial times, and

3672-520: The West Indies at Lord's in June 1966. During the 1968 Ashes series, D'Oliveira scored 158 on his recall to the England side in the 5th Test Match at The Oval, which seemed to make his selection for the winter tour to South Africa a certainty. However, when the touring side was announced he was controversially omitted amidst allegations of South African political interference with the selection committee. Arlott

3780-407: The apartheid regime and consequently was ineligible to play first-class cricket . He wrote to Arlott in the late 1950s, after hearing his radio commentaries, because "his voice and the words he spoke convinced me he was a nice, compassionate man". He wanted help to find an opportunity to play professional cricket in England and Arlott finally got him a summer contract with Middleton Cricket Club in

3888-413: The 1890 Ashes series 2–0, with the third match of the series being the first Test match to be abandoned. England lost 2–1 in the 1891–92 series, although England regained the urn the following year. England again won the 1894–95 series, winning 3–2 under the leadership of Andrew Stoddart . In 1895–96, England played South Africa, winning all Tests in the series. The 1899 Ashes series was the first tour where

3996-478: The 1962–63 Ashes series 1–1, meaning Australia retained the urn. Despite beating New Zealand 3–0, England went on to lose to the West Indies, and again failed in the 1964 Ashes, losing the home series 1–0, which marked the end of Dexter's captaincy. However, from 1968 to 1971 they played 27 consecutive Test matches without defeat, winning 9 and drawing 18 (including the abandoned Test at Melbourne in 1970–71). The sequence began when they drew with Australia at Lord's in

4104-438: The 20th century saw mixed results for England as they lost four of the eight Ashes series between 1900 and 1914. During this period, England lost their first series against South Africa in the 1905–06 season 4–1 as their batting faltered. England lost their first series of the new century to Australia in 1901–02 Ashes. Australia also won the 1902 series, which was memorable for exciting cricket, including Gilbert Jessop scoring

4212-454: The AGM which normally preceded the annual dinner. "There was much noise, calls for order and the singing of a ribald chorus of 'On Rosenwater's doorstep, down Leytonstone way' to the tune of Mother Kelly. Irving Rosenwater was a leading member at that time and some of the club's elder statesmen were angry enough to walk out. John Arlott was the chairman at that meeting and, as was his custom, had taken

4320-458: The Ashes after Australia clinched the series 2–1. England hosted the World Cup in 1983 and reached the semi-finals, but their Test form remained poor, as they suffered defeats against New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. Gower took over as skipper in 1984 and led the team to a 2–1 victory over India. They went on to win the 1985 Ashes 3–1, although after this came a poor run of form. Defeat to

4428-591: The England team, can be largely split into three parts. Early in the decade, Illingworth's side dominated world cricket, winning the Ashes away in 1971 and then retaining them at home in 1972. The same side beat Pakistan at home in 1971 and played by far the better cricket against India that season. However, England were largely helped by the rain to sneak the Pakistan series 1–0 but the same rain saved India twice and one England collapse saw them lose to India. This was, however, one of (if not the) strongest England team ever with

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4536-519: The Imperial Cricket Conference (the predecessor to today's International Cricket Council) on 15 June 1909. England and Australia also played the first ODI on 5 January 1971. England's first T20I was played on 13 June 2005, once more against Australia. As of 1 December 2024 , England have played 1,081 Test matches, winning 399 and losing 327 (with 355 draws). In the Test series against Australia, England play for The Ashes , one of

4644-465: The Indian batsman wore solar toupées instead of caps to protect themselves. Australia won the 1934 Ashes series 2–1 and kept the urn for the following 19 years. Many of the wickets of the time were friendly to batsmen resulting in a large proportion of matches ending in high scoring draws and many batting records being set. England drew the 1938 Ashes, meaning Australia retained the urn. England went into

4752-514: The MCC and the counties appointed a selection committee. There were three active players: Grace, Lord Hawke and Warwickshire captain Herbert Bainbridge . Prior to this, England teams for home Tests had been chosen by the club on whose ground the match was to be played. England lost the 1899 Ashes series 1–0, with Grace making his final Test appearance in the first match of the series. The start of

4860-507: The Master (1981) and Basingstoke Boy: The Autobiography (1989). A Word From Arlott and Arlott in Conversation were published in 1983 and 1984 respectively as collections of his commentaries and writings. He was also the narrator and technical advisor for the documentary short film Cricket (1950). His career in journalism began with the Evening News in 1950. In 1955 he switched to

4968-571: The PCA since 2011. The committee is headed by a chairman, currently (since February 2021) James Harris . There are two vice-chairs, currently Heather Knight and Anuj Dal , and representatives from each first-class county and from England women's cricket . The PCA holds an annual awards dinner, with the Reg Hayter Cup for the PCA Player of the Year award being one of the more prestigious awards in

5076-551: The Reverend David Sheppard , who had been one of the first players to speak out against apartheid and who had also previously refused to play against the 1960 South African touring side. However, Arlott was subjected to some strong, not entirely unexpected, criticism from the English cricket establishment over his stance particularly by the former England captain Peter May , a Test selector, who wrote directly to him condemning

5184-624: The Second Test of the 1968 Ashes series and ended in 1971 when India won the Third Test at The Oval by four wickets. They played 13 Tests with only one defeat immediately beforehand and so played a total of 40 consecutive Tests with only one defeat, dating from their innings victory over the West Indies at The Oval in 1966. During this period they beat New Zealand, India, the West Indies, and Pakistan, and under Ray Illingworth 's leadership, regained The Ashes from Australia in 1970–71. The 1970s, for

5292-530: The West Indies, together with Norman Yardley and Freddie Brown . When he retired in September 1980, he was the longest-serving TMS commentator, equalled by Brian Johnston in 1993 and subsequently exceeded by Christopher Martin-Jenkins . Arlott undertook some BBC television cricket commentary, between 1964 and 1968 featuring matches between various counties vs an International Cavaliers X1, which were played on Sundays with 25 overs per side and then primarily on

5400-509: The World side, captained by Gary Sobers and including five South African team members, played a five-match 'Test' series instead, with Arlott rejoining the TMS commentary team to cover those matches. Ian Botham : "I met John when I was 17 and took his picnic basket up to the commentary box. There were four bottles of Beaujolais in that basket. Being a cider-boy I thought wine was a namby-pamby drink. But I

5508-424: The absence of their World Series players, especially in 1978, when England beat New Zealand 3–0 and Pakistan 2–0 before thrashing what was effectively Australia's 2nd XI 5–1 in 1978–79. The England team, with Brearley's exit in 1980, was never truly settled throughout the 1980s, which will probably be remembered as a low point for the team. While some of the great players like Botham, Gooch and Gower had fine careers,

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5616-468: The advantage of a very distinctive voice. Frank Keating wrote of his "articulate, leisurely, confiding countryman's burr". Keating also compared his stature as a radio journalist with those of Richard Dimbleby and Alistair Cooke . Arlott's final Test commentary was on the Centenary Test between England and Australia at Lord's in 1980. At the end of his last session on the final day (2 September), he concluded with his customary phrasing "nine runs off

5724-816: The annual lunch was eventually moved to the Long Room at The Oval . Despite the demise of all of the original members, it still thrives and continues to meet for lunch every year either on, or close to, Hobbs' 16 December birthday. In keeping with tradition, the lunch always consists of Sir Jack's favourite meal, roast lamb followed by apple pie. Arlott's dream team contained seven Englishmen, three West Indians and only one Australian. The team in probable batting order was: Jack Hobbs , Mike Brearley , Vivian Richards , Learie Constantine , Ted Dexter , Ian Botham , Keith Miller , Wilfred Rhodes , George Brown (WK), Jim Laker and Wes Hall . The reserves were Basil D'Oliveira , Doug Wright , Leo Harrison (WK) and Frank Tyson . He

5832-538: The batsman's body. The batsman would need to defend himself, and if he touched the ball with the bat, he risked being caught by one of a large number of fielders placed on the leg side. Using Jardine's fast leg theory, England won the next Ashes series 4–1, but complaints about the Bodyline tactic caused crowd disruption on the tour, and threats of diplomatic action from the Australian Cricket Board , which during

5940-496: The captaincy due to his poor form, and was replaced by Brearley. Botham returned to form and played exceptionally in the remainder of the series, being named man of the match in the third, fourth and fifth Tests. The series became known as Botham's Ashes as England recorded a 3–1 victory. Keith Fletcher took over as captain in 1981, but England lost his first series in charge against India. Bob Willis took over as captain in 1982 and enjoyed victories over India and Pakistan, but lost

6048-449: The charity has helped over 80 such players to date. He was appointed senior vice president for life in appreciation of the 30 years of service he gave to the association. In an article about the PCA originally published in the March 1979 issue of The Cricketer , Arlott wrote that Goldblatt was "invaluable as financial adviser". In 1997, the PCA was instrumental in settling the dispute between

6156-539: The commentators, but it did not broadcast uninterrupted ball-by-ball commentary. Test Match Special (TMS) was launched on 30 May 1957, providing a full ball-by-ball Test Match commentary service on the medium wave service of the BBC Third Programme . The first match covered was the first Test between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston . The TMS commentators that day were Arlott, Rex Alston and E. W. Swanton, with summaries provided by Ken Ablack , from

6264-516: The conditions of employment of the county cricketer. Wisden noted that "democratic views and wise counsel earned him much respect in the cricket world and among the players. His moderation and tact helped in some tight corners, notably at the time of the Packer Affair , when he strove to keep the Cricketers' Association neutral." Arlott had developed a close friendship with Sir Jack Hobbs, who ran

6372-400: The cricket world and among the players. His moderation and tact helped in some tight corners, notably at the time of the Packer Affair , when he strove to keep the Cricketers' Association neutral." Mike Edwards was appointed the first treasurer in 1968, and was elected chairman in 1970. He subsequently resigned the post following a majority decision by the membership to accept a donation from

6480-410: The domestic game. John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott , OBE (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special . He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he became a cricket commentator noted for his "wonderful gift for evoking cricketing moments" by the BBC. John Arlott

6588-924: The editor of the London Evening News , he was invited to write a weekly wine column for that newspaper and this resulted in invitations to press tours of French wine regions . In due course he became a connoisseur of wine, and was often accompanied by some good claret to help lubricate his voice through a day of cricket commentating . He subsequently wrote a regular wine column for The Guardian newspaper and he also published two books, Burgundy Vines and Wines co-written with Christopher Fielden in 1976, and Arlott on Wine in 1987. Before retiring to Alderney , he auctioned his well-stocked wine cellar containing many fine clarets, at Sotheby's . "Say that cricket has nothing to do with politics and you say that cricket has nothing to do with life." Arlott espoused strong liberal and humanitarian political views and he stood as

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6696-421: The encyclopaedia Barclays World of Cricket . He had many books published, including: Of Period and Place , a book of poetry (1944); Indian Summer (1946); Concerning Cricket (1949); Maurice Tate (1951); Test Match Diary (1953); Vintage Summer (1967); Fred – Portrait of a Fast bowler (1971); A Hundred Years of County Cricket (1973); John Arlott's book of cricketers (1979); Jack Hobbs: Profile of

6804-494: The fastest bowling ever seen in Australia. The 1956 series was remembered for the bowling of Jim Laker who took 46 wickets at an average of 9.62, including figures of 19/90 at Old Trafford . After drawing to South Africa, England defeated the West Indies and New Zealand comfortably. The England team then left for Australia in the 1958–59 season with a team that had been hailed as the strongest ever to leave on an Ashes tour but lost

6912-434: The final match of the series at The Oval 1–0 down, but won the final game by an innings and 579 runs. Len Hutton made the highest ever Test score by an Englishman, making 364 in England first innings to help them reach 903, their highest ever score against Australia. The 1938–39 tour of South Africa saw another experiment with the deciding Test being a timeless Test that was played to a finish. England lead 1–0 going into

7020-489: The final timeless match at Durban. Despite the final Test being 'timeless', the game ended in a draw after 10 days as England had to catch the train to catch the boat home. A record 1,981 runs were scored, and the concept of timeless Tests was abandoned. England went on one final tour of the West Indies in 1939 before the Second World War , although a team for an MCC tour of India was selected more in hope than expectation of

7128-405: The issue and two years later he came to an unprecedented agreement with the BBC to be excused from commentating on the upcoming Test series against South Africa in England without prejudicing his future commentary role on Test matches against other touring teams in subsequent years. However, the British government subsequently cancelled the tour over public order concerns at each Test venue. A Rest of

7236-706: The last minute their chief soccer correspondent Donny Davies pulled rank and decided to go instead. The aircraft bringing back the team, officials and press crashed in what became known as the Munich air disaster and Davies was one of the fatalities. Arlott stopped covering soccer in 1977 after some violent post match incidents with hooligan fans. He became an early member of the Cricket Writers' Club , founded in 1947, whose dinners in those days were lavish affairs and often held in liveried halls. Basil Easterbrook , chairman in 1965, recalled an attempt to ban drinking until after

7344-470: The likes of Illingworth, Geoffrey Boycott , John Edrich , Basil D'Oliveira , Dennis Amiss , Alan Knott , John Snow and Derek Underwood at its core. The mid-1970s were more turbulent. Illingworth and several others had refused to tour India in 1972–73 which led to a clamour for Illingworth's job by the end of that summer – England had just been beaten 2–0 by a flamboyant West Indies side – with several England players well over 35. Mike Denness

7452-546: The match ended in a draw, he came onto the Lord's balcony to present the Man of the Match award . When he appeared, the crowd below again burst into a spontaneous ovation that lasted for several minutes before he was finally able to speak and make the presentation to Kim Hughes . Four days later, Arlott returned to Lord's for his last commentary, covering the 1980 Gillette Cup final. Arlott

7560-420: The matches being played. Test cricket resumed after the war in 1946, and England won their first match back against India. However, they struggled in the 1946–47 Ashes series, losing 3–0 in Australia under Wally Hammond 's captaincy. England beat South Africa 3–0 in 1947 with Denis Compton scoring 1,187 runs in the series. The 1947–48 series against the West Indies was another disappointment for England, with

7668-470: The most famous trophies in all of sport, and they have won the urn on 32 occasions. England have also played 805 ODIs, winning 403. They have appeared in the final of the Cricket World Cup four times ( 1979 , 1987 , 1992 ), and winning their first in 2019 ; they have also finished as runners-up in two ICC Champions Trophies ( 2004 and 2013 ). England have played 199 T20Is, winning 104. They won

7776-403: The motion were the incumbent minister for sport, Denis Howell , seconded by Arlott. Arlott spoke passionately against the motion stating that "It is political commitment and political belief that can make a man think that his opponent's views are so obnoxious that he will abstain from playing any game with him as a protest against what the other man believes. Any man's political commitment, if it

7884-445: The next few Ashes series losing the 1921 Ashes series 3–0 and the 1924–25 Ashes 4–1. England's fortunes were to change in 1926 as they regained the Ashes and were a formidable team during this period dispatching Australia 4–1 in the 1928–29 Ashes tour. In the same year the West Indies became the fourth nation to be granted Test status and played their first game against England. England won each of these three Tests by an innings, and

7992-442: The odd sip of wine. John tried hard to bring some order to the proceedings by banging the table with a spoon, but he missed the table." Ramchandra Guha , wrote about the interaction Arlott had with Vijay Merchant ; he described Arlott's background with the "prejudices of a conventional British upbringing." In 1946, Arlott asked Merchant "whether in view of the ongoing sectarian violence, India really deserved independence. Should not

8100-455: The one dedicated to Sir Jack Hobbs on the latter's 70th birthday. Well-versed in cricket history, Arlott was often viewed as a leading authority, especially on the literature of the game. He wrote annual reviews of the year's cricket books for Wisden for every year from 1950 until 1992, except for 1979 and 1980. He also wrote a well received appreciation of Neville Cardus for the 1965 edition. He wrote articles on cricket art and history for

8208-621: The opportunity to watch Hampshire play at the County Ground while on duty at Northland Road. Though his cricket skills were not sufficient to play for the Southampton Police cricket XI, he was called upon at times to utilise the PA-system. He also studied Russian language and military history at the library of Southampton University , wrote reports for his chief constable, gave lectures to students, wrote poetry, and took up boxing, at which he

8316-503: The opposing team fielding more than 11 players to make for a more even contest. This first Australian tour was mostly against odds of at least 18/11. The tour was so successful that Parr led a second tour in 1863–64 . James Lillywhite led a subsequent England team which sailed on the P&;O steamship Poonah on 21 September 1876. They played a combined Australian XI, for once on even terms of 11-a-side. The match, starting on 15 March 1877 at

8424-447: The over – 28 Boycott , 15 Gower , 69 for 2 – and after Trevor Bailey it will be Christopher Martin-Jenkins ." At the end of the following over, a public address announcement that Arlott had completed his final commentary session prompted the crowd to give Arlott an ovation. The entire Australian team in the field and the two England batsmen joined in, with Geoffrey Boycott removing his batting gloves to applaud. Later that day, after

8532-423: The pinnacle of his playing career. In 1980, he was asked whether playing first-class cricket on a regular basis might have provided him with greater insight as a cricket writer. He replied: "My word, I know what the problems are. I've failed at everything." After being invited to make a public radio address to George VI on VE Day , 1945, he attracted the attention of the BBC, and of John Betjeman , who became

8640-732: The players. The first overseas tour occurred in September 1859 with England touring North America . This team had six players from the All-England Eleven, six from the United All-England Eleven and was captained by George Parr . With the outbreak of the American Civil War , attention turned elsewhere. English tourists visited Australia in 1861–62 with this first tour organised as a commercial venture by Messrs Spiers and Pond, restaurateurs of Melbourne . Most matches played during tours prior to 1877 were "against odds", with

8748-533: The poet in John. He would relish the phrases he used to describe what he saw and leave his colleagues wishing they could have thought of them," while Wisden wrote: "it is his unique gift for cricket commentary which will bring him lasting fame... His commentary technique was strongly influenced by his poetic sense. With the economy of a poet he could describe a piece of play without fuss or over-elaboration, being always conscious of its rhythm and mindful of its background. He

8856-483: The position that he had adopted. When Tom Cartwright subsequently had to drop out of the touring side because of an injury, D'Oliveira was selected as his replacement, which led to the tour being cancelled by the South African government. The subsequent South African 1970 tour to England was also cancelled and they were then ostracised by the other Test playing countries. South Africa were then officially excluded from Test cricket for 21 years until they were reinstated by

8964-464: The previous year. His third wife was Patricia Hoare (6 April 1977 – 1991) who survived him. Arlott's eldest son Jim was killed in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1965, driving home late at night from Southampton in a sports car which Arlott had helped him to buy. This tragedy resulted in Arlott always wearing a black tie in remembrance of his son and in penance for his own role in the tragedy. He retired as

9072-399: The process. England also lost to South Africa, with Jack Hobbs scoring his first of 15 centuries on the tour. England toured Australia in 1911–12 and beat their opponents 4–1. The team included the likes of Rhodes, Hobbs, Frank Woolley and Sydney Barnes . England lost the first match of the series but bounced back and won the next four Tests. This proved to be the last Ashes series before

9180-474: The school of his own accord. He meanwhile showed an early interest in the local cricket matches; in 1926 he watched England and Australia play at The Oval , becoming a fan of Jack Hobbs , and later watched Sussex play Lancashire . After leaving school, following a brief stint at the local town hall where he learned to type, he spent four years working at Park Prewett Mental Hospital in Basingstoke as

9288-469: The series 4–0 as Richie Benaud 's revitalised Australians were too strong, with England struggling with the bat throughout the series. On 24 August 1959, England inflicted its only 5–0 whitewash over India . All out for 194 at The Oval, India lost the last test by an innings. England's batsman Ken Barrington and Colin Cowdrey both had an excellent series with the bat, with Barrington scoring 357 runs across

9396-505: The series and Cowdrey scoring 344. The early and middle 1960s were poor periods for English cricket. Despite England's strength on paper, Australia held the Ashes and the West Indies dominated England in the early part of the decade. May stood down as captain in 1961 following the 1961 Ashes defeat . Ted Dexter succeeded him as captain but England continued to suffer indifferent results. In 1961–62, they beat Pakistan, but also lost to India. The following year saw England and Australia tie

9504-421: The side losing 2–0 following injuries to several key players. England suffered further humiliation against Bradman's invincible side in the 1948 Ashes series. Hutton was controversially dropped for the third Test, and England were bowled out for just 52 at The Oval. The series proved to be Bradman's final Ashes series. In 1948–49, England beat South Africa 2–0 under the captaincy of George Mann. The series included

9612-439: The team seldom succeeded in beating good opposition throughout the decade and did not score a home Test victory (except against minnows Sri Lanka) between September 1985 and July 1990. Botham took over the captaincy in 1980 and they put up a good fight against the West Indies, losing a five match Test series 1–0, although England were humbled in the return series. After scoring a pair in the first Test against Australia, Botham lost

9720-475: The tour sent the following cable to the MCC in London: Bodyline bowling assumed such proportions as to menace best interests of game, making protection of body by batsmen the main consideration. Causing intensely bitter feeling between players as well as injury. In our opinion is unsportsmanlike. Unless stopped at once likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England. Later, Jardine

9828-986: The twentieth anniversary of his death, Gillian Reynolds wrote in the Daily Telegraph of "Arlott's independence, his Englishness, sense of fairness and justice, sympathy for the underdog and relish for the beautiful and the good". Arlott was twice invited to appear on Desert Island Discs with Roy Plomley , in May 1953 and again in May 1975. In May 1953 he selected: " Lord Lovel " by Robert Irwin; " Land of My Fathers " by Crowd at Wales V Ireland Rugby Match, 12 March 1949; " These Foolish Things " by Greta Keller ; " The foggy, foggy dew " by Benjamin Britten ; " Bella figlia dell'amore " (from Rigoletto ) by Giuseppe Verdi ; "Little Sir William" by Benjamin Britten ; " In Dulci Jubilo " by Choir of King's College, Cambridge ; Symphony No. 7 in A major by Ludwig van Beethoven ; his luxury item

9936-417: The war. The 1912 season saw England take part in a unique experiment. A nine-Test triangular tournament involving England, South Africa and Australia was set up. The series was hampered by a very wet summer and player disputes however and the tournament was considered a failure with the Daily Telegraph stating: Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket, and contests between Australia and South Africa are not

10044-460: The white man, he said, stay on to secure the peace?" Guha wrote that "...Friendship with Merchant broadened his social and political horizons". In 1948, he travelled to South Africa to cover the England cricket team's tour for the BBC, and openly voiced his distaste for the country's apartheid policy. When asked to mark his race on an immigration form – whether "white, Indian, coloured, black", Arlott wrote "human". Arlott visited Australia during

10152-418: The winter of 1954–55, to cover the successful defence of The Ashes by the team led by Len Hutton . His next and last overseas assignment as a cricket commentator was over 20 years later for the BBC in Australia to commentate on the 1977 Centenary match where he described "the seagulls standing in line like vultures for Lillee". Basil D'Oliveira was a South African who was classified as a Cape Coloured by

10260-524: The words for him because I knew how much they mattered. That was strange for me – to be patient and quiet. But I always wanted to listen to John." On New Year's Day 1992, Botham and his wife instigated a family tradition of breaking open a bottle of Beaujolais at Arlott's grave and toasting his memory. He was a great advocate of county cricket and its players. He became President of the Cricketers' Association in 1968, which aimed to raise salaries and improve

10368-467: Was a second-hand bookshop. In May 1975 he selected Melody in F major, Op. 3/1 by Anton Rubinstein ; "Mercy Pourin' Down" by Edric Connor ; " Kalinka " by Don Cossacks ; " Fern Hill " by Dylan Thomas (his nominated favourite); "To Lizbie Brown" by Gerald Finzi ; "Buttercup Joe" by The Yetties ; "Go Down You Red Red Roses" by Burl Ives ; and "The Boars" by the Elizabeth Singers; his luxury item

10476-439: Was a stylish writer, contributing regularly as a journalist and also writing the occasional hymn , of which the best-known is "God Whose Farm is All Creation", sung at harvest festival . Two others were "By the rutted roads we follow" for Plough Sunday and "We watched the winter turn its back" for Rogation. As his interest in wine developed he wrote two books on that subject; he also wrote poetry, considering his best poem to be

10584-569: Was also invited in 1981 to select his Best XI from players who, for a wide variety of reasons, were never capped by England. His team was John Langridge (Sussex), Maurice Hallam (Leicestershire), Emrys Davies (Glamorgan), Edgar Oldroyd (Yorkshire), Jack Newman (Hampshire), Harry Martyn (WK) (Somerset), Peter Sainsbury (Hampshire), Wilf Wooller (Captain) (Glamorgan), Don Shepherd (Glamorgan), Charles Kortright (Essex) and Tom Wass (Nottinghamshire). "The side bats down to No. 7. There are seven bowlers...it has at least six good catchers and

10692-521: Was born in 1914 at Cemetery Lodge, Chapel Hill, Basingstoke in Hampshire, the son of cemetery registrar William John Arlott and Nellie (née Jenvey-Clarke). He attended Fairfields Primary School in Basingstoke before winning a scholarship to Queen Mary's Grammar School . Once at the school, however, he became embroiled in a feud with the headmaster, as the school "had not been wholly receptive to his young, independent, inquiring mind." Arlott eventually left

10800-763: Was champagne. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1970 New Year Honours . He was made a life member of the MCC in 1980. He won the Sports Journalist of the Year Award in 1979, and was Sports Presenter of the Year in 1980. In July 1973 the University of Southampton awarded him an honorary degree, and in June 1981 he was afforded the same honour by The Open University . His contribution to British radio

10908-505: Was gripped as John started talking to me, this dumb yokel, about wine. His command of English just rolled off him. He got out some cheese and said this goes best with that wine. 'Go on,' he'd say, have a taste.' Our incredible friendship started and he became my mentor. These days they call 'em life-gurus or some such crap." Botham also had a holiday home nearby in Alderney and during the last seven years of Arlott's life they often had two meals

11016-435: Was his true metier . "We've for a freaker down the wicket now, not very shapely and it's masculine. And I would think that it's seen the last of its cricket for the day... He's being embraced by a blond policeman, and this may be his last public appearance, but what a splendid one." Arlott was a popular commentator partly because of his gift for poetic phraseology. The BBC commented that "the style of commentary owed much to

11124-455: Was incensed and condemned the selectors' decision in his press articles and publicly stated that he would not commentate on any matches involving the South African team during their scheduled tour of England in 1970. Arlott received support from many people over his uncompromising stand, including future England captain Mike Brearley , who called for the cessation of all South African tours, and

11232-518: Was never repetitive or monotonous, except for effect. The listener's imagination was given free rein." One comment often noted was made in 1975, to describe a shot by Clive Lloyd as "the stroke of a man knocking a thistle top off with a walking stick." On England's 1948–9 tour to South Africa , the England captain George Mann was bowled by his namesake Tufty Mann . Arlott memorably described it as "a case of Mann's inhumanity to Mann". He also had

11340-554: Was probably the 1976–77 win over India in India. When Greig was discovered as being instrumental in World Series Cricket, he was sacked, and replaced by Mike Brearley . Brearley's side showed again the hyperbole that is often spoken when one side dominates in cricket. While his side of 1977–80 contained some young players who went on to become England greats, most notably future captains Ian Botham , David Gower and Graham Gooch , their opponents were often very much weakened by

11448-509: Was quite proficient. He played cricket at club level but would spend most of his free summer time following the Hampshire team both home and away. As a result of his regular support he became known to the team and this led to his one and only brief playing exposure to the first-class game. He was watching Hampshire play Kent at Canterbury in August 1938 when they discovered they would be short of

11556-464: Was removed from the captaincy and the Laws of Cricket changed so that no more than one fast ball aimed at the body was permitted per over, and having more than two fielders behind square leg was banned. England's following tour of India in the 1933–34 season was the first Test match to be staged in the subcontinent. The series was also notable for Stan Nichols and Nobby Clark bowling so many bouncers that

11664-524: Was the surprising choice but only lasted 18 months; his results against poor opposition were good, but England were badly exposed as ageing and lacking in good fast bowling against the 1974–75 Australians, losing that series 4–1 to lose the Ashes. Denness was replaced in 1975 by Tony Greig . While he managed to avoid losing to Australia, his side were largely thrashed the following year by the young and very much upcoming West Indies for whom Greig's infamous "grovel" remark acted as motivation. Greig's finest hour

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