Meeting: 2 April 2011
Guest Speaker: Bob Barber
Grace
Grace was delivered by the Rev. David Brown
Apologies for Absence
Neil Jenkinson, David Allen, Chris de Mellow, Leslie Lloyd, Clive Barnett, Kevin & Helen Beaumont, Peter & Bobby Tomkins, John Grimsley, Malcolm Harper, Brian Holt, Peter & Jane Parsons, Ralph Shipway, John Gallimore, Roger Treherne, Bernard Frowd, Roger North.
Next meeting
The President announced Murray Hedgcock will speak at our Autumn luncheon, on 1 October, and MJK Smith will speak at our Spring luncheon, on 24 March 2012.
Administration
- Subscription Renewal: The President urged members to take up standing orders when renewing subscriptions in the future through the Treasurer to reduce the risk of losing members who had been unable to attend a lunch. However, he was pleased to see a number of younger faces this year and was keen that these guests would bring other members into the Club.
- Website questionnaires: Members were encouraged to complete the questionnaire and return it to the Secretary when completed.
- Ties: Available at £15 each from the Treasurer.
- Payment for lunch: The President reminded members to pay the Restaurant Manager for their lunch before leaving.
Election of Officers
Lou Allen, the Secretary, proposed by the president, seconded by Andrew Renshaw
Stephen Saunders, the Treasurer, proposed by Ashley Mote, seconded by Dick Orders
Douglas Miller, the President, proposed by Reverend David Brown, seconded by Robin Brodhurst
Dick Orders, the Steward, proposed by Stephen Saunders, seconded by Lou Allen
Prize Draw in support of Youth Cricket at Hambledon Cricket Club
The customary draw by the Steward raised £295 and was won by Mike Soper who returned the winnings to the Club funds. Our Speaker, Bob Barber, also declined payment of expenses in aid of the Club funds.
Further announcements
Ashley Mote told us that the Compton Cricket Club of Los Angeles, formerly known as The Krickets, are hoping to come to the UK in September. They last came to Broadhalfpenny Down ten years ago, led by Ted Hayes, an African-American who had set up a charity in the poorest district of LA – a tough, run-down area where hoodlums and gang culture were, and still are the norm. In this district young thugs are being taught to play cricket as a way of showing them that self-discipline and respect for the law are something to be proud of.
Cricket is also used as ‘a carrot’. If they acquire the necessary skills they might find themselves doing something their non-cricket playing ‘friends’ still fighting gangland wars come to envy.
They are occasionally sponsored to travel abroad to play cricket in England and Australia, and that is what they are hoping for again this year. Meanwhile, the trophy from the cabinet opposite the bar in the Bat and Ball is being engraved with details of Compton CC’s trip to Australia in February this year, when they played a match against a team of Australian Aboriginals, just as they had done here at the Bat & Ball ten years earlier.
The Loyal Toasts
The President asked members to be upstanding for the traditional toasts: The Queen’s Mother; The King; The Hambledon Club; Cricket; The immortal memory of Madge. Ashley Mote asked members to toast The President.
The Speaker
The President welcomed Bob Barber to the Hambledon Club.
Bob Barber played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, Lancashire, Warwickshire, and England for around 15 years from the mid-1950s, although he continued to play the game until approaching his 60th year. He has lived in Switzerland for almost 25 years, and in 2005 came to Broadhalfpenny Down and the Bat & Ball to celebrate, with many cricketing contemporaries, his 70th birthday. (See link for a wonderful account of this historic event.)
http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdencricketer/content/story/224857.html
It was rather appropriate then that he returned to Hambledon as the guest speaker for our spring meeting where he offered us a delightful insight into his career and some views about cricket
Despite living abroad, Bob remains in touch with the current cricketing world and noted many changes from his period, confirming how pleased he was to have played when he did. He told us that playing cricket had contributed to his education through a mix of cultural experiences, bringing great richness to his life. “Through playing, I learned more than I did at boarding school of how to get along with groups of men and boys.” For example, in the winter of 1961/2, he spent over five months in India and Pakistan were, “you had to learn to be sensitive and to tolerate others’ foibles.”
Bob believes that the modern game “is more beholden to commercial pressures” and is more standardised. Over 50 years ago “we played on irregular shaped fields and wickets and on local soil. All these factors, combined with uncovered wickets, demanded a greater range of techniques and skills.” He also wondered whether modern players’ attitudes are more competitive today with a greater determination to win. He said, “We were asked to justify things that happened, something that might not happen today” but asks whether these differences are “merely a reflection of changing lifestyles and cultures?”
Bob recalled a story from his early days at Lancashire when he came up against Glamorgan’s captain Wilf Wooller at Cardiff—a man known for his charm, arrogance, combative spirit, and an overbearing attitude, and, ‘feared’ by umpires! The weather was threatening, and on the second day, Wooller didn’t trouble to come in, and remembering his captain’s (Cyril Washbrook) insistence that “whatever Wilf wants you MUST disagree”, Bob went down to the club office in Cardiff, where he was working. And while he got short shrift, Bob’s adherence to Cyril’s advice resulted in a disgruntled Wooller returning to the game, and the eventual outcome was that Glamorgan was bowled out for 26! (Bob and Wooller were both educated in North Wales, Bob at Ruthin and Wooller at Rydal.)
Bob wondered whether the description of the modern game as more ‘professional’ simply reflects the fact that contemporary cricketers are paid more money. He added, “In my day we had a sense of fun; opponents become friends and we had a beer, but I don’t recall that any players didn’t give their all.” Perhaps the term ‘professional’ means “players and coaches are more serious and pay greater attention to detail”?
He spoke of sledging and said it wasn’t something new; things were just done differently in his day. In a test played in South Africa, along with Pollock and Boycott, he recounted how West Indian bowler Charlie Griffith who, while known for his conceitedness, was also renowned for putting people off their stroke. However, Bob reciprocated during the match with a detrimental comment about Griffith’s appearance!
Bob reminded us that many older cricketers enjoyed success in other sports, such as rugby (union and league) and football. He mentioned, for example, Hampshire cricketers of his period who had been professional footballers, including Mike Barnard, Jimmy Gray, Henry Horton, and coach Arthur Holt. Elsewhere they included Arthur Milton, Willie Watson, Brian Close, Derek Ufton, and rugby international MJK Smith.
While he agreed that modern standards of fitness call for high levels of movement, speed, and flexibility, he added that 50 years ago “playing seasons were long with 32 three-day games in addition to charity games, so the emphasis was on stamina and strength: there were many teams but few reserves.” In addition, the condition of the pitches resulted in the wearing of heavy boots, and, “sliding while fielding was not unusual, and bowlers’ footmarks went down several inches—today’s footwear wouldn’t survive the cricket we played—so different periods required different fitness requirements.” He also spoke about umpires, noted the big differences today, and recalled when playing at Worksop he felt a ball from “Bomber” Wells brush his glove and he walked, but umpire Jim Parks senior told him he should have waited for an appeal!
Bob risked upsetting our president by expressing some doubts about the use of statistics by professional coaches although he pointed out that devices like batting scoring charts were used in the 1920s and ‘30s and through the Bradman era, but now coaches can use video recordings to study techniques. Bob believes that statistics should be weighted to take account of the context in which cricketers bat and bowl and, therefore, the ‘quality’ of the performance—not just a single average. He continued:
“If you ask any professional batsman to average, let’s say 40, that’s what you get, but all the time the question you must ask is, has that helped you to win the match and if it hasn’t what’s the point? One time I got out going for a six at Nuneaton. The umpire told me I was ten minutes ahead of the fastest century of the season, which you got a prize for in those days. I was on 94, and Nuneaton was a very long ground so I thought that if I got it over the scoreboard … well I didn’t and I got caught. Anyway, it didn’t worry me whether I got a 100, it seemed to me if you got 101 or 98, it was just as important.”
Bob spoke of the greatest change in cricket, as with other sports, which was the commercial take-over. He had mixed feelings about this because 40 years ago he argued the game should become more commercial, but questions whether it has now gone too far. While these changes may be a reflection of changes in society, Bob questioned whether it was really appropriate for sportsmen to express their burning desire to embrace and display hysteria on the field. He asked, “Is winning really so very important? Does fun never have any part to play? Coming to cricket, isn’t there something rather wonderful about your side being in an impossible position, and you are fighting for a draw and you get it? For me, these are very important things.”
Bob mentioned another negative aspect of commercialization which was the influence of malign forces, especially corruption, that has come into a game—and not only true of cricket. He considered if the game of cricket stayed in the hands of those who were looking after it through their love of the game, whether this sort of thing would have been allowed to continue, and why it took the international cricket body ten years to take some action against the corruption.
Moving away from the depressive aspect of the sport, Bob said, “You are all members of a very famous Club, and you are very lucky; you’re privileged; you have a wonderful history. And I hope when, I think most of you, like me, no longer play the game, when you’re talking to members of your family or others, you might say to them, “What do you want to remember about your cricketing career when you’re old? What do you want other people to remember about you?”
Bob finished with another story:
“In January 1960, England were playing the West Indies at Trinidad. I think it was the second day and there was a riot of bottle-throwing, and the game was finished for the day; I think they finished the match in the end, but it was finished that day, and there was some hoo-hah, naturally so. Anyhow, the following April I was again playing against Trinidad for EW Swanton’s XI. We were fielding; I was at backward short leg, and their hero and star batsman Brian Davis was at the crease. I don’t know whether he turned into it, or it went off his pad, but the ball went past me so I ran after it and sensed that he was wondering whether to go for a run. I could see him vaguely out the corner of my eye and I got the ball and flicked it back at the wicket. Fortunately, I missed the wicket and, rightly so, the crowd was not happy because apparently Brian was tapping down the wicket and wasn’t intending to run at all. Then a voice boomed across the field from the far side, “Hey man, we don’t wanna waste no bottles on you!””
Through applause, Douglas gave tremendous thanks to Bob and made a last mention of Wilf Wooller who was known for his toughness. Douglas had never met him but had known many who knew him very well. Letting the audience into a secret, he said he went to visit a chap called Jim Pleass—a journeyman cricketer with Glamorgan, and Wooller’s chess opponent—who recounted the story of when Bob came out to bat for his first-ever innings for Lancashire when he made 41 not out. Jim was told by Wooller to drop back a little so that Bob might have one to ‘get off the mark’, a position, apparently, that Wooller was very soon regretting! Douglas, again, thanked Bob for coming all the way from Switzerland, at a cost to himself, to attend the lunch.
Thanks
The President thanked Jason and his staff for looking after our members.
Any Other Business: None
Date of next meeting: 1 October 2011
Updates:
- (i) We are sorry to inform you that since our luncheon, Roger North has passed away. Roger attended our lunches regularly and was a loyal supporter of Hampshire Cricket. He was actively involved in the Counties North and Borders Supporters’ Association based in the Basingstoke area. A group of his friends recently scattered his ashes at the Rose Bowl.
- (ii)The Kricketers’ visit in September, mentioned by Ashley Mote, now seems likely to be around 11 September, all being well, with the possibility of a match on Broadhalfpenny Down. As soon as we have confirmation of this we will inform our members through the website. (NB If there are members who wish to have information about this match, and are only contactable through posting and telephone, please ring my landline for details beginning of September.