Blowers Off - no longer on the air

[Mo Gosfield]

Literally. Both went to Eton.

Blowers was a very talented wicket-keeper batsman at Eton and he was considered good enough to make a first class career. Sadly that never materialised, after he was struck by a bus, whilst riding his bike close to the college. His injuries were life-threatening and he never fully recovered.
One of the originals...Arlott, Johnners, CMJ, Tony Cozier, Tony Lewis, Fred, The Alderman, Boil and in the background, Bill Frindall.

 

[Dave the OAP]

There is a story told to me by an old daily mail cricket correspondent and I am sure it was blowers he was referring to.

He was playing a game and the team had lost the openers with 3 overs to go. The captain turned to blowers and said that he wanted him to go in as night watchman....blowers made it perfectly clear he didn't and the captain said " tough, get out there and protect the better batsman hold an end as it's only two overs left" ..blowers was out stumped second ball for 6 runs! Suffice it to say he wasn't asked to do it again.

Brilliant story!

 

[Bigtomfu]

He's definitely Northern (Bury) but its not that, that is the issue. I like Michael Vaughan.

Where's Vaughan disappeared to?


Sometimes right, sometimes wrong but ALWAYS certain

 

[silverwizard]

I think the night watchman who was stumped was Phil Tufnnell. I seem to remember him telling this story a couple of years ago. It's certainly in character!
As for old time commentators can I add Max Robertson for tennis and the peerless Eamon Andrews for boxing- never been bettered.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Whispering - Ted Lowe
Up-and-under - Eddie Waring
On the oche - Sid Wadell
David Vine [sports night & athletics]

 

[Lower West Stander]

Whispering - Ted Lowe
Up-and-under - Eddie Waring
On the oche - Sid Wadell
David Vine [sports night & athletics]

Racing - Peter O'Sullevan
Wrestling - Kent Walton
Boxing - Reg Gutteridge

 

[Albion in the north]

Has anybody added Bumble to the list?

 

[Pavilionaire]

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?

I think you're doing Blowers a disservice. He is unique - has one of the most distinctive voices in TV / radio history, he has a wonderful turn of phrase and a genuine eccentricity.

I get the thrust of your point though - Dan Maskell was the voice of Wimbledon on the BBC for decades - catchphrase "Oh I say!" - and has become something of a legend for the reasons you listed. I still miss him though - the last decent tennis commentator was Barry Davies.

 

[The Large One]

Has anybody added Bumble to the list?

No. With good reason.

He doesn't paint pictures nor add to the event with anything like the same majesty. The difference between Lloyd and Blofeld describing an off-pitch scene is vast.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I'm sure he is. You can tell that when people like Vaughan and Tufnell are bantering with him, that they have a very genuine affection for the man. I'd like to meet him, but never have.

I met Brian Johnston though - he was sat at the back of the Gilligan Stand, with a friend, in May 1988 watching Sussex play the touring West Indies (he was eating, I recall, a slice of GALA PIE, which seems entirely appropriate). I politely asked him to autograph his picture in a book of cricket caricatures, which I'd brought along in the hope of getting Sir Viv to sign his. Its a beautiful book, but the caricatures are not all entirely flattering so not everybody asked, signed them in good humour. Johnston, inevitably, was lovely about it - an absolute GENT. He was very frail though, which was a little sad to see.

As an aside, the match itself must have been one of the biggest mis-matches in First Class cricket history. The Sussex bowling attack was led by Andy Babbington and Rod Bunting. The West Indies team was as follows:

Desmond Haynes
Gordon Greenidge
Richie Richardson
Carl Hooper
Gus Logie
Viv Richards
Roger Harper
Winston Benjamin
David Williams
Curtley Ambrose
Ian Bishop



The match was actually drawn, as the West Indies treated it as a net session, racking up about 1,000 runs, either side of bowling Sussex out cheaply. Harper got a double ton and Richards and Haynes big hundreds. What a privilege to watch though

Found the book at home, at lunchtime

 

[Gwylan]

As an aside, the match itself must have been one of the biggest mis-matches in First Class cricket history. The Sussex bowling attack was led by Andy Babbington and Rod Bunting. The West Indies team was as follows:

Desmond Haynes
Gordon Greenidge
Richie Richardson
Carl Hooper
Gus Logie
Viv Richards
Roger Harper
Winston Benjamin
David Williams
Curtley Ambrose
Ian Bishop



The match was actually drawn, as the West Indies treated it as a net session, racking up about 1,000 runs, either side of bowling Sussex out cheaply. Harper got a double ton and Richards and Haynes big hundreds. What a privilege to watch though

Just looked it up: the attack was led by Bunting and Meyrick Pringle (one of Sussex's worst overseas players), Babington was first change. Our main bowler at the time, Tony Pigott, wasn't playing.

It was actually a notable game - Viv went past 30,000 runs in F/C cricket and it was Hooper, Ambrose and Bishop's first game in England.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Just looked it up: the attack was led by Bunting and Meyrick Pringle (one of Sussex's worst overseas players), Babington was first change. Our main bowler at the time, Tony Pigott, wasn't playing.

It was actually a notable game - Viv went past 30,000 runs in F/C cricket and it was Hooper, Ambrose and Bishop's first game in England.

I looked it up too (I wouldn't have remembered David Williams!). That stellar Sussex team includes three players I played with (Babbington, Green) or against (Pringle), within the next couple of years. Pringle opened the bowling for Portslade at Victoria Park, which wasn't the flattest of local pitches, and was pretty much impossible to bat against - a stark contrast to watching Harper, Haynes et al casually dismiss him at the County Ground.

 

[Mackenzie]

Another voice from my childhood rides off into the sunset.

I found his commentary pretty infuriating in recent times, not the anecdotes or busses/cranes/pigeons but what was actually happening in the game, and that I was looking forward to Agnew's stint. Blowers banter with Vaughan was quite good fun though. You didn't often hear Blowers and Boycott on at the same time, didn't they get on?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I know Boycott is an old windbag, but I do like listening to him too. Jim Maxwell is very soothing when he does TMS (only when Australia are in town for the Ashes I think).

 

[wolfie]

When we are watching MOTD next season, apart from J Pearce, will you have any idea who the commentators are, if you aren't listening to Lineker's introduction ? To me, they all sound the same.

 

[Eeyore]

Blowers in full flow...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c13OhXAZkzM

Slightly fortunate as Singh clearly edged into his pads when given LBW. Broad's performance at Trent Bridge in the last Ashes series must be worth another listen.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Love listening to Blowers and Tuffers together they are worlds apart in character but really make listening an enjoyable passtime.

Oh and P Alliss and his wife come into my pub I owned in Sedlescombe, they were staying across the road in The Brickwall Hotel.He has a lot to do with the owner and his Charity. What a lovely couple, spent a quiet afternoon in their company. He doesn't give out autographs but did for me on an old golf book he gave me, we raised £300 in our golf society after dinner auction for the local school pta.

 

[The Large One]

I know Boycott is an old windbag, but I do like listening to him too. Jim Maxwell is very soothing when he does TMS (only when Australia are in town for the Ashes I think).

Maxwell (1): "For those of you listening on DAB or BBC iPlayer, we're staying here, while listeners on Radio 4 long wave must leave us for THE SHIPPING FOOORECAAAAST... [brief pause] Aaand, Australia are all at sea here..."

Maxwell (2), in 2015 when Australia were being torn apart by Stuart Broad, who eventually took 8/15: "And if you're just turning on the radio in Australia to listen to this Test match, turn it off again..."

 

[Ludensian Gull]

Good list, To that I'd add: David Coleman, Harry Carpenter, Brain Moore & Hugh Johns. From the present day, 5 Live's John Murray and John McEnroe, who talks about tennis better than anyone.

Hugh Johns has always been my favourite commentator.

 

[Iovan The Sweeper]

There's a great story in one of Simon Hughes' books about when Blowers was a print journalist.

He covered a game between Essex and Surrey in 1983. The first day was washed out, and day two was largely made up of a Keith Fletcher century for Essex. Blowers had to leave the match at 5.30pm, after Essex's innings, so wrote his article focusing mainly on Fletcher's century.

There was an hour left of play, so he wrote the last line as "In reply, Surrey were BLANK for BLANK". He asked a sub-editor to fill the scores in.

Later on, he phoned the sub-editor to ask if the article was ok, and to check what Surrey finished on.

The reply from the sub-editor was 14 for 10.

Blowers had missed one of the lowest scores in first class cricket history...