Leslie Thomas John Arlott (February 25, 1914 – December 14, 1991) was a freelance author, whose main subjects were sport and wine, a poet, and a radio producer and broadcaster, best known for his cricket commentary as a member of the BBC Radio 3 Test Match Special team. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Test Match Special (known as TMS) is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 ( Long wave) Five Live Sports Extra (

Arlott was born in Basingstoke. Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England It lies across a Valley at the source of the River Loddon. Between 1930 and 1934 Arlott was a medical records clerk in a mental Hospital. Then, between 1934 and 1946 he served as a Policeman. A police officer (also known as a policeman or policewoman) is a warranted employee of a Police force. From 1946 onwards, he worked for BBC Radio as a freelance talk producer. BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 Many of the programmes for which he was responsible featured readings by well-known contemporary poets such Dylan Thomas (who described Arlott's commentary style as like "Uncle Tom Cobleigh reciting Neville Cardus to the Indians") and Louis MacNeice. Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953 was a Welsh poet who wrote exclusively in English The phrase Uncle Tom Cobley and all is used in British English as a humorous or whimsical way of saying Et al, often to express exasperation Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus ( 2 April 1889 &ndash 28 February 1975) was an English writer and critic best known for his writing on music Frederick Louis MacNeice ( September 12 Given the opportunity to appear before the microphone as a sports commentator, he became for 34 years, the voice of cricket on BBC Radio, and his Hampshire burr has been described as the sound of the summer. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain

His commentary was famed for its vivid poetic imagery. When Clive Lloyd pulled a ball into the Mound Stand at Lord's in 1975, Arlott described it as "The stroke of a man knocking a thistle top off with a walking stick". Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE born 31 August 1944 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana) is a former West Indies Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket He also memorably likened the Pakistani fast-bowler Asif Masood, who had an unusual run-up, to "Groucho Marx chasing a pretty waitress," and made the pun "Mann's inhumanity to Mann" - based on Robert Burns's “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!”- when Tufty Mann bowled George Mann. Syed Asif Masood Shah (born January 23, 1946, Lahore, Punjab) is a former Pakistani Cricketer who played in 16 Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796 (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire Arlott had the misfortune to be commentating at the moment the first streaker appeared at a Test Match in England, memorably describing the culprit as a "freaker". Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations

Arlott gave his final, typically understated, commentary during the centenary Test match at Lord's on September 2, 1980, concluding without comment and with the customary phrasing ". Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) . . and after Trevor Bailey it will be Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Trevor Edward Bailey (born December 3, 1923 in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex) is a former English Test Cricketer He Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, known as CMJ (born 20 January 1945, Oxford) is a Cricket journalist and commentator " The crowd gave Arlott a standing ovation, including the entire Australian team and England batsman Geoffrey Boycott, who removed his batting gloves to applaud. Geoffrey Boycott OBE (born 21 October 1940 is a former Cricketer for Yorkshire and England.

Arlott was a stylish writer, contributing regularly as a journalist and also writing the occasional hymn. Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities He was The Guardian's chief cricket correspondent from 1968 to 1980. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. He also wrote poetry. He considered his best poem to be "To John Berry Hobbs on his Seventieth Birthday"[1].

He was a Liberal in politics and stood as Liberal candidate for Epping in 1955 and 1959. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. He was also a connoisseur of wine and was sometimes accompanied by a good claret to help him through the commentary day. He wrote a regular wine column for The Guardian newspaper. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group.

Arlott's son died in an accident on New year's Eve. After the event, he always wore only a black tie in memory of his deceased son.

Following a visit to South Africa, Arlott became an opponent of Apartheid; when completing an immigration form which required him to declare his race, he wrote 'human'. He played a leading role in bringing Basil D'Oliveira from South Africa (where he was unable to play first-class cricket as he was classed as 'coloured') to Britain in 1960. Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE (born 4 October 1931 is a retired Cricketer Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, he was classified as 'coloured' The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Arlott was also a prolific writer on cricket. His numerous works include Fred (biography of Fred Trueman), Jack Hobbs, a profile of 'The Master', Maurice Tate, Gone with the cricketers, Gone to the Test Match, Basingstoke Boy (autobiography), Alletson's Innings and Arlott on cricket (anthology). Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE (February 6 1931 – July 1 2006 was a Yorkshire and England Cricketer regarded as one of the greatest Sir John Berry Hobbs ( 16 December 1882 - 21 December 1963) generally known as Jack Hobbs, played Cricket for Surrey Maurice William Tate (born 30 May 1895 in Brighton, Sussex, died 18 May 1956 in Wadhurst, Sussex Edwin Boaler (Ted Alletson, (born March 6, 1884 in Welbeck, died July 5, 1963 in Worksop) played English County He was also a writer and sometime radio commentator on association football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered He also did some television cricket commentary, primarily on the Sunday League. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball He wrote only one work of fiction, a cricket short story called "Ain't Half a Bloomin' Game!".

For many years he contributed a review of the year's cricket books to Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (often referred to simply as Wisden or colloquially as "the Bible of Cricket" is by far the best

Arlott (or more correctly Arlott's voice) made a movie appearance in 1984 as the narrator/commentator in Jack Rosenthal's coming-of-age comedy "P'Tang Yang Kipperbang. "

An authorised (by the family) biography of Arlott by David Rayvern Allen was published in 1993 and won the The Cricket Society Jubilee Literary Award. The Cricket Society is an organisation that was originally founded as the Society of Cricket Statisticians at Great Scotland Yard London in 1945

In later years he lived on the Channel island of Alderney. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands Alderney ( French: Aurigny; Auregnais: Aoeur'gny) is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and a British Crown dependency

Famous and favourite quotes

The Times newspaper in March 2006 published a list of 25 favourite sporting quotes - two Arlottisms were included:

We have a freaker - 1975

"We have got a freaker down the wicket now, not very shapely as it is masculine, and I would think it has seen the last of its cricket for the day . . . he has had his load, he is being embraced by a blond policeman and this may well be his last public appearance - but what a splendid one!"

Bradman out for a duck - 1948

"Hollies pitches the ball up slowly and . Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001 often referred to as The Don, was an Australian Cricketer widely William Eric Hollies ( June 5 1912 in Old Hill, Staffordshire – April 16 1981, Chinley, Derbyshire . . he's bowled. . . Bradman bowled Hollies nought. . . bowled Hollies nought. . . and what do you say under these circumstances? I wonder if you see the ball very clearly in your last Test in England, on a ground where you've played some of the biggest cricket in your life and where the opposing side has just stood round you and given you three cheers and the crowd has clapped you all the way to the wicket. I wonder if you see the ball at all. "

Books by John Arlott

Of Period and Place (poetry). Jonathan Cape, 1944.

Concerning Cricket. 1949.

. . . and many more . . .

See also: List of works by cricket historians and writers

External links

• BBC Test Match Special Legends
• Radio Academy Hall of Fame
• Poetry extracts
• Arlott's last words on radio

Sources

• The Times - Sport section 2 March 2006. This page summarises the entries in:categoryCricket historians and writers.