In our last Newsletter we published a message from Alistair Maclennan of the Bradman Museum in Bowral. We are delighted that Alistair is able to join us this time and we have invited him to address us – thus maintaining our practice of finding speakers from within our own club.
Our last speaker, in October, was Peter Baxter who gave a delightful talk on John Arlott, the greatest of all cricket commentators. Peter had, of course, worked with John on
Test Match Special but his tales went back to John’s one appearance in a first-class match, at Worcester in 1938. He fielded substitute for Hampshire wearing clothes borrowed from Reg Perks while the Nawab of Pataudi scored a century. At one point, he caused great hilarity while fielding at third man, going head-over-heels as he prevented a four, but turning a probable single into three!
John was born in Basingstoke, lived for many years at "The Old Sun" in Alresford and had been a beat bobby in Southampton. With his local connections, it is hardly surprising that he wrote much on Hambledon including a version of Nyren’s classic.
Despite his love of cricket he made his name initially at the BBC in the poetry section. He gave readings on air but his most lucrative writing assignment was the hymn "God’s Farm is All Creation". Peter told how he had written this and two other hymns as a bet and its success was such that it earned him more than any of his other writing. Peter suggested that our President might follow suit!
It is fairly well known that John’s first cricket commentaries were on the Indian tour of 1946 but he had previously made his debut with a radio piece about Hambledon. He was a great success and soon broadcast regularly for the BBC while developing his journalism with the
Manchester Guardian as a worthy successor to Neville Cardus. As Peter pointed out, both Cardus and Arlott added an aesthetic string to their cricketing bows – one with music and the other wine. When they discussed the matter the older man told John that he enjoyed the better situation since "I’d rather sleep with a soprano than a wine waiter!"
More seriously, Peter recalled John’s central role in bringing Basil d’Oliveira to England where the South African was able to enjoy a successful professional career. Peter concluded by recalling that it is now more than twenty years since we last heard a live Test Match commentary from John Arlott and read from John’s poem for Jack Hobbs 70th Birthday. Our President thanked him for a delightful and entertaining presentation.
There falls across this one December day
The light, remembered from those suns of June
That you reflected, in the summer play
Of perfect strokes across the afternoon.
