The A-Z of Derbyshire Cricket - B is for Barlow: Eddie Barlow

The concept of true greatness depends on the individual, but I would suggest that Derbyshire has had perhaps a dozen truly great cricketers in the wider form of the game in 140 years, and around twenty to thirty who perhaps bordered on that in their services to the county. One day I will have to quantify that more accurately…

So who is King B? There are more candidates than in the As, that’s for sure. Ian Buxton was a solid county all-rounder, who both batted and bowled steadily, while Peter Bowler was an excellent county opener. Both he and Ian Blackwell accomplished their major feats elsewhere though and it is indicative of the strength of the category that they earn only passing mention here.

Bill  Bestwick gave extraordinary service over many years, much of the time effectively keeping one end going when there was little support at the other end. He took almost 1500 wickets at 21 and remarkably had 147 wickets at just 16 runs each in 1921, when he was 46 years old. If there was an award for the greatest character in the club's history he would be a strong contender and he was a standout performer in what was, at that time, a very ordinary side.

Third place for me would be Ian Bishop. A fast bowler of lissom action, genial temperament and astonishing speed, Bishop would have been one of the all time greats had he been blessed with a more robust back. Changes in action cost him pace and crucially some of his ability to swing the ball at extreme speed, a potent combination. He could also bat and hit a fine century against Yorkshire at Scarborough, but in this company his contribution to the county cannot get a higher placing than third.

In second place would be Kim Barnett. Our all-time top run scorer and long-time captain, Barnett was perhaps the best locally produced batsman I’ve seen (though John Morris ran him close and was more orthodox.) His play through the off side was impeccable, although his curious, shuffling stance perhaps cost him greater international recognition, in much the same way that Les Jackson's slinging action saw him miss out on international opportunities. He was a good captain too, at his best when he had Phil Russell as a supportive and understanding coach. The down side was that for a lot of Barnett’s tenure there was considerable discord behind the scenes. While all of that cannot be laid at his door, it would be unrealistic to suggest he was always an innocent bystander.

What it is safe to say was that he remained a batsman of rare talent at county level, one of the best that the county has had. Despite the unconventional method, Barnett watching was always a joy.

Indeed, relegating him to second place is difficult, but while Barnett was every inch the star at local level, Eddie Barlow was an international star who transformed the county. Indeed, had the South African all-rounder not come to Derbyshire cricket and shaken it up from its foundations, I doubt we would have experienced the subsequent success.

Before he arrived we were at our lowest ebb, a poor side under Brian Bolus, but Barlow, through a strong work ethic, force of personality and sheer talent, made us a side to be reckoned with. While individually the side was of only moderate ability - at least on paper – collectively they were dangerous opponents who you discounted at your peril.

As an eye player, Barlow was past his best as a batsman, yet still produced enough innings to make a difference, some of them quite brilliant. If quick runs were required, Barlow would hit a quick 50. If we were under the cosh he might counter-attack, or would just as happily dig in to frustrate opponents. Irrespective of the style that he adopted, you always felt it was part of a plan and eagerly awaited developments. As a bowler he would always take wickets when they were needed, often in clusters as he changed the direction of a match. He caught most things that went his way too, usually at slip.

Yet it was his captaincy that set him apart. At first you’d see him make a bowling change and wonder at the rationale, yet it soon became evident as a wicket fell. Fields were changed and catches went to the man who had just been moved. Those making a mistake in the field and opponents would be fixed with a basilisk stare, often while those chunky forearms wiped perspiration from his brow. The game rarely stagnated as Barlow didn’t allow it, preferring to challenge the opposition as well as his own team.

It was a magical time to be a fan and I lapped it up like everyone else. We didn’t win every match, but we went down fighting and won many more than we were used to. The cricket was aggressive, whether batting or bowling and Edgar John Barlow was the hub, the catalyst, the star and our hero. We’ve had better batsmen and better bowlers, but none who so captured our imagination or had a greater influence. As a schoolboy at the time, watching the bespectacled Barlow gave me hope that I could play the game, irrespective of my visual shortcomings. Inspirational, for sure.

I’ve written before that two Derby Evening Telegraph headlines will stay with me forever. “Rams sign Dave Mackay” was one. “County sign Eddie Barlow” was the other. Both gave me goosebumps then and still do when I think about them.

Best B? Best any letter for me.

End of argument

Book Review: The Promise of Endless Summer - Cricket Lives from the Daily Telegraph edited by Martin Smith

I've always thought of obituaries in much the same way as funerals. When the person writing or speaking knew the subject, they tend to be more sincere, worthwhile and pertinent than when they are basing their words on second or third hand information.

As the editor, Martin Smith, points out in his foreword to this book, obituary notices until the mid-1980s were largely staid and dry, in the fashion of the times. You got a brief resume of the major career milestones and facts about the subject, but little that put flesh onto the bones as a good writer can do so well.

This collection of obituary notices from the pages of the Daily Telegraph is of cricketers who died from the start of that more descriptive period to the modern day and it is as fine a collection of writers and styles as you could wish for, Michael Henderson, Scyld Berry, E.W.Swanton, Tony Lewis, Simon Hughes and Michael Parkinson are all here, the writing almost - and that's quite a feat - as good as the cricket of their subjects.

All but one is effusive in its praise of the talents of the players concerned, the exception being Simon Hughes' piece on Sylvester Clarke, who he describes as the 'fastest, nastiest fast bowler who ever lived' and goes on to explain why. I suppose anyone who leaves you 'two millimetres of man-made fibre from death' has that kind of effect on you.

It is fine writing though, as is John Major's appreciation of Denis Compton, 'an Olympian of cricket'. There are numerous fine stories and the subjects are some of the greatest players and characters to set foot on a cricket ground, together with some of its finest characters. Perhaps the latter have the greater charm, such as reading how Bryan 'Bomber' Wells once bowled an over in the time it took the Worcester Cathedral clock to strike 12. When told by his captain that he was making the game look ridiculous and ordered to start his run from eight paces, rather than two, he did - but bowled the ball - on a length, mind - from well behind the stumps after taking only two...

Mark Nicholas' piece on Malcolm Marshall is a joy, the former Hampshire captain recounting how wicket-keeper Bobby Parks stood 31 paces back to him one day at Portsmouth, while Derbyshire fans will especially enjoy the piece on Eddie Barlow, who Charles Fortune once described as 'running up to bowl, looking like an unmade bed'. Those who saw 'Bunter' in action will enjoy that description as much as I did.

There is also an obituary for Derbyshire legend Les Jackson, who Donald Bradman felt one of the best bowlers he had faced in 1948, yet scandalously played only two Test matches in the next 13 years. His thirteen-pace run may have ended in a round-arm sling, but it took hundreds of wickets and saw him considered, in the words of Tom Graveney, 'the best bloody bowler in the country'.

In a book of such memorable writing, it could have been hard to have a favourite, but the inclusion of Michael Parkinson's outstanding piece on the former Derbyshire all-rounder George Pope makes this an easy decision for me. For years I had the press-cutting in a folder and now it serves as the concluding piece in a remarkable collection of writing.

Emphasising  my opening comments about the best writing coming from those who knew the subject, the Yorkshire broadcaster produced three pages of golden text about 'a man who a generation of cricketers will testify was the best bowler they ever faced'.

'I could bowl out England on this track' he would tell his league team, before going out with them to to take another six, seven or eight wickets with a bamboozling array of inswing, outswing, off-cutters and leg-cutters. A 'master of his craft' indeed.

Quite a character and bowler, George Pope, and quite a remarkable book. Aurum Press deserve every success with it and it should be a fixture on the bedside or coffee table of every cricket fan. Thanks to Jessica for the special offer for blog readers, which I would heartily recommend you take up.

The Promise of Endless Summer: Cricket Lives from the Daily Telegraph is published by Aurum Press.
  
To order a copy (9781781310489) for £11.99 including p&p, telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk, and quote offer code AUR349. Alternatively, send a cheque made payable to: Littlehampton Book Services Mail Order Department, Littlehampton Book Services, PO Box 4264, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3RB. Please quote the offer code AUR349 and include your name and address details. 
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From Distant Lands to Derbyshire 4: Eddie Barlow

Brilliant, battling, bustling Bunter Barlow.

Eddie Barlow was, and remains, my cricket hero. He was the first man to really capture my imagination when, in 1970, he was a star in the Rest of the World side that toured England when his native South Africa's tour here was cancelled due to political pressure.

I was eleven years old, very small and wore glasses. Those glasses had, at least for me, ruined an embryonic football career in which I was my school goalkeeper. I was pretty good too, until I realised that I couldn't see too clearly and started mishandling and missing balls that I should have held. Contact lenses weren't an option, so I started to wear glasses. My sporting 'career' was ruined.

Or was it? Barlow wore glasses, yet looked a better player than most of those on show, scoring centuries, taking wickets and catching anything that went near him. Football might not have been an option, but cricket seemed a sport in which I could at least contribute, possibly even do well. Forty years on, I'm still playing, the influence still there.

I remember watching the matches in that summer of 1970 with my Dad, and his telling me that Barlow was the man we wanted at Derbyshire. It was a pipe dream, but a nice one for all that.

Six years later, Eddie Barlow did come to Derbyshire. Maybe a year or two too late - he was 36 when he joined us - as his batting had declined. An eye player, he often got out early, but in his three years at the club he played enough innings of merit to show what he was like at his peak, from 1964-70. The highlight was an 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 and 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. If he beat the bat he would catch the batsman's eye and fix him with a stare. We weren't used to players with that level of confidence, but Barlow had the talent to back it up. Look how he demolished England at Headingley in 1970:

As a slip, he was brilliant. Watching Bob Taylor, Phil Sharpe and Eddie Barlow as close fielders was an education. Barlow missed little, though sadly dropped an easy one in our Lords final when little went right and a win would have set the seal on an era. Yet it was as a captain that he entered legend. 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. Few games were lost without a battle, 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 became a very good fielding side, one of the best until the current side. As Mike Hendrick once put it, if someone hit the ball into the next county, we could fetch it back faster than anyone...

Barlow also introduced Peter Kirsten to the club - not to mention Allan Lamb and Garth Le Roux. In 1977, Kirsten scored three successive centuries for the Seconds, before 'failing' with only 90... John Wright also made early appearances in his time at the club, so it is safe to say that Barlow could spot a cricketer.

It was a sad day when he decided to leave, but time waits for no man and there were business interests back home. Sadder still was news of his later illness and subsequent death. People talk about influential cricketers and their respective merits, but I saw Eddie Barlow and he is still the benchmark by which others are judged.

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. I hope I have them again someday, but that's a hard act to follow.

The coaching situation

Earlier today, contributor John asked who I thought should be the new Derbyshire coach.

I've already seen a few names mentioned. Chris Adams was one, but I've yet to see anything in Adams as a coach to match Adams the captain and player. He's struggled at Surrey and has had a lot of money to spend, so I don't see any obvious merit in bringing him back. I've also seen Shane Warne mentioned, which amused me, as he has negligible coaching credentials and would cost a lot more than we could afford. I will come back to him though.

Perennial names Andy Moles and Dougie Brown will no doubt be in the mix, as they tend to be whenever a vacancy occurs. Hand on heart though, I can only think of three who would interest me at this stage and one of them would be out of our league. That's John Wright, a coach with a solid international reputation but currently coach of New Zealand. I can't see him resigning that one to come back 'home'.

The second would be old county ground favourite Graeme Welch. Pop was a good servant to the club and could do a good job as a coach. At least he'd know what he was coming to.

Yet my preferred option would also know that, because he's already here. My vote would go to Karl Krikken. He is a top-qualified coach who knows the game and the players, with the added bonus of having been a Derbyshire man for a long time. He will keep everyone pulling together and get the best out of them. I'm sure he has every attribute required for such a role and now has the opportunity to stake a claim in the medium to long term having got the job to the end of the season.

Realistically a coach is usually only as good as his players. Eddie Barlow, who inherited a somewhat ragtag outfit, was an exception but it largely holds true. I could have coached Clive Lloyd's West Indies, or the Australia of McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Gilchrist and Waugh.

John Wright once replied, when asked how you coach the Indian side with its galaxy of talent, that you make sure that there are the same number of practice balls at the end of the session as there were at the start. At that level, players don't need a lot of coaching, just reassurance if they hit a bad trot, or a quiet word that they've started to do something that might affect their game.

I would sooner see us go for a marquee signing, mentioned in a couple of newspapers this week, who could do the sort of job that Eddie Barlow once did, given control of the playing side with assistance from Karl. Such a player would be much better value than a big name (and salaried) coach if we could get the right man - ideally someone retiring from Test cricket and available for a year or two. His signing would send out a message to other counties and would be a huge step in the development of younger players, who would look up to such a man.

Given the lure of the IPL, I can only think of one such player. While someone like Jacques Kallis or AB de Villiers would be fantastic, they can make serious money in India in a far shorter timescale than an English season. So too could the man that I have in mind, but the opportunity for one last challenge might just hold appeal for him, if, as rumoured, he retires from the international scene this winter.

Seriously, if Chris Grant could put together a package to persuade Ricky Ponting to come over, you'd be impressed, wouldn't you?

That would be my suggestion.

Eddie Barlow - a 35th anniversary tribute - Part Six

Peakfan - Finally Eddie was largely responsible for the overhaul of Bangladesh cricket that saw them granted Test status in 2000. That must have been a huge job. Do you feel that the burden of work was a contributory factor to his stroke?

Cally Barlow – It was a huge job to sort out Bangladesh, not only from a playing perspective but on the administration side as well. I don't think Eddie ever cracked the administration side, but he did a thunderingly good job with the players. Without exception they all adored him and that rubbed off on the Bangladeshi people. He was absolutely the right person for the job at that time. He realised that a nation's aspirations were at stake and that Test status would empower not only the players but the people, who had lived for so long in the shadow of their more powerful neighbours, India and Pakistan.

He worked tirelessly to improve their game, even translating everything he did into Bengali so they could understand his words. He ignored those who patronised Bangladesh as not being good enough for Test cricket.

Did this bring on the stroke? I don't think so. Eddie had an underlying hereditary disease known as hyperhomocysteinemia, which increases the risk of artery or vein disease. It could have been treated had it been known about. I will say, however, that the treatment he received in Bangladesh was by far superior to any he received in either Singapore, where he was transferred, or in South Africa, where he ended up. In South Africa they let him fall off a commode and bump his head off the wall opposite Then they had the cheek to try and charge us for the X-rays!

P - He is still revered in Bangladesh and South Africa, as well as in Derbyshire. That must be a comfort to you?

C - You cannot believe how wonderful it is for me that Eddie is so fondly remembered. He could still be among us as everyone always talks about him to me. I had not been back to Bangladesh for nine years until this Spring, but the welcome I received would have done credit to the Queen! Even the youngsters came up to me and said, “You Mrs Eddie Barlow?” When I said yes, they wanted to shake my hand and now want to be my friends on Facebook!

Derbyshire and Gloucestershire fans are the same and it is a real pleasure.

P - After all of that, the two of you ended up in North Wales, where Eddie continued to coach despite having to use a wheelchair some of the time. If any one thing highlights his love for the game, that must surely be it?

C – This was something special for Eddie, having been thrown on the scrapheap in South Africa. He was delighted to accept Tony Lewis' offer of employment in North Wales. Thanks to the Professional Cricketer's Association he was given a motorised wheelchair, which gave him back his legs and meant I didn't have to trundle him up and down the nets in an ordinary one.

He coached North-East Wales juniors and they adored him. After he died, one of them came to me and said “We miss Eddie so much, as he was inspirational and motivated us so well.”

He was coaching to the end. Gray-Nicholls gave him three bats for my grandchildren and we took them over to Jersey for Christmas. He told me that he would show the boys how to bat properly. I wheeled him out into the garden before Christmas and he and the boys were out there for ages. I looked out of the window and the snow was beginning to fall so I called them all in. He really did die with his boots on (Eddie died on December 30, 2005 - P)

P - Did he keep in touch with the county throughout this time and they with him? Did many of his former colleagues keep in touch?

C – We often went over to Derbyshire and at ex-players lunches he and the guys would talk about the old days and the good times they all had together. He was also invited as guest of honour to the Lord's annual dinner and we went to many other functions too.

P - Whenever I think of Eddie, I see a somewhat dishevelled cricketer, mopping his brow with chunky forearms who, when I first saw him in 1970 playing for the Rest of the World against England, looked to be on a par with Sobers. Yet it was the glasses that inspired me the most, as a fellow-wearer who was just 12 at the time. Eddie inspired me and made me think I could play cricket, and I have, for the past 40 years! Did he ever get such comments from people?

C – In all the time I knew Eddie I only met one person who actively disliked him and another who always tried to put him down. Both I put down to jealousy and it was quite petty. Eddie was the most unassuming man in cricket. Yes, he believed he was always going to take wickets and catches and score runs, but if he didn't, that was yesterday and tomorrow was another challenge. I never heard him boast and apart from those two people everyone had a good word for him.

What did get him down a little was that when he met someone he had played against, they would always recall getting Eddie out for very little, or smashing a fifty off his bowling. He used to wonder why they never remembered him bowling them for a duck,or getting a hundred off their bowling.

P – I think that's a sign of his quality. Eddie was so good that people cling on to what they achieved against him, conveniently forgetting the number of times that HE came out on top!

C- That's maybe right! Because he was always so positive it rubbed off on everyone he met and made them believe in themselves.

P - Finally Cally, how do you think that Eddie is remembered?

C – On the field as a great opponent, giving as good as he got. Off the field as a man full of humour, with modesty in his achievements and a bucket full of charm. I was lucky to share his life for only a short time but would not have swapped a minute of it. Yes, he could be a pain in the backside, but can't we all? But he would have that twinkle in his eye and a little grin on his face and very soon the world was back on an even keel.

Dave Griffin - To me, Eddie will always be remembered as the man who made Derbyshire believe. There was no such thing as a lost cause and everyone at Derbyshire, on and off the field, became convinced that Derbyshire could beat anyone, and often did.

Gerald Mortimer - I had enormous admiration for Eddie as a man in terms of his personality and leadership qualities. Without doubt he was a born leader [he was an influential player and captain and could change the course of a game] and it is sad that he was denied the opportunity of showing this at Test match level due to the restrictions on S African cricket due to their apartheid policy.

Bob Taylor – In an era of great all-rounders, Eddie was up there with the best of them. He was getting on when he came to Derbyshire but still set the standards and demanded they were met. He taught us a lot and we were all grateful for the experience.

Tony Borrington - He was, quite simply, a great man and all those players who were privileged to have played under him not only benefited hugely from his influence but will have carried his values to the end of their playing careers – and beyond!

END

Eddie Barlow - a 35th anniversary tribute - Part Five

Peakfan - I've always felt that Derbyshire missed an opportunity to have Eddie as a coach. Was that offer ever on the table for him?


Dave Griffin - Derbyshire wanted Eddie to stay. I think if he’d arrived 5 years earlier we’d have become a champion county. I think he felt he’d come and done what he needed to do and that it was up to Derbyshire to kick on. To be fair, they did – Nat West winners 3 years later with – predominantly – his side.

P – I'd agree with that! Had he come in 1970, at the height of his powers, he would have been an even greater sensation. Instead he ended up at Gloucestershire, where he was coach for two seasons. How did he find that?

Cally Barlow – To begin with he found it very difficult. One of the administrators told him he could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The players had no motivation and no inclination to perform and some of them were downright obstructive. They had never met anyone like Eddie but would soon learn that they either did it his way or they were out. Eddie thought he had been brought in to get rid of the dross that the administrators did not have the guts to get rid of themselves. One of the players who had been contracted to bat and bowl came to Eddie and said that he could not bowl. Eddie told him he had better go and renew his contract with the chairman.

Guess what? He bowled! Eventually he got the team he wanted and who were willing and keen to work with him and it was a happy time for him. Unfortunately it came to an abrupt end when his father died and he had to go back to South Africa.

P - Presumably it was a frustration to be no longer able to change and affect games with his own skills?

C - Eddie was not the frustrated type. He had been the best and was now doing his utmost to produce cricketers with the same ethos he had himself. Some players can coach, others can't and Eddie always felt his job was to motivate players and fine tune their natural ability. It always annoyed him to hear Test players say they were on a learning curve. He felt that when they got to that level they should know what they were doing.

P - How did the players at Gloucestershire respond to his ideas on fitness? As well as (most of) those at Derbyshire, or was it harder work?

C - Derbyshire was definitely a wake up call for the players there. By the time he got to Gloucestershire there was a greater awareness that in order to perform at the optimum level they would have to be fit. The players at Gloucestershire were not averse to 'physical jerks' as it was becoming increasingly obvious that other counties were doing the same things, especially in the fielding arena. Eddie had led the way at Derbyshire.

P - I’ve read that Eddie’s methods sowed the seeds for Gloucestershire’s subsequent one-day success?

C – That's probably true. Eddie's greatest asset was making Gloucestershire's players believe they could be the best if they worked hard and believed in themselves.

P - Then of course it was back to South Africa, success with Orange Free State, Griqualand West and Transvaal and then the purchase of a winery. Life cannot have been dull?

C - Anything but! Besides wanting to be the best cricketer he could be, Eddie was always a wannabe farmer and while at Gloucestershire purchased a pig farm. It was probably a mistake in the then Nationalist Government as if you were not an Afrikaner all sorts of obstacles were put in your path. He never got paid first grade for his pigs but always second and third. When he asked where he could buy second or third grade pork Speckenham (the Pork Board) were not amused – and neither was Eddie.

He really enjoyed his time at Free State, getting five of his players into the national side, which was an amazing achievement. He left after a year for Transvaal, which he would later admit was the biggest mistake he ever made. He thought he was doing a good job and the players won their first silverware for ages, but one of the Board members went to the players and asked them if they wanted Eddie to stay. No one has ever given a definite answer to the question “Was Eddie sacked or did he leave of his own accord?”

After his stroke, Eddie could not remember, but the upshot was that he left and moved to the Cape to head up the new Superjuice Academy. This was a great success but after he divorced his second wife we moved to the Robertson area and bought another wine farm. Eddie decided to put cricket behind him for good. Wine farms are like horses though, they eat money, so he was pleased to be asked to go and coach at the Griquas (Griqualand West) by one of his good friends. Unfortunately this friend was rather controlling and always wanted to stick his nose into Eddie's business. After a season and a bit, Eddie came home and said “Right, pack up, we're leaving.”

It left a nasty taste in people's mouths, but I supported Eddie to the hilt on this one. We returned to the farm, but it was not long before he got a call from Ali Bacher to ask if he would like to coach Bangladesh. Prior to this, Eddie has a stint as batting coach to South Africa, but had got on the wrong side of Bob Woolmer and Ali said he was no longer required. Hansie Cronje was not pleased as he was very pro-Eddie and felt he had a lot to offer the team. At the end of the series against the West Indies he sent Eddie a present.

It was a silver tray, which read, “Don't piss on my patch. With thanks from the boys.” Eddie had told them that the West Indies were pissing all over them and they had to show them that this was not going to happen!

Anyway, Eddie came off the call from Ali and said “Ali must really want me out of the way.” It backfired though, if that was the intention, as we both loved Bangladesh

To be continued

Eddie Barlow - a 35th anniversary tribute - Part Four

Alan Hill - Eddie was ahead of his time in County cricket. He instigated a fitness regime and we were the first County to do track suited pre match warm ups. He was a man of high principles and standards and a shrewd reader of people which enabled him to get the very best out of his players with outstanding man-management skills. He was beyond the level of a captain-he was a General-and that's what we called him!!!!

P - Did Eddie have pretty much total control over playing matters in his time at Derbyshire?

Dave Griffin - One of the reasons for signing Eddie was to raise the profile of the club. We saw him as a leader, even before he took over the captaincy. From my recollections of the time, and from all the anecdotal evidence I have heard since, only one person was in charge of Derbyshire cricket from 1976-1978….

Tony Borrington – Eddie was a truly inspirational captain and a master of motivational techniques. He led from the front with bat and ball and led in his own dynamic style. His sheer sense of presence seemed to intimidate the opposition. Individual and team performances rose measurably under his guidance and leadership and his positive impact throughout his three years at the club was quite astounding.

P - Did he ever wish that he could have come over earlier when he was in his prime as a batsman? His batting averages at Derbyshire were around 30, while his Test average was mid-forties. Though still a force, did he feel himself his batting was on the wane?

C - The ever ebullient Barlow would have thought an average of 30 was not bad for a "has been"! As for wishing he had come over earlier, I don't think it would have entered his mind. I do know that he regretted leaving when he did and said he should have stayed another season.

P - In 1978 Eddie had an astonishing season with the ball, especially in one-day cricket and led us to a Lords final. How disappointed was he in the loss against Kent after a superb campaign?

C - Mega disappointed for the team, but he didn't agonise over it. That was today, tomorrow, we win.

P - Had he decided to leave before that final, or did he feel that he’d done as much as he could on the pitch? Injuries were starting to play a part at that time.

Dave Griffin - He said at the 1978 AGM in the Grandstand that he would probably not return in 1979, and it was no real surprise that he didn’t. He always stressed the need to return to his work in South Africa.

P -What were his favourite memories of his time at Derbyshire?

Dave Griffin - His favourite memories always seemed to involve the improvement of other players…

P - Eddie was instrumental in Peter Kirsten, Allan Lamb and Garth Le Roux coming to play for the county 2nd XI and in local league cricket. Not a bad trio! Was it his decision that we took Peter as a second overseas player?

C – Yes it was.

P – That turned out pretty well! I assume Eddie was unaware of Lamb’s potential to play for England (and Derbyshire) at that stage?

Dave Griffin – That's right.

P - I've often wondered if Eddie had anything to do with the likes of Ashley Harvey-Walker, Fred Swarbrook and Phil Russell heading out to and settling in South Africa. Was that the case?

Dave Griffin -Those players had already visited South Africa, played there and enjoyed it. However, Eddie was hugely instrumental in the young Kim Barnett going to to play for Boland – and many more followed.

P - David Steele took over as Derbyshire captain from Eddie and that never really worked. Was Eddie involved in that decision? Was he surprised by how it turned out?

David Griffin - David Steele had been contacted by Derbyshire to replace Eddie as skipper during the latter stages of 1978, when it was clear Barlow would be going.

P - Eddie was an outspoken critic of apartheid. Did that cause any problems for him back home, or was his status such that this was never a problem?

C - Eddie's profile was high enough that he would not have been flung in jail unless he had put a gun to someone's head, but the day to day problems he faced while trying to run his business were sometimes intolerable. Afrikaners ran the country and if you were an English speaker you got short shrift. His pigs when he took them to market were never grade 1 (the highest prices) but 2 or 3. Eddie once asked them where he could buy the grade 2 and 3 pork but of course it was never available. Police would also come onto his farm late at night and terrorise the staff, simply because Eddie paid better wages than the Afrikaner farmers.

P - He played under fine captains in Trevor Goddard and Ali Bacher. Was he frustrated by South Africa’s exclusion from the international scene, that presumably prevented him from leading the side?

C – Yes, but he didn't dwell on it.

To be continued...

Eddie Barlow - a 35th anniversary tribute - Part Three

P - Eddie then signed up for World Series Cricket and Kerry Packer. Presumably he did that without Derbyshire’s knowledge? Was there any awkwardness?

Dave Griffin - My recollection of him signing for WSC was that it was great for him and Derbyshire. He was outlawed from Test cricket because of South Africa’s isolation, so most Derbyshire people saw it as a rare opportunity for him to play top class cricket.

Bob Taylor – We were playing Somerset at Chesterfield in 1976 and batting on a hot day. In the dressing room Eddie suddenly exclaimed “There's going to be a revolution in cricket.” That's all he said but it was the first we heard about what became World Series Cricket.

P - How did he find WSC?

C – He got on a plane and turned right at Mauritius - only kidding!

The beginning was not auspicious at all with all the writs flying around, but the Boards had met their match with Kerry Packer and sanity prevailed. Eddie absolutely adored Australia and once thought of emigrating there. He did not play in the World Series proper, but his main job was captain of the Cavaliers side, which was mainly made up of injured players coming back to their best. 

Eddie went to Kerry once and told him that the players were getting too many injuries. He replied "The spectators want blood, I want blood and so does Channel 9." That was the end of that! There were a few incidents where Eddie dropped a couple of West Indian players because of bad timekeeping. They accused him of racism but Kerry soon sorted that one out.

P - The 1977 and 1978 seasons were two of my favourites as a Derbyshire fan, as Eddie led the team with panache and the players responded. Did he have any favourite players from that era?

C - Eddie didn't do favourites and the players he held in the highest regard would probably have got the sternest criticism, because he wanted them to do well. I remember a youngster he was coaching many years later saying to me "Why is the Coach always riding me"? My reply was "Because he respects your talent and wants you to do the same."

P - Who were the characters of that side?

Dave Griffin – They were all characters – just ask Geoff Miller!

(Around this time Miller and Hendrick did a brilliant comedy double act of two Derbyshire miners discussing the cricket club. 'Eric Bartlett' or 'Laszlo Baslow' was often discussed, as were 'Cliff Gladstone and Les Jackman' The former used to 'baarl big benders...')

Bob Taylor- It was a very happy dressing room and there was a homely and friendly atmosphere around the club. Eddie made us more competitive but we still had a lot of fun!

P - Did many of the players keep in touch later?

C - Like most walks of life, while you are with a group of people you are great buddies, but when you part your life changes. When their paths crossed it was as if they had met yesterday and I think most of them would say they would never forget what Eddie did for them.

Mike Hendrick - Eddie's arrival at Derbyshire gave my career the kick up the backside that it needed. He gave me the understanding of the strength and fitness needed to push on to achieve a flourishing career at Test level. His encouragement was a major factor in my development. He was a great bloke, on and off the pitch.

P - What sort of a captain was he? Would he have been quiet and authoritative, or prepared to give an Alex Ferguson-style hair dryer treatment to anyone who messed him about?

Bob Taylor – I was fortunate to play under two outstanding captains in Eddie and Mike Brearley. They were both very competitive and both commanded respect. You had total belief in them and in what they did. Eddie would always confer with you and listen to your thoughts.

Eddie was a fine batsman and his bowling was always dangerous. He bowled a good line, moved it a bit either way and he had a really quick ball that caught people out. He was outstanding as a skipper and rarely missed a trick.

Harry Cartwright – Eddie treated all the players as individuals and knew exactly how to get the best out of them -which player needed and arm around the shoulder and which one might need a much sterner approach. He was, quite simply, the best captain that I ever played under.

C - He would never ask a player to do anything he was not prepared to do himself. He led by example. I never knew him give a rollicking to anyone in his team in front of another player. I only once saw him go for a member of another team and he richly deserved what he would have got if Eddie had been a little quicker!

P – What was he like in defeat?

C - If the team had played badly he would walk off the field, go into the dressing room, get changed and go home. The next day he would call a meeting and in the cool light of day they would discuss what had gone wrong. Occasionally there would be a young whipper-snapper who thought he knew better than the captain. Eddie would send him to third man and then fine leg to get him out from under his feet!

Geoff Miller – On a personal level, Eddie transformed my career and was my most important mentor in county cricket. On a team level he transformed the whole of the thinking of Derbyshire County Cricket Club from a negative to a positive approach to the game.

P - What was his secret with young players? He seems to have had a knack of turning ordinary players into good county professionals. Was that force of personality, coaching tips or something else?

C - He never talked down to youngsters, always praised their endeavours, had a fund of stories for them, was always willing to listen to them and joined in their fun, even latterly from his mobility scooter. He also had their respect, which was probably why he did so well with the young county professionals.

Alan Hill - Eddie was ahead of his time in County cricket. He instigated a fitness regime and we were the first County to do track suited pre match warm ups. He was a man of high principles and standards and a shrewd reader of people which enabled him to get the very best out of his players with outstanding man-management skills. He was beyond the level of a captain-he was a General-and that's what we called him!!!!

Eddie Barlow - a 35th anniversary tribute - Part Two

Peakfan - Eddie was a big name in world cricket circles from around 1960 and county sides were recruiting overseas stars from the mid-1960s. I once read that he’d never been asked to join the county circuit before Derbyshire’s approach?

Cally Barlow - Yes that's right.

P - I still find it extraordinary that one of the top all-rounders in the world has to wait until he’s 36 for a county deal. How did that come about?

Dave Griffin - During the winter of 1975, George Hughes, Derbyshire’s chairman, who was a road haulage businessman from Loughborough, made enquiries about bringing a top world name to the club. Graeme Pollock was mentioned as well as Eddie and Derbyshire had to break the bank to sign him. At the time Garfield Sobers was earning £5,000 per season at Nottinghamshire and Barlow's £10,000 per season (around £85,000 today – P) sent serious shock waves through the cricket world. Hughes paid Barlow's salary, on the proviso that Derbyshire paid his tax. When the tax man came calling in the early 1980s, it became clear that Derbyshire hadn’t made good their promise on the tax!!

Bob Taylor – As far as the players were concerned, Eddie's reputation spoke for itself and there was no resentment about his salary. There was the odd comment around the circuit, but it wasn't an issue.

C - Eddie had so many things going on in South Africa. Cricketers had to earn a living in those days, as well as play cricket.

P - What were his first impressions of county cricket?

C - Mostly unprintable! He was always a player's man, which did not sit well with most administrators, but they were probably so desperate to get Derbyshire out of the doldrums that they would have agreed to anything he said and did. And he did a lot!. He had enjoyed his time in the Lancashire Leagues, where it was real blood and guts, but he found county cricket had very little direction. Some players were content to just play out the season, possibly due to no one really giving a damn, having just written them off.

Bob Taylor – Eddie took over from me as skipper part way through that first season. I wanted to concentrate on my wicket-keeping and believed that captaincy is something you have a natural aptitude for. Eddie had that, and as the senior player with international experience was the obvious choice to take over.

I remember he called a meeting soon afterwards and talked about professionalism, using me as an example. I used to have an hour's drive to the ground from my home. Eddie told the rest of the team that even when it was raining I did this with the expectation of playing cricket. He said too many cricketers were happy to sit in the pavilion in a negative state of mind when it rained. Eddie wanted us to stay positive, expecting to be on the pitch every day.

P - In that first season, Eddie’s batting form was the subject of a few moans from supporters. Did that bother him, or was he confident that it would come good in the end?

C - Eddie was always confident and I think he saw his job first and foremost as getting Derbyshire right, but he was at his best when he was getting either runs or wickets.

P - When he returned to form, it was with a career-best 217 against Surrey at Ilkeston. That was typically Eddie?

Dave Griffin – I saw the double hundred. There was real consternation among the members during the morning session as Eddie scratched around at the crease. The same members were giving him a standing ovation several hours later. One of the best innings I’ve ever seen.

C - Eddie never did anything by halves, but on the other hand he never revisited failure. He was always about tomorrow, never yesterday.

Gerald Mortimer - Eddie was an eternal optimist in his approach and in 1976 he lifted a bedraggled Derbyshire side, giving hope and belief to both players and supporters.

P - At the end of the first season, as referred to by John Wright in his autobiography, there were a couple of high profile departures from the county in ex-England players Phil Sharpe and Alan Ward. Wright suggests they did not subscribe to Eddie’s theories on physical fitness?

C - At that time it was most unusual for county players to even think about fitness of any kind. If you could bend your right arm, smoke coffin nails and party all night you were generally OK. It was a long way from Eddie's ethos for getting a team to peak performance and if players were not willing to go with what he wanted they got short shrift. Nor did he tolerate divisiveness in the dressing room.

Tony Borrington – Wardy had become very injury prone by 1976 and Bunter just could not see him lasting a season, when he was operating on a low budget with a small staff. He went to Leicestershire but was still plagued by injuries and it turned out to be a shrewd decision. However, I remember Wardy knocked Eddie's middle stump out at Grace Road (I was at the other end) and Bunter could see the irony in it!

Sharpey was a lovely man – greatly liked and respected. However, although a great slip catcher he was not the fittest at that stage of his career and the new fitness regime was always going to be a challenge. I don't recall it being controversial – I just think at that stage he was ready to move on to other things in his life.

P - So what did Eddie say to the players at the end of that first season? Looking at the difference between 1976 and 1977 it appears to have worked!

Tony Borrington – His training methods were innovative – specific training regimes for each player to be tested on the first day of pre-season. Also we did sprints fully kitted out in net sessions. He would call out 'run two' three times running so there was no complacency in the approach. He was very much ahead of his time.

Bob Taylor – He had us running around the County Ground and Queens Park even when it was raining. There was no room for complacency! You could always be fitter and Eddie used to stress the importance of concentration. People who maintain focus perform better and that's what separates international from county players. He helped us all, without question.

C - He was delighted for the players that fortunes improved and always quick to put his hand in his pocket when the occasion arose. He probably overstepped the mark when he took them all to a strip club. The wives found out and were furious...

P - Eddie then signed up for World Series Cricket and Kerry Packer. Presumably he did that without Derbyshire’s knowledge? Was there any awkwardness?

Dave Griffin - My recollection of him signing for WSC was that it was great for him and Derbyshire. He was outlawed from Test cricket because of South Africa’s isolation, so most Derbyshire people saw it as a rare opportunity for him to play top class cricket.

Bob Taylor – We were playing Somerset at Chesterfield in 1976 and batting on a hot day. In the dressing room Eddie suddenly exclaimed “There's going to be a revolution in cricket.” That's all he said but it was the first we heard about what became World Series Cricket.

To be continued...

Five years ago

As regular readers will know, 2011 marks the 35^th anniversary of Eddie Barlow's arrival at Derbyshire County Cricket Club. 1976 was the start of a three-year association that galvanised the county and transformed us from also-rans to a team that could play – and beat – the best.

The first instalment of a series that will celebrate his time with the county will be published on January 3rd, but I didn't want today, December 30th to pass without noting that it was five years ago that Eddie passed away while on holiday in Jersey.

It was a sad loss for his family in particular, but also for the game of cricket. Barlow's commitment was legendary, and having read the excellent autobiography that my lovely wife got me for Christmas, I'm even more in awe of the man's passion for excellence and his achievements wherever he went.

Derbyshire was one of them, and I hope you'll all check in on January 3rd to read that first instalment. I plan to publish two per week and I hope that you find them as interesting to read as I did to write, thanks to a lot of help from people who were involved.

In between times, assuming little happens tomorrow that is worthy of note, I would like to wish all of you a very happy New Year. England have just retained the Ashes - here's hoping there's similar euphoria around Derbyshire cricket sometime soon!

Eddie Barlow - an appreciation

My series on Eddie Barlow that will commence in the early New Year has grown arms, legs and wings. As regular readers will recall, Eddie came to Derbyshire in 1976, so next year marks the 35th anniversary of that arrival.


As well as Eddie’s widow Cally, who has been very generous with her time, I’ve now had contributions from a number of players from that era, to who I am incredibly grateful.

Tony Borrington, Alan Hill, Harry Cartwright, Geoff Miller, Mike Hendrick and Bob Taylor have all contributed, as has Gerald Mortimer, who saw the period from the press box and knew Eddie very well. So has the club’s Honorary Secretary David Griffin, who, like me, saw a lot of the cricket in that period from the boundary edge and recalls it with great affection.

Their comments have helped me to put together a deserved appreciation of a man who did so much for Derbyshire cricket.

Look out for it starting sometime soon.

Something special for the New Year - Eddie Barlow celebration

Next year will mark 35 years since the late, undeniably great Eddie Barlow arrived in Derbyshire to transform our cricket fortunes.

I wrote about him recently, when suggesting that the club’s greatest player beginning with B should be Barlow and not Kim Barnett. Barlow shook the club to its foundations between 1976 and 1978 and made us a side to be reckoned with. His three years at the club were, without doubt, the most memorable that I can recall as a Derbyshire fan, aside from the summer of Dean Jones. I saw a lot of cricket in that period and I’ll unashamedly say that Eddie Barlow was, and still is my major cricket hero. Given I’m past the stage of having new heroes now, I suppose he always will be.

To mark the anniversary, I will be producing a series of articles in the New Year based on a recent interview with Eddie’s widow, Cally. I am extremely grateful to her for taking the time to answer the many questions I had with unfailing good humour.



I am also grateful to David Griffin at Derbyshire County Cricket Club, for his recollections of the period and for filling in a few gaps, as well as to several former players for their comments on a golden period in the club’s history.

Their input has helped to create a fascinating insight into the player and the man. Hopefully it will help to while away the winter as we approach a fresh new season. How apposite would it be if the anniversary could be marked with further success?

I would be grateful for any of your memories too. If you watched Derbyshire during this period, or played with Eddie, I would love to hear from you. Contact me in the usual manner – peakfan36@yahoodotcodotuk

Just note that the ‘dots’ in the middle should be dots. I’ve written it that way as otherwise I’ll be bombarded with a hundred e-mails about a relative who has died in Africa leaving me his/her fortune. You’d be amazed at how many I apparently have out there, though at the rate they’re apparently dying in car and plane crashes there can’t be too many left…

More on Barlow

I got an e-mail last night that asked how I could choose Eddie Barlow, who only had three years at Derbyshire, over Kim Barnett, who spent most of his career at the club and broke all of the batting records.


Now, if this was a reality TV show, at this point I’d be saying ‘it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.’ Such comments are the norm for X Factor judges when deciding who needs to leave the show, which always leaves me thinking that they must have had a pretty easy life. Personally, deciding on an operation for a child and an entire raft of personal decisions sees such a choice pale to insignificance…

It was a tough call though, but one I thought I’d explained yesterday. Kim Barnett was a lovely batsman to watch and was himself a good captain. He had set ideas about how we could get results, taking a leaf from the great West Indian side of the period by building an attack of pace. This took advantage of some ‘sporting’ tracks at the County Ground, where the wicket was often undistinguishable from the rest of the square. Yet while the opposition often struggled, Barnett would lead from the front and produce an innings that made a mockery of conditions. He bowled tidy legspin or seam too, though the bowling was of an occasional nature as his career progressed.

Barnett is one of my two all-time favourite Derbyshire cricketers, the difficulty being that the other is Eddie Barlow. See the dilemma?

I went over some of the reasons for choosing Eddie yesterday, but to expand a little, he came into a club that was at rock bottom in 1976 and in three years took us to a Lords final that would have been laughable as a concept when he came. His own performances were steady, rather than spectacular, but his runs and wickets usually came when most needed. When people moaned about his batting in his first season (yes, we had moaners then…) he went out and scored 217 against Surrey at Ilkeston…

His statistics?

1976 - Championship - averaged 30, plus 28 wickets at 24
           One day – averaged 33 plus 34 wickets at 20

1977 – Championship – averaged 29 plus 46 wickets at 19
            One day – averaged 22 and 33 wickets at 17

1978 – Championship – averaged 30 plus 24 wickets at 22
            One day – averaged 22 plus 44 wickets at 12


Every season his batting average, however modest, exceeded his bowling one, the true mark of an all-rounder of talent. Yet he was 36 when he arrived at the county. Dad and I have often talked about what we might have achieved had we been able to pick him up six years earlier. In 1970, playing in the Rest of the World side against England, he looked as good as Sobers, averaging 39 with two centuries and taking 20 wickets at just 19 each. As I mentioned yesterday, he was an eye player and at 36, with fifteen years at the top behind him, was past his peak when we signed him - but boy, he could still play!

Captains like Stuart Surridge at Surrey, Ronnie Burnett and Brian Sellars at Yorkshire, Arthur Richardson at Derbyshire and Mike Brearley for England achieved great feats with their sides despite limited personal success. Barlow was at least their equal as captain, yet his own performances were also inspirational.

Besides transforming young players like Tony Borrington, Alan Hill, Harry Cartwright and Colin Tunnicliffe into good county cricketers, he effectively turned Geoff Miller and Mike Hendrick into England players with a strong work ethic and sensible advice. As the latter once commented, Eddie worked on the basis that if the opposition had someone who could hit the ball into the next county, Derbyshire could fetch it back quicker than anyone…

It was just three years, but so much happened in that time. He brought over three young players from Western Province who all played for our Second XI one summer. We opted for Peter Kirsten ahead of Allan Lamb and Garth Le Roux, but must never have fielded a better second string side. Kirsten went on to become the star of the 1981 side that won at Lords, a powerful line-up that owed so much to Barlow and one in which the young Kim Barnett was introduced to the first-class game. The difference between that side and the one inherited by Barlow in 1975 was extraordinary and only a man with his dynamism, positive outlook and skill could have been the catalyst. If you didn’t see the Barlow era, you were unlucky. I consider myself privileged to have seen much of it and live in hope that the excitement of those years will be replicated in my lifetime.

In the same way that Derby County fans still discuss the relatively short tenure of Brian Clough, or the even shorter (effectively one season) period of Carter and Doherty, Derbyshire fans of a certain age will probably always be nostalgic for the Barlow era.

While it didn’t conclude with the definitive proof of its excellence and a trophy, it marked a time when the club emerged from years of mediocrity to become worth watching again.

King B? It’s just got to be Barlow.

Postscript: after a two-year hunt, my lovely wife has told me that she’s managed to source a copy of Eddie Barlow’s autobiography from South Africa and it will be part of my Christmas present. How can you not love a woman like that?!

Brilliant battling Barlow

Full credit to Nathan Fearn at Derbyshire Cricket Club for the idea of the Derbyshire A-Z. It makes for some stimulating thought and is much better than the notion of the fairly recent book on one hundred Derbyshire cricket greats.


The concept of greatness depends on the individual, but I would argue that Derbyshire have had perhaps a dozen truly great cricketers in the wider form of the game in 140 years, and around twenty to thirty who were perhaps bordering on greatness in their services to the county. One day I will have to quantify that more accurately…

So who is King B? There are more candidates than in the As, that’s for sure. Ian Buxton was a solid county player, as was Peter Bowler and to a lesser extent Ian Blackwell, but it is indicative of the strength of the category that they earn only passing mention here. As Nathan points out, Bill  Bestwick gave extraordinary service over many years, much of the time effectively keeping one end going when there was little support at the other end.

Third place for me would be Ian Bishop. A fast bowler of lissom action, genial temperament and astonishing speed, Bishop would have been one of the all time greats had he been blessed with a more robust back. Changes in action cost him pace and crucially some of his ability to swing the ball at extreme speed, a potent combination. He could also bat and hit a fine century against Yorkshire at Scarborough, but in this company his contribution to the county cannot get a higher placing than third.

In second place would be Kim Barnett. Our all-time top run scorer and long-time captain, Barnett was perhaps the best locally produced batsman I’ve seen (though John Morris ran him close and was more orthodox.) His play through the off side was impeccable, although his curious, shuffling stance perhaps cost him greater international recognition. He was a good captain too, at his best when he had Phil Russell as coach. The down side was that for a lot of Barnett’s tenure there was considerable discord behind the scenes. While all of that cannot be laid at his door, it would be unrealistic to suggest he was always an innocent bystander.

What it is safe to say was that he remained a batsman of rare talent at county level, one of the best that the county has had. Despite that stance, Barnett watching was always a joy.

Indeed, relegating him to second place is difficult, but while Barnett was every inch the star at local level, Eddie Barlow was an international star who transformed the county. Indeed, had the South African all-rounder not come to Derbyshire and shaken it from the foundations, I doubt we would have experienced some of the subsequent success.

Before he arrived we were at our lowest ebb, a poor side under Brian Bolus, but Barlow, through a strong work ethic, force of personality and sheer talent, made us a side to be reckoned with. While individually the side was of only moderate ability - at least on paper – collectively they were dangerous opponents who you discounted at your peril.

As an eye player, Barlow was past his best as a batsman, yet still produced enough innings to make a difference, some of them quite brilliant. If quick runs were required, Barlow would hit a quick 50. If we were under the cosh he might counter-attack, or could just as happily dig in to frustrate opponents. Irrespective of the style that he adopted, you felt it was part of a plan and eagerly awaited developments. As a bowler he would always take wickets when they were needed, often in clusters as he changed the direction of a match. He caught most things that went his way too, usually at slip.

Yet it was his captaincy that set him apart. At first you’d see him make a bowling change and wonder ‘Why?’ yet it soon became evident as a wicket fell. Fields were changed and catches went to the man who had just been moved. Those making a mistake and/or opponents would be fixed with a basilisk stare, often while those chunky forearms wiped perspiration from his brow. The game rarely stagnated as Barlow didn’t let it, preferring to challenge the opposition as well as his own team.

It was a magical time to be a fan and I lapped it up like everyone else. We didn’t win every match, but we went down fighting and won many more than we were used to. The cricket was aggressive, whether batting or bowling and Edgar John Barlow was the hub, the catalyst, the star and our hero. We’ve had better batsmen and better bowlers, but none who so captured the imagination or had a greater influence.

I’ve written before that two Derby Telegraph headlines will stay with me forever. “Rams sign Dave Mackay” was one. “County sign Eddie Barlow” was the other. Both gave me goosebumps then and still do when I think about them.

Best B? Best any letter for me. End of argument.

Sunday thoughts

What a strange series is going on in South Africa at present, with both teams taking turn about to play brilliantly and poorly. The other day the hosts slaughtered England and scored 350 in their 50 overs, today it was a paltry 119 all out.

One of the frustrating things about South Africa as a side is that inconsistency. On paper they are one of the best sides in the world and that often translates to the pitch, yet they don't give the appearance of invincibility that the truly great sides have. I think the major issue is the lack of the real "over my dead body" players that a genuinely great side has.

Take the three great sides of my life time. The Australians under Steve Waugh were led by a man who would set the standard and had some fine players in the batting ranks who were of a similar mindset. Justin Langer, Matt Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting - in any era of the game they were great players and had the fight in them when things were going poorly. They also had two pretty useful bowlers in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne...

The same went for the West Indies in their golden era. With quick bowlers like Holding, Roberts, Garner and Marshall there were some of the all time greats, while Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes would always produce when the chips were down.

Going back a little further, the South Africans of the late 1960's were outstanding. They had such a liberal sprinkling of genuine greatness in Barry Richards, Eddie Barlow, Graeme Pollock and Mike Procter that beating them was always going to be difficult.

The current South African side has players of brilliance - Smith, de Villiers, Kallis - yet they have an air of vulnerability that the genuine greats don't offer. I would accept Kallis as one of the greats of the game on his record and the other two may well end up as such, but Smith and de Villiers often give you a chance. Kallis is still the man that the oppisition want to see the back of more than anyone.

Maybe the problem is that the rest see themselves as bit part players and there's an element of "if they fail, how can we succeed?" Perhaps they need an Eddie Barlow who moulded teams of few stars into tight, competitive units by stressing the role that each played in the overall picture.

Having said that, I wouldn't say no to any of them at Derbyshire should the situation ever present itself. I've said before that South Africans offer good value as overseas signings and they do. Given that this season we may have Madsen, Park, Smith, Groenewald and Peterson in our ranks it would seem John Morris agrees.

Changing tack a little, a few weeks ago I wrote that I thought Adrian Barath may well be the next great West Indies player and his first tour to Australia, which was always going to be a learning curve, has done nothing to change that opinion. A 70 in the warm up match was followed by a Test debut century for the diminutive opener and I think he will have a long and illustrious career in the game. He looks compact and organised and while blessed with a full range of strokes seems less casual than many of his countrymen. At 19 he seems to have it all and the only thing he will need to prove is that the mental strength that is so important at the top level is there in abundance.

Finally today, an innings win for Victoria meant that Chris Rogers had no chance of a second knock for them, just as the Australians easy win over the Windies kept the pressure off Shane Watson the second time around. I'll be following that one closely over the winter months.

See you soon!

Youtube watch

I've spent an idle half hour this afternoon looking around Youtube and came across one of the best 5 minutes you'll ever spend watching cricket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyHvFArouAM

This is the truly great Barry Richards in full flight for Hampshire against Lancashire, scoring 129 of the most regal runs you will ever see. For those who saw him, it is a nostalgic reminder of one of the game's greats, while for those who didn't, this is a man of unbelievable class. Ex-Derbyshire skipper Barry Wood is one of those suffering at the hands of Richards.

For something even more guaranteed to raise the nostalgia quotient, have a look at this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYnYbvF9fo&feature=PlayList&p=8E55D533AF3AD452&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=35

The sublime, lissom Michael Holding in full flight. If we'd had this fella last year we'd have been in Division One next season. While not this fast when he bowled for us, he could still bowl a ball faster than anyone else I've seen in Derbyshire colours and is a true great.

Sadly, nothing on there featuring Eddie Barlow, but I'll console myself with video footage of Bunter that I have from when he ran through the England side at Headingley in 1970 for the Rest of the World.

Richards, Holding and Barlow. You could take on Mars with those three in your side!