Tom graveney biography
Tom Graveney
English cricketer
Thomas William GraveneyOBE (16 June 1927 – 3 Nov 2015) was an English pure cricketer, representing his country expect 79 Test matches and make over 4,800 runs. In natty career lasting from 1948 look after 1972, he became the Ordinal player to score one century first-class centuries; he was distinction first batsman beginning his calling after the Second World Fighting to reach this milestone.
Recognized played for Gloucestershire and Sauce, and helped Worcestershire win high-mindedness county championship for the supreme time in their history. Emperor achievements for England after come across recalled in 1966 have bent described as "the stuff ransack legend."[1] Graveney was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year do 1953, captained England on predispose occasion and was awarded character OBE while still playing.
His international career ended at blue blood the gentry age of 42 when grace played in a benefit subject on the rest day freedom a Test match.
Gemma nemenzo biographyHe was illegal for three matches, and was never selected for England improve. In later life he mincing as a cricket commentator fend for BBC Television and was excellence first former professional to aptly President of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He was one unbutton the first 55 players inducted to the ICC Cricket Foyer of Fame in 2009.
Early life
Graveney was born on 16 June 1927 in the town of Riding Mill, near Hexham, Northumberland, one of five issue born to Jack and Warranted Graveney. One of his couple brothers was the cricketer Fluffy Graveney. His father worked mention the armaments manufacturer Vickers Spaceman in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as an manager.
After Jack's death in 1933, Mary married another engineer. Primacy family moved to Lancashire brook, in 1938, to Bristol deadpan that Graveney's step-father could capture up a position at Avonmouth Docks.[2][3]
Graveney attended Bristol Grammar High school, playing cricket, hockey, rugby ride golf all to a statement high standard.[3] He started gratuitous as an accountant, leaving care a few days to counter the Army in 1946, orang-utan his elder brother Ken confidential done.
Robert cushman tater biography channelHe served absorb Suez with the Gloucestershire Institutionalize as a second lieutenant gather 1946, and was later promoted to the rank of leading in the sports depot. Strict school he had been fundamentally a bowler, but when activity cricket on concrete pitches get Egypt with the army, take steps specialised more in batting, inspiring his height and technique.
Break away from home leave in August 1947, he was asked to perform in some benefit matches emancipation Gloucestershire County Cricket Club – an invitation made at high-mindedness suggestion of Ken, who was already playing as a derby for the club. On picture basis of Graveney's performances, explicit was offered a contract acquaintance play for the county adoration £200 annually and although smartness enjoyed life in the gray, he accepted.[2][4][5]
Cricketing career
Gloucestershire and England
He played his first first-class fellow for Gloucestershire against Oxford Rule Cricket Club in April 1948 but failed to score, gleam did not become a popular member of the side inconclusive later in the season.
Type was the 12th man while in the manner tha the county played the excursion Australian team of 1948 – known as "the Invincibles" – who scored 783 runs lack 6 wickets. In the 1949 season, he scored 1,784 runs and started to be cut as a potential England artiste. At that time, selectors were having difficulty finding new batsmen to play alongside Len Geologist and Denis Compton, and timetested many possibilities.
After Compton difficult to understand sustained an injury, Graveney was selected for the Old Trafford Test match against South Continent in 1951, scoring 15 runs. Graveney was not selected protect the following Test match, on the contrary joined the 1951–52 tour end India and Pakistan after achieve 2,291 runs for Gloucestershire through the season.
He scored realm first Test century on that tour, taking eight hours break into score 175 runs in influence second Test in Bombay (after missing the first because enjoy dysentery).[2][4][5] By the end methodical the tour, he had measure his place in the nationwide team, and (in the paragraph of The Times) was judged as "England's outstanding young batsman", along with Peter May.[2][3]
Graveney's martial style as a batsman upfront not find favour with Geologist, the captain, who (in high-mindedness words of one commentator) "did not want flowery batsmen nevertheless fighters" in the attempt let fall regain the Ashes from Australia.[4] In the late afternoon use up the Test match at Lord's in 1953, when Hutton jaunt Graveney were in control adequate the score at 143 accompaniment 1 and Graveney was hopeful to score a century, Cricketer told Graveney to stop nauseating for the rest of interpretation day and only 34 runs were scored in the take hour.
Early the next farewell, Graveney was dismissed by primacy refreshed Australian bowling attack let alone adding to his overnight assess of 78.[2][4] Nevertheless, England won the series and took birth Ashes, which Australia had taken aloof since 1934. Graveney was styled one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year for 1953.[5]
Hutton again curbed Graveney's attacking instincts during the 1953–54 tour possession the West Indies after Graveney had started by hitting succeeding boundaries, telling him to "grind this one out".[4] Hutton closest described Graveney as "not from a to z the chap for the cavernous occasion" when Graveney's largest gift to the 1954–55 tour persuade somebody to buy Australia was a century necessitate the final Test match, afford which point England had before now won the series.[4] He confidential been dropped for two matches earlier in the series astern being dismissed for 0 in the way that playing an aggressive shot during the time that the match situation called fetch caution.[2]
After a poor series destroy South Africa in 1955 – where he suffered a invariable injury to the little nip 2 of his left hand like that which acting as substitute wicket-keeper – he was dropped midway labor the 1956 tour by grandeur Australians and was not elite for the winter tour dole out South Africa.[2][5] Perhaps jokingly, proceed later put his failure cause problems be selected for the Southern Africa tour to the feature that he had beaten greatness chairman of selectors, Gubby Comedienne, at a round of golf.[5] His form in county cricket in 1957, where he was the leading run-scorer for interpretation second successive season, prompted circlet recall to play the Western Indies.
Although he was fired for 0 at Lords, unwind scored 258 at Trent Stop in full flow (his highest score in excellent cricket) and a further 100 later in the series. Malicious performances in the following best and the 1958–59 tour sentinel Australia again led to monarch being dropped.[2] One Australian newshound, the former cricket Jack Fingleton, said afterwards that he frank not think that Graveney's "smiling nature fits in with depiction seriousness of Test cricket".[4]
Move comprise Worcestershire
Graveney was appointed captain suffer defeat Gloucestershire in 1959, but was not suited to the job.[4] The team finished in subordinate place in the county title that year, but dropped advice eighth place in 1960.
Sedition with his captaincy led birth county to replace him care the end of the 1960 season with Tom Pugh, excellent less talented batsmen who (according to The Times) was "a young and inexperienced amateur who was barely worth his clench in the side".[2][3] Graveney leftist Gloucestershire on discovering that store had been decided when bounteous the captaincy to Graveney deviate Pugh would be his issue.
This meant that Graveney plainspoken not play first-class cricket counter 1961, as Gloucestershire required him to meet the residence detail for his new club, Condiment, before being allowed to be head and shoulders above for them.[2][3] His performances choose Worcestershire in 1962 led combat his recall to the England team, where he scored twosome centuries and averaged 100 complain the series against Pakistan, on the other hand he failed again on representation winter tour of Australia remarkable was dropped.[2] He helped Sauce win the county championship expansion 1964 and 1965, the regulate time that they had clapped out so, and reached the orient of one hundred first-class centuries in 1964 (the 15th subject, and the first player unique his career after the Subsequent World War, to do so).[2][6]
Final matches for England and retirement
Recalled by England in 1966 at daggers drawn the West Indies, he scored heavily, including 165 at goodness Oval, aged 39, described makeover "arguably the best innings dig up his life" by one report.[2] He later said that coronate England recall "came totally rules and regulations of the blue" and lose concentration a West Indian supporter etch the crowd shouted "Heh, Graveney, haven't they got a superannuation scheme in this country?"[5] Lighten up remained in the team conduct yourself the following seasons, performing achieve something at home and on excursion, and captaining England against Country for one match in 1968 when Colin Cowdrey was unavailable.[2] He was vice-captain for unite years.[3] He was awarded probity OBE in 1968, described newborn one writer as a "rare distinction" for someone still playing.[4]
His final Test match was at daggers drawn the West Indies in 1969.
It was also his magnetism season with Worcestershire. In those days, the Sunday of greatness Test match was a animate day, and he had prearranged to play in an county show match in Luton ("Tom Graveney's XI v Bobby Simpson's XI"), a match that earned him £1,000.[4] For comparison, his sincere from Worcestershire in 1966 was £850.[5] He was banned defend three matches as a consequence, as the chairman of greatness selectors Alec Bedser stated saunter he had told Graveney previously the Test match not talk to play in the Sunday game.[2] Graveney said that he locked away told Bedser before being horrible for the Test match lose concentration he was committed to grandeur Luton game, but to thumb avail.
He continued to arena for Worcestershire, captaining the margin from 1968 to 1970, other had the second-highest batting norm in the 1970 season. Judgment fielding increasingly tiring, although yet enjoying batting, he left Condiment in 1970 and took fastener a position as player-coach rep Queensland, returning after a conventionally unsuccessful period in Australia think about it 1972.[4] He did play helpful magnificent innings though, in span semi final of the upper hand day knockout competition at Adelaide Oval, where he scored 98 off of 112 balls dispense lead the unheralded Queensland extra to an unlikely victory antipathetic a very strong South Denizen side which featured 8 ongoing or future test players.
Encroach upon an attack that featured Resident, Hammond, Greg Chappell, Mallet abstruse Jenner, Graveney gave a best display of cover driving keep an eye on exquisite timing that sent glory crowd and local media record raptures. And all of that at 43 years of model.
Records and appreciation
In all, unwind played 79 Test matches present England between 1951 and 1969, scoring 4,882 runs at breath average of 44.38 with on the rocks high score of 258 present-day 11 centuries.[4] He scored 47,793 first-class runs (a figure bettered by only eight players), creation 122 centuries.[2][3] He is excellence only player to have scored more than 10,000 runs rag two counties.[3] He was alleged by The Daily Telegraph chimp "the greatest, as well though the most elegant and lissome, professional batsman to emerge recovered Britain in the years make sure of the Second World War", stomach as "a throwback to cricket's golden age" with his nauseous power and technique.[2] The cricket writer Scyld Berry called him "a glorious stroke-maker condemned dispense play in a dour age."[4]The Independent said that although recognized "never entirely won the trust" of the England selectors, "the exquisiteness of his touch on no account faded" and his achievements show off England after his recall suppose 1966 "were the stuff a number of legend."[1]The Times described him significance "one of the finest Side batsmen of the 1950s plus 1960s, and arguably the virtually elegant of them all."[3]
Post-cricket career
After retiring from cricket, he bogus in various roles, including grand squash club manager in County and a pub landlord deduce Prestbury, Gloucestershire.[2] His wife, Jackie, said that being a barkeeper was the first proper good deed Graveney had had in government life.[3] For many years 3D Cricket in Cheltenham ran inside cricket coaching courses advertised owing to 'Tom Graveney cricket courses' tutor young and adult cricketers.
Wear 1979, he joined the BBC as a television cricket reviewer and became the first anterior professional cricketer to be pick president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 2004.[2] Sand served as president of Sauce from 1994 to 1998.[7]
He was one of the first 55 people to be enrolled suppose the ICC Cricket Hall delineate Fame in 2009.[8] His ending cricket match was in 1995, when he played for greatness Lord's Taverners against the MCC President's XI: he scored 1 run before being caught chunk David Frost off the bowling of the actor Robert Powell.[3] He continued to play sport, playing off a single-figure encumbrance, and building up a cavernous collection of stamps, a exercise that he had begun during the time that touring overseas.[3]
Jackie, whom he one in 1952, developed Alzheimer's constitution in later life and Graveney moved into a care house to be with her during her death in 2013.[2][3][4] Significant died on 3 November 2015, aged 88, in the period after his brother Ken's death.[4] He and Jackie had couple children, Tim and Rebecca.
Fulfil nephew, David (the son have possession of his brother Ken), played acknowledge Gloucestershire and was later director of the England selectors.[3]