SA Footy

One of my favorite cricket books is his self titled autobiography. While it is very indepth with his career, it's also fascinating to read about his take on various cricket uphevals in his lengthy career (the book is written in 1987, so obviously doesn't look at his commentary or controversy in his personal life). The overwhelming feel of it all, is that he was incredibly hard done by throughout his life, nothing was ever his fault, he was terribly misunderstood and was given an extremely raw deal by Yorkshire and England.

Dickie Bird once made a comment when asked about Boycott, saying along the lines of he was one of the most boring and mean men he had ever met, most likely sitting home, counting his money and watching videos of himself bat most of the day. Am reading Ian Botham's biography at present, and he delights in the tale of deliberately running Boycott out in a New Zealand test, as well as putting his own take on why he ultimately declined to join the rebel tour of South Africa, and generally making a lot of disparaging comments about him.

His batting record is excellent, but he seems to have very few friends in cricket. Interested to hear the views of posters who remember him playing, and their views on him as a) a batsman and b) a person.

I actually didn't mind Boycott as a commentator, i think i'm probably in the minority there though.

GWW wrote:I actually didn't mind Boycott as a commentator, i think i'm probably in the minority there though.

Geoff Boycott there's only one word to describe him-biased. He is one of the worst commentators ever. He was a good player but he played for himself too much and batted for ages making cricket boring.

what i'll remember him for is when he came up with the idea of changing the length of test matches to 4 days because they were getting too boring. Richie Benaud replyed to it saying- "Well who made them boring?" absolute gold

GWW wrote:I actually didn't mind Boycott as a commentator, i think i'm probably in the minority there though.

The driest yet funniest who once said, Eng v Aus with England batting :

Thats missing off, thats missing leg but its smashing middle stump half way up. Your out!

Have a book on the bookshelf called "Boycott" by Don Mosey that I picked up at a book give away, this may be the inspiration to actually read it

Boycott. His batting was so boring he made 246 in a Test and was dropped for taking way too long to score it, depriving England of a chance to win.

Boycott. If he detected something from a bowler's action, he would never share it with his team mates, he considered it gave him an advantage over them. Great team player.

Boycott. Always mysteriously absent whenever truly quick bowlers were around.

Has an ability to entertain on occasion as a commentator, it's a pity he never tried to do it as a player. There was only one more player I saw who was more boring than Boycott, and that was Chris Tavare. Bill Lawry is a close third.

I recall him being run out for 55 at Adelaide Oval in the 1970-71 series. He just threw his bat down like a spolit brat and stood there with his hands on his hips refusing to go until Greg Chappell picked up his bat and pointed him in the direction of the dressing room. The crowd gave him hell all the way off the ground.

Batsman zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Commentator very funny, entertaining, witty man the ADELAIDE HAWK of commentators

HAWK
That test in 1971
I wuz there day 1
Poms batted first
2/276 stumps
1/107 Boycott run out 58 and he stood around disagreeing with the run out decision
As a little kid I recall booing Mr Boycott
Umpire Max Occonnell has told me about 3 players told Boycott in no uncertain manner to [ahemmmm]

It was a borefest watching Boycott and that other boring left hander John zzz Edrich bat that day
BOYCOTT 58 [161] ZZZZ
EDRICH 130 [354] ZZZZZZZZZ

It was also a great day to be there
There was this dark long haired Fred Spofforth lookalike bowling a zillion miles per hour on debut
It was Mr 355 , DK LILLIE my absolute idol as a kid
A man that has had the privilledge of talking to me a couple of times later in life

Scores in that test match
EG 470 ...EDRICH 130 ...LILLIE 5/84
AU 235...STACKPOLE 87...LEVER 4/49
EG 4/233 DEC ...BOYCOTT 119 * [210]..THOMSON 3/79 not Jeff but a Vic called Froggy Thomson
AU 3/328 ..STACKPOLE 136...I CHAPPELL 104
A draw on a batting deck , even back then Adelaide Oval was a boost your batting average deck

As For Boycott
58 run out [161]
119 run out [210] shock shock shock
No bowler was good enough to get him,not even the great DK

Mal, that Test did usher in the career for the great D.K.Lillee, but it also spelt the end of two other things:

1. The playing career of William Morris Lawry who was sacked as captain at the end of the match. I recall that famous shot of a very desolate looking Bill draped in a towel, sitting on a chair under the shower.

2. The steel beer can. There were so many beer cans flying around that day with people getting hit, that the SACA were forced to do something about it.

I recall a guy standing up to watch, and was yelled at to sit down. He didn't so he was pelted with cans. Finally he sat down, but stood up again wearing a motorbike helmet

Adelaide Hawk wrote:Mal, that Test did usher in the career for the great D.K.Lillee, but it also spelt the end of two other things:

1. The playing career of William Morris Lawry who was sacked as captain at the end of the match. I recall that famous shot of a very desolate looking Bill draped in a towel, sitting on a chair under the shower.

2. The steel beer can. There were so many beer cans flying around that day with people getting hit, that the SACA were forced to do something about it.

I recall a guy standing up to watch, and was yelled at to sit down. He didn't so he was pelted with cans. Finally he sat down, but stood up again wearing a motorbike helmet

I did the right thing in those days
I picked up the empty bottles after the game [a tradition of mone in the late sixties and early seventies]
caught the bus home
went to Dinos deli on Torrens Road Kilkenny and $ubsidised myself to watch the next days play at the cricket

Hawky remember Froggy Thomson with the wrongfoot ?

mal wrote:Hawky remember Froggy Thomson with the wrongfoot ?

Yep, he was the opening bowler at the other end in Lillee's 1st Test. The original Lillee & Thomson.

Had the windmill action, very effective bowler for several years for Victoria, but only played 4 Tests because his pace was found wanting and couldn't trouble Test batsmen.

He was a league football umpire for the VFL.