The A-Z of Derbyshire Cricket - H is for Holding: Michael Holding

There’s a fair decision to be made among the ‘H’ category, albeit one that comes down to two players as far as I'm concerned.

Two opening batsmen are worthy of consideration, both of them players who sold their wickets dearly. Ian Hall was a dogged battler in the 1960s who got to the middle and worked to stay there. Not for him the flamboyant shots – he accumulated runs and was a workmanlike player.

As was Alan Hill, although ‘Bud’ became a key member of the side in the 1970s and 1980s as the ideal foil for John Wright. They made a good pairing, though Hill at times struggled to shake off the reputation that once saw him make a century in South Africa without a boundary. It was ironic that he subsequently was the first Derbyshire player to make a Sunday League century, tribute to his willingness to work at his game and Eddie Barlow’s encouragement to hit the ball. Hill was never a flashy player, but if you were selecting a Derbyshire side to save a game you would want him in there fighting for you. He was very underrated and I had a lot of time for him.

Then of course there is Arnold Hamer, the best batsman of a fairly ordinary batting side in the 1950s and one who could play in whatever style the game and conditions demanded. His average of 31 in the first class game would probably be worth far more on the covered tracks of today, but Hamer, worthy a player as he was, is eclipsed by two bowlers of distinction.

The stature of the man in first place is illustrated by Mike Hendrick being ‘only’ second. Hendo was an outstanding bowler in the great Derbyshire tradition. The lineage that ran from Warren through Bestwick, the Popes, Copson, Gladwin, Jackson and Rhodes was safe with him. Not especially quick but hostile, no extravagant movement but enough to find the edge, Mike Hendrick was a class act.

Especially when he reached the international stage, some argued that he bowled too short, happier to keep the score down with short of a length bowling than to produce the probing outswinger that drew the batsman forward. Maybe that was so, but Mike Hendrick on a green top was hard to play and he grew up in a Derbyshire side that rarely had runs to play with. In the Championship you could usually bank on a few wickets, while in one day games he was rarely hit. You can ask for little more from a bowler and Hendrick was also a fine slip fielder, had a good arm in the deep and was an entertaining slogger in the way that tail-enders used to play.

It takes a special man to keep him from top spot, but Michael Holding was one of the all-time greats. Although his days of constant express pace were behind him when he joined us, he could still bowl an occasional ball of unfeasible velocity. David Lloyd told a tale about umpiring at Derby where the pitch was docile, yet Holding found the pace and bounce to produce a ball that removed the thumb guard from the glove of Northamptonshire batsman Robin Boyd-Moss and sent his thumb in several directions.

Occasionally he would turn back time and come off his full run, which remained an awesome sight, but Holding was also an able lieutenant to the fledgling skipper, Kim Barnett. Always willing to come on when things were tough and the score mounting, he was close to the ideal overseas player. There were times he seemed to get wickets by reputation, but whatever the length of that run, watching Holding was a joy for the connoisseur - unless you were 22 yards away.

He was usually good for some effective tailend clumping too, and had a safe pair of hands. John Wright once said that the opposition always seemed pleased to hear he was playing, as it meant that Holding, with who he shared overseas duties for a time, wasn’t.

I’ve written before of my reservations about a book that was written a couple of years back on one hundred Derbyshire cricket greats. Greatness can be defined in different ways, in a local, national or international context. However I try to define it, I can’t get anywhere near fifty from Derbyshire’s history.

Having said that, both Mike Hendrick and Michael Holding would be in that fifty. On a local scale Hendrick was a great player and on a national scale a good one.

Holding? He was a giant of the game by any benchmark, so has to be number one. An all-time great?

You bet.

Holding the man.

There’s a decision to be made among the ‘H’ category, albeit one that comes down to two players as far as I'm concerned.

Two opening batsmen are worthy of consideration, both of them players who sold their wickets dearly. Ian Hall was a dogged battler in the 1960s who got to the middle and worked to stay there. Not for him the flamboyant shots – he accumulated runs and was a workmanlike player.

As was Alan Hill, although ‘Bud’ became a key member of the side in the 1970s and 1980s as the ideal foil for John Wright. They made a good pairing, though Hill at times struggled to shake off the reputation that once saw him make a century in South Africa without a boundary. It was ironic that he subsequently was the first Derbyshire player to make a Sunday League century, tribute to his willingness to work at his game and Eddie Barlow’s encouragement to hit the ball. Hill was never a flashy player, but if you were selecting a Derbyshire side to save a game you would want him in there fighting for you. He was a very underrated player and I had a lot of time for him.

Then of course there is Arnold Hamer, the best batsman of a fairly average side in the 1950s and one who could play in whatever style the game and conditions demanded. His average of 31 in the first class game would probably be worth more on the covered tracks of today, but Hamer, worthy a player as he was, is eclipsed by two bowlers of distinction as far as I'm concerned.

The stature of the man in first place is illustrated by Mike Hendrick being ‘only’ second. Hendo was an outstanding bowler in the real Derbyshire tradition. The lineage that ran from Warren through Bestwick, the Popes, Copson, Gladwin, Jackson and Rhodes was safe with him. Not especially quick but hostile, no extravagant movement but enough to find the edge, Mike Hendrick was a class act.

Especially when he reached the international stage, some argued that he bowled too short, happier to keep the score down with short of a length bowling than to produce the probing outswinger that drew the batsman forward. Maybe that was so, but Mike Hendrick on a green top was hard to play and he grew up in a Derbyshire side that rarely had runs to play with. In the Championship you could usually bank on a few wickets, while in one day games he rarely got hit. You can ask for little more from a bowler and Hendrick was also a fine slip fielder, had a good arm in the deep and was an entertaining tail-end slogger in the old tradition.

It takes a special man to keep him from top spot, but Michael Holding was one of the all-time greats. Although his days of constant express pace were behind him when he joined us, he could still bowl an occasional ball of unfeasible velocity. David Lloyd tells the tale in his recent book about umpiring at Derby where the pitch was docile, yet Holding found the pace and bounce to produce a ball that removed the thumb guard from the glove of Northamptonshire batsman Robin Boyd-Moss and sent his thumb in several directions.

Occasionally he would turn back time and come off his full run, but Holding was an able lieutenant to the fledgling Kim Barnett. Always willing to come on when things were tough and the score mounting, he was close to the ideal overseas player. At times he seemed to get wickets by reputation, but whatever the length of his run, watching Holding was a joy for the connoisseur - unless you were 22 yards away.

He was usually good for some tailend clumping too, and had a safe pair of hands. John Wright once said that the opposition always seemed pleased to hear he was playing, as it meant that Holding, with who he shared overseas duties for a time, wasn’t.

I’ve written before of my reservations about a book that was written a couple of years back on one hundred Derbyshire cricket greats. Greatness can be defined in different ways, in a local, national or international context. However I try to define it, I can’t get anywhere near 50 from Derbyshire’s history.

Maybe I’m hard to please but ‘great’ is quite an accolade and is as over-used today as ‘legend.’ I could easily write a book on a hundred favourite Derbyshire cricketers, bringing in some characters along the way, but some of the names in the forementioned tome, and others in the same series for other counties, made me smile when I saw them.

Having said that, both Mike Hendrick and Michael Holding would be in that 50. On a local scale Hendrick was a great player and on a national scale a good one.

Holding? He was a giant of the game by any benchmark, so has to be number one. An all-time great? You bet.

Disappointing

The annual output of cricket books seems to increase every year and while there is an occasional gem, such as Matthew Hoggard's autobiography and Fatty Batter by Michael Simkins, there are others that would appear to have been a production line Friday afternoon special.

As you might expect, I have got many books on Derbyshire cricket and the autobiographies are generally quite good. Harold Rhodes' was a good read, as was Dominic Cork's, while John Wright's was excellent.

Yesterday I took Mrs Peakfan into Glasgow with her Mum, who wanted to get some gifts for our daughter's impending birthday at the end of the month. We're all sorted, so I left my wife and her mother to wander round Marks and Spencer's, Primark and other favourite haunts for a nice coffee and a sit down in Waterstones. No fool, me...

To my delight, they had copies of Michael Holding's new autobiography No Holding Back and I sat down with my drink in a comfortable chair to peruse my potential new purchase.

I was really disappointed. Yes, it covers his career in reasonable detail, but there is little of any real interest to Derbyshire fans, which was a major disappointment. In fact, to save you all the bother, here are his thoughts on his stint (of several years) for us.

He enjoyed it, was well treated by Kim Barnett and got on well with the team, especially the West Indian contingent. He found county cricket disappointing, especially when we weren't a very good side and were out of everything by July, and thought a lot of county players went through the motions. A number of players got out against the quicks like him then ensured they'd get their thousand (and a new contract) by scoring heavily against easier bowling in later matches.

One exception to this was John Morris, a batsman who had great talent but didn't always make the most of it, except for when he came up against good bowlers, something that really seemed to motivate him. he also rated Ole Mortensen and still sees him from time to time.

That's pretty much it. No anecdotes to savour, no mention of matches, nothing. If you want to read a cricket book, it looks OK, but for an insight into the Derbyshire scene of the period, you may as well not bother.

Maybe I'm being unfair as I've been revisiting one of my favourite books on Derbyshire cricket, the delightful Scraps from a Cricketer's Memory by Levi Wright. This book gives a wonderful insight into cricket in Victorian and Edwardian Derbyshire sides. While only seventy pages long, and written more like an oral history, it gives far greater satisfaction on every page than many books three times its size.

The comments on some legendary games of our past are masterful. The win over Essex at Chesterfield when Perrin scored 343 not out and ended up on the losing side only happened because the Essex side saw one ball misbehave and were "unnerved.". The record stand of 554 by Brown and Tunnicliffe for Yorkshire on the same ground would never have happened if George Davidson hadn't been determined to play in what was Walter Sugg's benefit match. He broke down in the first over but stayed on the pitch, being one of those who missed "many chances" in the slips.

His tales of dressing room discord among the professionals have their modern parallels, but the names of cricket legends trip through Wright's book in one of the most fascinating reads I have ever had. George Hirst balls "looked to be pitching well outside off stump but...when three yards away would duck and swing across into the batsman's feet." Sounds like the sort of stuff that Wasim Akram bowled to such good effect...

If only Michael Holding had someone who could do him justice.

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!