Jackers

Bryden Robin Jackman Colin

Description

The autobiography of former Surrey and England cricketer Robin Jackman; now a highly-regarded international cricket commentator, working on South African television. Known as one of the top commentators in the world, his articulate story encounters virtually all the cricketing greats of the modern era - many of whom he played with or against. During his playing career, he was controversially banned from the West Indies because of his South African connection. The book publishes just before the England-South Africa Test and ODI series begins and naturally Jackman will be in England commentating on the matches. Official autobiography of former England Test and ODI international and Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1981) Robin Jackman, now a TV pundit Comprehensive colour photo section, including previously unpublished pictures from Robin Jackman's personal collection Ghost writer Colin Bryden is a former Sports Editor of the Sunday Times Foreword by Robin's former England team-mate and friend Sir Ian Botham

Sujets

• Críquet
• Cricket

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 26 juillet 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781909178014
• Langue: English

Extrait

JACKERS
A Life in Cricket
Robin Jackman with Colin Bryden
Foreword by Sir Ian Botham
I dedicate this book to Vonnie, Debbie and Leigh for their love, patience and support and to Min and Pa for their constant support.
Pitch Publishing Ltd A2 Yeoman Gate Yeoman Way Durrington BN13 3QZ
Email: [e-mail] Web: www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
First published in South Africa by Don Nelson, 2011 First published in the UK by Pitch Publishing, 2012 Text 2011 Robin Jackman, Colin Bryden
Robin Jackman and Colin Bryden have asserted their rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
eBook ISBN: 9781909178014 13-digit ISBN: 9781908051967 Cover design by Brilliant Orange Creative Services. eBook conversion by eBookPartnership.com
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Lucas Green Farm
Chapter 2 - Learning the Ropes
Chapter 3 - Go South Young Man
Chapter 4 - On the Road Again . . . and Again
Chapter 5 - An Amateur Professional
Chapter 6 - Across the Limpopo
Chapter 7 - Fun and Games with Rhodesia
Chapter 8 - Centenary but no Celebration
Chapter 9 - Trouble in Paradise
Chapter 10 - The Mighty Botham
Chapter 11 - Bob gets a Pain in the Neck
Chapter 12 - Meeting the Rich and Famous
Chapter 13 - The Last Hurrahs
Chapter 14 - Back in the Game
Chapter 15 - Travails and Travel
Chapter 16 - Talking a Good Game
Chapter 17 - Travels with Trevor
Chapter 18 - Making Memories around the World
Chapter 19 - My Family and other Influences
Chapter 20 - State of the Game
Epilogue
Robin Jackman Career Statistics
Picture Section
Acknowledgements
Having a story to tell is one thing, getting it down on paper and presenting it in a readable fashion, is another. My sincere thanks go to Colin Bryden who has diligently selected and transcribed hours of information whilst patiently putting up with changes that I have wanted to make! He made what seemed like a daunting task, a simple one and for that I am indebted to him. My thanks also to Don Nelson for agreeing to publish this book and without whom it may never have been written as he has nagged me for ten years to tell my story!! Thanks also to “Beefy” for agreeing to write the foreword! I am most grateful to those that have assisted by providing statistics, photographs and all the memories that have ultimately provided the basis for this publication. Jackers
Foreword
By Sir Ian Botham
My first impressions of Robin Jackman weren’t good. He was a member of a Surrey team that a lot of cricketers on the county circuit considered to be an arrogant bunch. Robin, with his theatrical appealing, was particularly irritating. As I wrote in my autobiography: “When I first played against him I wanted to knock his head off because he really antagonised me; I thought ‘you arrogant, strutting gnome’.” First impressions could hardly have been more wrong and I was happy to add: “But then I got to know him and found he was the life and soul of the party and a brilliant team man. He would bowl all day, bat all day, and do anything a captain wanted.” It was on England’s tour of the West Indies in 1980/81 that I got to know Robin well. I was captain and it was an extremely difficult tour. We were up against a West Indian side that ranks as one of the best Test teams of all time and I was a young captain leading a side that was always going to have an uphill struggle. There was also a political crisis when Robin was deported from Guyana because of his links with South Africa. Fortunately the tour continued and if the truth be known a few of the lads were far from distressed about having to cut short our stay in Guyana and spend an extra week or so in the tropical paradise of Barbados. It must have been a stressful time for Robin but he coped really well and I soon got to appreciate how much value he added to the team. It was my pleasure to be the one to tell him that he had finally won his first Test cap. Along with the rest of the team, I shared his joy when he took a wicket in his first over in Test cricket. As a cricketer he always gave a hundred percent. I teased him that he had “little man syndrome” – he’s not the tallest bloke for a fast bowler – because he was always trying to bowl faster and better than anyone else. He was a captain’s dream because he would run in all day and hardly bowl a bad ball. He had terrific ability too, which is reflected in his superb career figures. He was unlucky not to have played in more Test matches but there were a lot of good quick bowlers around at the time. He wasn’t exactly a fitness freak but he had a tremendous engine in that little body, which you wouldn’t think when you see him nowadays. All those bottles of Scotch, several of which we shared together, and packets of fags must finally have caught up with him. I’m not surprised to read in this book that he wanted to be an actor before he decided on a cricket career. He’s got a fabulous sense of humour and when we travelled on coaches he would sit at the front, grab the microphone and entertain us with his Tony Hancock routine. I’m convinced he was good enough to have gone on the stage. Apart from his value as a team man able to lift the spirits of the group, I appreciated Robin’s intelligence and his ability to hold a conversation on almost any topic. As a young captain in the West Indies I was out of my depth when it came to political matters and it was really interesting to hear Robin talking about race and apartheid in South Africa, among other subjects. He made a tough tour a lot easier for me. He has become an excellent commentator with a good knowledge of the game and a great sense of humour thankfully not taking himself too seriously, and we have shared many good times together, most recently at the 2011 World Cup. I am always happy when we are in the same town for a few days because there aren’t many people who are easier to take money off on a golf course. If he drills a good drive it goes about the distance of my wedge! I now count Robin as a close friend and someone I feel I have known forever, which isn’t something I would say about many people. He is lucky to be married to Vonnie, who we also regard as a close family friend. Apart from being great company, they do fantastic work for Hospice and I have been only too happy to help out in a small way when I have been in South Africa. Oh, and he is also the number one ambassador for Peddlars on the Bend, the drinking hole in Cape Town where we have spent more than an hour or two together over the years. Robin’s attitude towards cricket comes through in his commentating – and I am sure people will enjoy this book with its many anecdotes. He loves the game, puts in a lot of effort but believes it should be fun as well.
Prologue
THE LUNCH
“I want to be an actor,” I told my uncle, Patrick Cargill. He nearly choked on his sweet and sour pork. “Are you sure?” Patrick asked. “Positive,” I replied. “Don’t,” he said. It was a definite answer. Just don’t. If anyone was qualified to give advice on this topic it was Patrick, who had made acting his career, although he wasn’t yet as famous as he would later become. “There are hundreds of out-of-work actors and actresses, with talent and loads of ambition, who just haven’t been able to crack it.” He pointed out that illness meant no work and no work meant no pay. In fact, if it hadn’t been for an understanding landlady early in his career when he was ill for some time, Patrick may well have had to quit the profession. I was 11 years old. Lunch at Maxims in Soho with my mother and Uncle Patrick had become a ritual for my brother, Bruce, and me, marking the end of school holidays and our last treat before the departure of the 3.12 pm train from Victoria to Canterbury. “Three pancake rolls, one portion of sweet and sour pork, one special fried rice and one chicken chow mein please”. My mother, Joan, or ‘Min’ as she was affectionately known, had placed the order. She had learnt that one portion of each dish was enough to feed three people. “Oh and fish and chips for him,” she added, nodding towards me. With the culinary caution of youth I had yet to be convinced of the merit of Chinese food. Nowadays, of course, I can recommend several excellent establishments worldwide. “Tlee pancake loles,” the waiter repeated. “One pawshun sweet and sour pork, one pawshun fly lice, one pawshun chicken chow mein, one fish, one chip.” My uncle pointed out in his inimitable style that he felt that his nephew didn’t expect more than a single fish but only one chip would hardly satisfy the appetite of a growing lad. The waiter saw the joke with a “Ha, ha felly funny.” He put two of those little metal heating trays with candles on the table, laid out three sets of chopsticks, a fish knife and fork, salt, pepper and soy sauce and scurried away to the kitchen. Patrick, Min’s brother, was an accomplished comedy actor, whose most famous role was yet to come as the doctor in the classic 1961 Hancock Half Hour sketch, “The Blood Donor”, in which Tony Hancoc