Summer of 1970. Eddie Barlow, the world's greatest all-rounder destroys England.
A typo surely? Shouldn't that have read Garfield Sobers? Actually no, because that summer Eddie Barlow was every bit as good as the legendary Barbadian.
Centuries in two "Tests". A hat trick and seven wickets at Headingley. A man who could open the batting and who looked likely to take wickets whenever he turned his arm over.
I remember watching the matches that summer with my Dad, and him telling me that Barlow was the man we wanted at Derbyshire. Yeah, fat chance. And I'm opening the batting next week...
Five years later, Eddie Barlow did come to Derbyshire. Maybe a year or two too late, as his batting had declined. An eye player, he often got out early, but in his three years he played enough innings of merit to show what he was like at his peak, from 1964-70.
The highlight was that innings of 217 against Surrey at Ilkeston, when he emerged from a spell of poor form by caning a very good attack. There were numerous fifties, especially in one day cricket, but Barlow did enough, as a batsman, to earn respect.
As a bowler - or boweller as we call them - he was different class. If we needed a wicket, he generally got one. If he got one, he often got two or three quickly. His short, bustling run produced great variety and he seemed to get wickets with balls that other bowlers would see head for the boundary. Don't get me wrong though, Bunter could bowl plenty of the unplayable variety.
As a slip, he was brilliant. Watching Bob Taylor, Phil Sharpe and Eddie Barlow as close fielders was an education. He missed little, though sadly dropped an easy one in our Lords final when little went right.
It was as captain that Barlow entered legend, however. He got the players fitter than ever before and inspired them to deeds that few thought possible. Harry Cartwright, Tony Borrington, Colin Tunnicliffe and Alan Hill all became good county players under Barlow's tutelage. No game was lost early under Barlow, as late order revivals by us and implausible batting collapses by opponents combined to revitalise our fortunes. Fielding errors were punished by the Barlow basilisk stare, but they were few and far between. Under Barlow, Derbyshire were a good fielding side, as good as they have been. As Mike Hendrick once put it, if someone hit the ball into the next county, we could fetch it back faster than anyone...
It was a sad day when he decided to leave, but understandable. Sadder still was news of his illness and subsequent death. People talk about influential cricketers and their respective merits. But I saw Eddie Barlow, and he is still the benchmark.
There are two sports headlines that will live with me to my dying day.
"Rams sign Dave Mackay" was one.
"South African legend Barlow joins Derbyshire" was the other.
I've just had goosebumps typing that last one.
Rest in Peace Eddie Barlow. You will always be a legend.
A typo surely? Shouldn't that have read Garfield Sobers? Actually no, because that summer Eddie Barlow was every bit as good as the legendary Barbadian.
Centuries in two "Tests". A hat trick and seven wickets at Headingley. A man who could open the batting and who looked likely to take wickets whenever he turned his arm over.
I remember watching the matches that summer with my Dad, and him telling me that Barlow was the man we wanted at Derbyshire. Yeah, fat chance. And I'm opening the batting next week...
Five years later, Eddie Barlow did come to Derbyshire. Maybe a year or two too late, as his batting had declined. An eye player, he often got out early, but in his three years he played enough innings of merit to show what he was like at his peak, from 1964-70.
The highlight was that innings of 217 against Surrey at Ilkeston, when he emerged from a spell of poor form by caning a very good attack. There were numerous fifties, especially in one day cricket, but Barlow did enough, as a batsman, to earn respect.
As a bowler - or boweller as we call them - he was different class. If we needed a wicket, he generally got one. If he got one, he often got two or three quickly. His short, bustling run produced great variety and he seemed to get wickets with balls that other bowlers would see head for the boundary. Don't get me wrong though, Bunter could bowl plenty of the unplayable variety.
As a slip, he was brilliant. Watching Bob Taylor, Phil Sharpe and Eddie Barlow as close fielders was an education. He missed little, though sadly dropped an easy one in our Lords final when little went right.
It was as captain that Barlow entered legend, however. He got the players fitter than ever before and inspired them to deeds that few thought possible. Harry Cartwright, Tony Borrington, Colin Tunnicliffe and Alan Hill all became good county players under Barlow's tutelage. No game was lost early under Barlow, as late order revivals by us and implausible batting collapses by opponents combined to revitalise our fortunes. Fielding errors were punished by the Barlow basilisk stare, but they were few and far between. Under Barlow, Derbyshire were a good fielding side, as good as they have been. As Mike Hendrick once put it, if someone hit the ball into the next county, we could fetch it back faster than anyone...
It was a sad day when he decided to leave, but understandable. Sadder still was news of his illness and subsequent death. People talk about influential cricketers and their respective merits. But I saw Eddie Barlow, and he is still the benchmark.
There are two sports headlines that will live with me to my dying day.
"Rams sign Dave Mackay" was one.
"South African legend Barlow joins Derbyshire" was the other.
I've just had goosebumps typing that last one.
Rest in Peace Eddie Barlow. You will always be a legend.
Completely agree on Eddie.
ReplyDeleteI saw him play in the summer of 74 (was it 74?) in a number of JPL games. He just seemed to play quicker than anyone else... Today this would be an "in your face" attitude - back then it was a revelation.
You do leave out his legacy as someone who went back to South Africa to de-construct apartheid. This is perhaps is greatest legacy... But I will also remember him carting the great Garth McKenzie all round the Queens Park all those years ago.