Third test England v West Indies

[Richard Jenkins]

Yes I'd bettter qualify my side by saying "they are players I saw play". I'm sure you could include others from earlier epochs. I've got nobody from the early seventies sixties (except boycott)

[peter foy]

Originally Posted by Richard Jenkins

Yes I'd bettter qualify my side by saying "they are players I saw play". I'm sure you could include others from earlier epochs. I've got nobody from the early seventies sixties (except boycott)

Hutton (Capt)
Boycott
May
Compton
Cowderay
Graveney
Evans(WK)
Laker
Trueman
Bedser/Underwood (Depending on the conditions)
Statham

This was about the best team from the fifties and sixties contingent.

[Richard Jenkins]

Blimey, they are all "household" names. Did Alec Bedser have a twin brother, who also played test cricket? Didn't Trueman and Statham bowl in tandem, to devistating effect?
Cowdry (I'll have to admit only knowing the Cowdreys from Kent, are they related?) I don't think I know,unless they are the Kent ones.Collin Cowdry?
Dennis Compton played for arsenal but I didn't know he played cricket.? Godfrey Evans. Legend wickie. .Hutton, well I think he could bat a bit.
blimey a good side.
What about a pre war side?
I only know a few English players pre war. from bodyline infamy, The fast bowler(Harold Larwood?? )and the captain Douglas Jardine?

[Richard Jenkins]

Anyway, seem to have got a bit sidetracked here, as I was supposed to be discussing who to pick for thursday, and I don't think i could pick Fred trueman, as he had a double hip replacement.
Could Gough come back?

[peterduce]

For what it's worth, so early in the week, the weather forecast for Barbados is;-

For Thur - Clear;
Fri, Sat, and Sunday - Scattered Cloud

All four days (no forecast for Monday yet) 80 degrees - (coolish here), 80% humidity, wind E at 8mph.

[Rachael]

Any news on the pitch / outfield? We expected Sabina Park to be appealing to the quicks... but not as appealing as it was... and I think everyone has been caught out, so far, by how lush and even the outfield has been (and therefore how long the shine has lasted on the new ball).

Is the KO going to be it's traditional low, slow dusty self... or has that been spruced up as well?

[peterduce]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Any news on the pitch / outfield? We expected Sabina Park to be appealing to the quicks... but not as appealing as it was... and I think everyone has been caught out, so far, by how lush and even the outfield has been (and therefore how long the shine has lasted on the new ball).

Is the KO going to be it's traditional low, slow dusty self... or has that been spruced up as well?

Rachel,

No pitch info as yet, I'll see what I can find out over the next day or so.

I'll also let you know about any weather changes. It's usually pretty steady in the Eastern Caribbean at this time of year. It has been a bit changeable of late though.

[peter foy]

Originally Posted by Richard Jenkins

Blimey, they are all "household" names. Did Alec Bedser have a twin brother, who also played test cricket? Didn't Trueman and Statham bowl in tandem, to devistating effect?
Cowdry (I'll have to admit only knowing the Cowdreys from Kent, are they related?) I don't think I know,unless they are the Kent ones.Collin Cowdry?
Dennis Compton played for arsenal but I didn't know he played cricket.? Godfrey Evans. Legend wickie. .Hutton, well I think he could bat a bit.
blimey a good side.
What about a pre war side?
I only know a few English players pre war. from bodyline infamy, The fast bowler(Harold Larwood?? )and the captain Douglas Jardine?

Alec Bedser has a twin brother, Eric, who played along side him in the great Surrey team of the fifties but I don't remember Eric ever playing for England. Trueman and Statham were in every respect the best pair of fast bowlers I have ever seem. Trueman had the perfect fast bowlers action and a wonderful variety of deliveries at his comand. Inswingers, Outswingers, Yorker, Bouncer, he could bowl them all. He was a superb short leg fieldsman who could also throw full pitch from the boundary to the wicket keeper with his other (left) arm. His right boot had to be reinforced with a steel plate for bowling purposes and he was a useful number eight batsman with three first class centuries to his name. Had he not been left out of the England team for three years at the peak of his career (for speaking his mind) he would probably have taken 500 test wickets, which would have been an amazing achievement in those days when much less test cricket was played. Statham on the other hand although equally fast could pitch every ball on a sixpence, working on the theory that "if they missed he hit" and their two very different styles complemented each other superbly.

Denis Compton was next to Wally Hammond and of course "The Don" one of the finest middle order batsmen ever. In the summer of 1947 he scored 3818 first class runs and hit 18 centuries for Middlesex and England. He did play for Arsenal with some success although a knee injury curtailed his footballing activties and eventually his cricketing career as well. The original "Brylcream Boy" he was a great party animal, once arriving at Lords half an hour before the start of an important game still wearing his dinner suit. He had partied all night and come straight to the ground for the game. His brother Leslie kept wicket for Middlesex for a number of years but was better known as a centre half for Arsenal and England.

The Cowdrey I referred to was indeed Colin, father of Chris and Graham and I apologise for spelling his name wrongly. A great batsman whose parents were so sure he would play first class cricket that they christened him Michael Colin so he would have the initials MCC. Always the gentleman he captained England on a number of occassions without ever making the job his own. Firstly he stood in for May, who was one of the most graceful post war reared batsmen I have seen but who was plagued with ill health and latterly to satisfy the demands of the "old farts" (members of the MCC) who overruled the selectors choice of Brian Close who was the best equipped man for the job at that time or any other for that matter.

It is amazing that Hutton, who is said to be technically the best opening batsman ever and Trueman, universally aclaimed as having technically the best action of any fast bowler btoh played for Yorkshire and England at the same time.

Regarding a pre war eleven it is difficult because of the time span but off the top of my head the following might be a representative choice:

Hobbs
Sutcliffe
Hammond
Ranjitsingh
Leyland
Ames
Rhodes
Barnes
Freeman
Larwood

Their is a website relating to a computer game between the best ever England and Australian teams which was decided purely by feeding in facts about the general conditions, weather, pitch etc. over a five match series and the teams selected were most interesting but I forgot to log the site and I have never managed to locate it since.