Is it PotG?
Thrifty non-licker
Good old Henry retires. Great innings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40378783
Some great memories
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40378783
Some great memories
Blowers Off - no longer on the air
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The Large One
Who's Next?
My dear old thing, we will miss his tales of derring-do, times on tour in the Windies, and the status of the pigeons.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Buys his clothes from a gentleman's outfitters in Small Dole - Peter Christian. Think he lives fairly locally. 23 years since Jonners passed, and Bloers feels like the last of that true old guard of TMS. Aggers of course, and Vic Marks still have that overlapping continuity, but with Henry retiring, it does feel like it really is well and truly the end of an era. Will definitely miss the traffic and flight updates from the commentary.
vegster
Sanity Clause
- May 5, 2008
- 28,272
He has been a bit shaky for the last couple of years now and thanks to the huge influx of younger talent he's probably seen the writing on the wall. Prone to overdoing the Bus-itis and Pigeons in recent years but still pretty good fun. My favourite memory of him was from a year or so back when Michael Vaughn said to him " Henry, what on earth are you wearing today ?.....you have a yellow shirt, tangerine trousers and lime green loafers on....you look like some kind of liquorice allsort "
Will be sadly missed.
I have the cricket on in the car sometimes, and my two lads don't quite GET Henry, when his commentary shift comes round, and he comes out with something like "Oh, he's bowled him, has he? No. No that's four runs through cover. Fine stroke"
"How can you tell what's happening in the game?"
"You can't"
"Why is he considered good then? He's all over the place"
Difficult to explain, especially given that I entirely agree with them that John Motson is now utterly unlistenable, and the two I suppose are comparable.
Loved Johnston and Blofeld for many years. The narrators of my childhood.
I have the cricket on in the car sometimes, and my two lads don't quite GET Henry, when his commentary shift comes round, and he comes out with something like "Oh, he's bowled him, has he? No. No that's four runs through cover. Fine stroke"
"How can you tell what's happening in the game?"
"You can't"
"Why is he considered good then? He's all over the place"
Difficult to explain, especially given that I entirely agree with them that John Motson is now utterly unlistenable, and the two I suppose are comparable.
Loved Johnston and Blofeld for many years. The narrators of my childhood.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Along with Richie Benaud and John Arlott.
And Brian Johnston first amongst (those) 'equals'.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
"It's a catch he would have caught 99 times out of 1,000"
The Large One
Who's Next?
The Large One
Who's Next?
It's the enthusiasm of the amateur, combined with the gift of the professional, separated by a great unknown; an undefined craft. And it's that unknown which marks the difference between a commentator and a narrator.
Blowers, of course.
John Arlott
Brian Johnston
Richie Benaud
John Motson
Barry Davies
Bill McLaren
Murray Walker
Even Aggers has that 'unknown' about him.
This isn't wistful pining for an previous time; a time of youth and fun, nor an era which no longer exists - these were/are genuine narrators.
I know this is both controversial and almost blasphemous, but when it comes to cricket commentary, everybody seems to love an old duffer who sounds a bit clueless but actually isn't, yet is prone to childish giggles and thanking people for baking a cake.
I guess what I'm saying is that in reality, you could put any old slightly quirky, posh cricket lover, give him 2 decades presenting TMS, and he'll end up a "legend". I'm not saying Blowers won't be missed, but are there any of this sort of ilk who haven't had these sort obituary comments written about them?
The Large One
Who's Next?
Therein lies the point - 'of his ilk'.
His 'ilk' are the voices of legends; of verbal craftsmen who can paint pictures on the radio, and deserve all the plaudits coming their way.
I'm not entirely convinced, mate. I should point out that I have no wish to denigrate Blowers - he is a splendid, likeable chap who I enjoy listening to. I just genuinely believe he is easily replaced. When Jonners threw a seven, we saw exactly the same reaction. Two decades on, and Blowers is receiving precisely the same plaudits. Maybe it's just not that difficult to be likeable if you are that sort of character?
Machiavelli
Well-known member
You are aware that a narrator unravels a narrative, and using the word narrative is a no-no on here
On which, I almost believed him when he said that he was nearly 100 on the Today programme this morning.As to Blowers, I've railed against him for ages, but this moment seems to sum up that phrase that you don't know what you've got until you lost it.
Gritt23
New member
Oh, gutted. yes, the writing has been on the wall for a while now, but he (and previously Brian Johnson) are characters who will simply never be replaced. A throw back from an era of easy-listening radio conversation that the broadcasters will simply not recruit again.
To add to the mystic, and the loss, is that it's so hard to explain what made them so great, and the "shows" they did on radio are not the sort of production that you get a box set of to listen to in nostalgic moments. Barring the clip of Johnners and Aggers completely losing it when running through the scorecard at the end of the day and never recovering from describing Botham's dismissal as him "failing to get his leg over", we sadly won't have any access to their brilliance.
Thanks for some truly wonderful days Blowers, when you just seemlessly kept me company while I worked, drove, or simply relaxed at home. You will be TRULY missed.
A sad, sad day.
To add to the mystic, and the loss, is that it's so hard to explain what made them so great, and the "shows" they did on radio are not the sort of production that you get a box set of to listen to in nostalgic moments. Barring the clip of Johnners and Aggers completely losing it when running through the scorecard at the end of the day and never recovering from describing Botham's dismissal as him "failing to get his leg over", we sadly won't have any access to their brilliance.
Thanks for some truly wonderful days Blowers, when you just seemlessly kept me company while I worked, drove, or simply relaxed at home. You will be TRULY missed.
A sad, sad day.
- Apr 5, 2014
- 25,914
and CMJ. Used to love Tony Cozier too. I hope there is cricket in the afterlife.
Behind Enemy Lines
Well-known member
Blowers, like Jonners before him, were old school, of course they were, but I hope there's still going to be a place for the eccentric and distinctive voice on the radio. Far too many commentators now sound the same. I think he was a wonderful narrator of the game; one of the great voices of cricket in my life-time. A tough act to follow. Like Benaud and Jonners, he will be missed.
Terrific list that, but may I please score out Motson and replace him with Peter Alliss?