Good-Bye Barnacle

Almost buried in the tide of news today was the information that a great cricketer and commentator, Trevor Bailey was killed in a house fire in Westcliff-on-Sea. He was 87 years old. His cricketing hey-day was in the 1950s when he played alongside such greats as Dennis Compton, Alex Bedser, Peter May, Colin Cowdrey, Godfrey Evans, Tony Locke, Jim Laker, Brian Statham, Frank Tyson and Freddie Trueman. And we should not forget Australian greats like Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall and Richie Benaud. An Essex man through and through, born in Westcliff-on-Sea, old public schoolboy - Dulwich College - ex-marine and a robust England cricketer, Trevor Bailey played for England 61 times and was both a good bowler and a batsman. He took 132 wickets in test matches at an average of about 29 but I remember him most for his batting. He had a batting average of 30 but that hides the reality of what he achieved. Trevor Bailey was the batsman England needed when disaster was looming. He never had an instinct for swash-buckling. What he did have was an immovable objection to getting out and many an England innings has been saved by his resistance. When Trevor Bailey put up the shutters and dug in he was almost impossible to get out. He could stay at the wicket for hours without scoring a run and could break the heart of many a fast bowler toiling in the heat of a mid-day sun - all to no avail. It was Trevor Bailey who with Willie Watson in 1953 resisted the Australian bowlers at Lords for over 4 hours and forced the match to a draw and thus provided England with the possibility of winning The Ashes for the first time in 20 years - which they duly did in the 5th Test at The Oval. It was not for nothing that it was the Australians who named him Barnacle Bailey. In Brisbane in 1959 he scored the slowest ever 50 - in 357 minutes

Barnacle Bailey is still the only English cricketer to score 2000 runs and take 100 wickets in the same season [1959]. His best ever bowling performance was in taking 7 - 34 to destroy the powerful West Indies side in Jamaica on a doddle of a pitch in 1954. In addition, he found time to play football and won a winners medal in the FA Amateur Cup Final when he played for Walthamstowe in 1952.

Subsequently he became a fixture on BBC Test Match Special for 26 years and was a wonderful contrast to old Fred Trueman. His autobiography was quoted in The Independent today.

"What I failed to realise early enough, except in the sporting field, was that nothing which is really worth having can be acquired without hard work. Despite this weakness, I can claim that I have been remarkably successful in my pursuit of happiness."

There's not much to disagree with in that. He gave us all many memories and much pleasure and may he rest in peace.

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