Test Commentator Turns Cricket Historian

Chronicle (Levin), 8 July 1948, Page 7

Test Commentator Turns Cricket Historian

Oue of the British Broadcasting Corporation's Test cricket 1 conmientators covering the Australian team's visit to Britain this summer, is John Arlott. He shares commentaries with Kex ■ Alston, also of the BBC, and Alan McGilvray, the Australian ; cricketer whose commentaries on last year's Tests were heard : by many enthusiasts in Britain and overseas.

Arlott has spent the last two! summeis with touring cricket; teams. a diversion from his regular, job of Talks Producer in the'; B.B.C.'s Eastern Service. In 1946 he toured with ''the vrsiting Indian team and did commentaries for Indian as well as British audiences. Last year he covered the South African visit to England for South Africa and Britain. To Arloti, cricket is a mixture of business and pleasure. He has been twelfth man for his home county — Hampshire — and used to play in charity matcnes against Worcestershire. He has already pubiished one book on cricket — to "lian Summer," an account of • ^y.ain's flr^t post-war cricket .cuson, and Indian Tests: and has four more due to appear shortly — "Gone to the Cricket," which deals with the 1947 season in England; "How to watch Cricket," a short book being issued by the publishers of Wisden, as Arlott says, "to j elucidate first-class cricket for tne spectator"; and "From Hambiedon to Lords," a book of reprints of cricket classics from the cradle of cricket in Hampshire onwards, which he is editing and introducing. He is collaborating with Colonel Rait Kerr, the secretary of the M.C.C., on a history of the allEngland eleveh of the 1850's, the historic team that pioneerea the first matches with Australia. The Australian tour this season will be j the subject of -another book. ! In the course of his three years j at the B.B.C., Arlott has had experi- t ence in most phases of radio. He has read stories and verse, read the | lesson in a Christmas Day Church j Service, c'ompered "Country Maga- ! zine" and given countryman's talks j for which his broad Hampshire J accent and his family s farming , trndition are very suitnble, He sang j

briefly in a feature "Britain s Our Doorstep" — although the song wasj cut out when the feature was recorded — and even in an emergency played a woman in another i feature progd'amme. "I had to say i three words in a high voice as a j maid servant," he said. * His most, agonizing radio experience was j when he had to announce, produce, | narrate and act in the 60 minute Gandhi Memorial feature at one liour's notice without any notes or seript.