"Jonathan Agnew Jonathan Philip Agnew, (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed ""Aggers"", and, less commonly, ""Spiro"" – the latter, according to ""Debrett's Cricketers' Who's Who"", after former US Vice President Spiro Agnew. Agnew had a successful first-class career as a fast bowler for Leicestershire from 1979 to 1990, returning briefly in 1992. In first-class cricket he took 666 wickets at an average of 29.25. Agnew won three Test caps for England, as well as playing three One Day"
"the BBC's cricket correspondent, taking over from ""Test Match Special"" colleague, Christopher Martin-Jenkins. In 2007, when asked which sports journalist he most respected, Martin-Jenkins named Agnew, because he ""combines astute journalism with apparently effortless communication skills."" He has also commentated for the Australian ABC Radio network during Ashes series in Australia. When Channel 4 won the broadcasting rights to television coverage of England's home Test matches in 1998, Agnew was approached by the broadcaster and offered a job on the commentary team. Agnew declined the opportunity, opting to remain BBC cricket correspondent, in part because he was a ""radio man"""
"Mark Saggers Mark Leonard Saggers (born 28 May 1959) is a British journalist and radio presenter. He attended the Perse School, Cambridge, 1970–77 and was a keen sportsman representing the school at rugby, hockey, and cricket. As a schoolboy, he was a regular on the Newmarket Road End terrace at Cambridge United Football Club. Saggers played cricket as a specialist wicket-keeper for Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club through the 1980s; this included two list A cricket matches, although he averaged only 3.50 runs with the bat. He also represented England at hockey. Saggers began his broadcasting career at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire."
"of the ABC). The habit extended to cricketers such as Phil Tufnell (""Tuffers""), but the '-ie' suffix is more common for the current crop of commentating ex-players, such as Michael Vaughan (""Vaughnie"") or Shane Warne (""Warnie""). The former Hampshire County Cricket Club captain Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, whose most usual nickname was ""McCrackers"", was sometimes addressed as ""Ingers"" when he made occasional appearances on ""TMS"" and former Middlesex bowler and journalist Mike Selvey was referred to as ""Selvers"". The programme's producer, Peter Baxter, cited ""Backers"" as his own nickname and ""Jenkers"" that of commentator and cricketing journalist, Christopher Martin-Jenkins (though the latter"
"he has become a leading voice of cricket on radio, as the BBC Radio cricket correspondent and as a commentator on ""Test Match Special"". He has also contributed as a member of Australian broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ""Grandstand"" team. Agnew's on-air ""leg over"" comment on ""Test Match Special"", made to fellow commentator Brian Johnston in 1991, provoked giggling fits during a live broadcast and reaction from across England. The incident has been voted ""the greatest sporting commentary ever"" in a BBC poll; Michael Henderson, one of Agnew's peers and rivals, has described him as ""a master broadcaster ... the pick"
"Arthur Wrigley Arthur Neville Wrigley (25 January 1912 – 30 October 1965) was an English cricket scorer and statistician. He was the first scorer for BBC radio cricket commentary. Arthur Wrigley was born in Heaton Moor, Cheshire, and after attending Heaton Moor College he became an accountant with a firm in Manchester. Successful in club cricket as a right-arm leg-spin bowler, he joined the Lancashire County Cricket Club ground staff in 1934, though he never played in a first-class match. His career with the BBC began that same season when, after a request by commentator Howard Marshall for a scorer,"
"Arthur Wrigley Arthur Neville Wrigley (25 January 1912 – 30 October 1965) was an English cricket scorer and statistician. He was the first scorer for BBC radio cricket commentary. Arthur Wrigley was born in Heaton Moor, Cheshire, and after attending Heaton Moor College he became an accountant with a firm in Manchester. Successful in club cricket as a right-arm leg-spin bowler, he joined the Lancashire County Cricket Club ground staff in 1934, though he never played in a first-class match. His career with the BBC began that same season when, after a request by commentator Howard Marshall for a scorer,"
"and Michael Vaughan. Selvey then criticised what he described as a shift towards ""laddish"" commentators such as Arlo White and Mark Pougatch who have ""little knowledge of the game, especially of the cadences of Test Match cricket"". This sentiment was echoed by some of his contemporaries. Test Match Special Test Match Special (also known as TMS) is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 (long wave), Five Live Sports Extra (digital) and via the internet to the United Kingdom"
"death, that distinction passed to Reg Simpson. Test debut: vs India, Lord's, Middlesex, 1946<br> Last Test: vs South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1955 In the 1980s UK TV sitcom ""Chance in a Million"", the main character Tom Chance (played by Simon Callow) has a fascination with Bedser and one of his prized possessions is a cricket bat autographed by him. In the episode ""Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother"" (17 September 1984), the bat is mauled by a dog off-screen, much to Chance's annoyance. Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional"
"cricketers requiring financial support and to promote disabled cricket. The trust is now part of the Lord's Taverners. The Johnners Club was also established in his memory at the same time and currently has over 350 members, plus a further 100 regular supporters. The Trust’s income is boosted significantly from the proceeds of the annual Johnners Club Dinner, member subscriptions, and general donations. Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from"
"(ABC). After the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) refused to accept Channel Nine's bid to gain exclusive television rights to Australia's Test matches in 1976, Packer set up his own series by secretly signing agreements with leading Australian, English, Pakistani, South African and West Indian players, most notably England captain Tony Greig, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, Australian captain Greg Chappell, future Pakistani captain Imran Khan and former Australian Captain Ian Chappell. Packer was aided by businessmen John Cornell and Austin Robertson, both of whom were involved with the initial setup and administration of the series. In the mid-1970s, the Australian"
"as he was in the commentary box, was the master of this style. This could on occasion lead to hilarity in the box, for instance on one occasion in August 1991 at The Oval when Ian Botham was dismissed ""hit wicket"" and Agnew said Botham ""just couldn't quite get his leg over."" This remark led both Agnew and Johnston to collapse in a fit of giggles, which was quickly followed by Johnston's giggly chastening, ""Aggers, do stop it!"" This clip has become a broadcasting classic and is frequently replayed. In 2005, Radio 5 Live listeners voted it the greatest sporting"
"to be a Millionaire?"". While as Channel 4 anchor for the cricket, Nicholas presented ""Today at the Test"" which covered the highlights of the day's play at the England Test matches or the trophy finals. Nicholas was approached by Channel Five to cover England cricket highlights from 2006, the programme being named ""Cricket on 5"". He commentates on the programme with former cricketer Geoffrey Boycott and analyst Simon Hughes, both of whom worked with Nicholas at Channel 4 plus ex-England captain Michael Vaughan. Nicholas served as anchorman and commentator for the Nine Network coverage of the 2013–14 Ashes series and"
"""expert phone-in troll, arrogantly spouting inflammatory football opinions in the hope of prompting some indignant phone rage from an uppity fan."" He once accused Jamie Carragher of being a ""bottler"" for retiring from international football, which prompted the Liverpool and England defender to call in to the show to confront Durham. His criticism of Celtic manager Neil Lennon prompted a phone call from Celtic fan Rod Stewart, who gave Durham a ""gentle lashing"". Adrian Durham Adrian Durham (born 13 May 1969 in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, England) is a football journalist and broadcaster. Durham began his broadcasting career in Leeds in the"
"He also worked occasionally for Clubcall, and according to Backpass, the retro football magazine (issue 39), once commentated for 45 minutes on Northampton Town v Cambridge United, sending the commentary to the Exeter City Clubcall line by mistake. He then joined BBC Radio Sport in 1989. and became a regular sporting voice on Radio 4's ""Today"" programme. He won a Sony Award for his reporting of the false start at the 1993 Grand National. In 1992, Saggers left the BBC to join Sky News as senior sports correspondent. He was perhaps best known to international audiences as the voice of"
"Charles Dagnall Charles Edward Dagnall (born 10 July 1976), also known as Charlie Dagnall, is a former Bolton School pupil and first-class cricketer who played as a right-arm fast-medium bowler for Cumberland, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. After his retirement from cricket, Dagnall attempted a career in American football with the Leicester Falcons, playing at quarterback. He has worked as a commentator and pundit for BBC Radio Leicester, in addition to having his own drive time show. He has also commentated on T20, One Day Internationals and test matches (""Test Match Special""). In 2013 he was co-host of NFL UK's Inside the"
"the Premier League football highlights show. In 2001 Saggers returned to the BBC, presenting Sport on Five. He has commentated for ""Test Match Special"". Saggers joined talkSPORT in June 2009. This followed the BBC declining to renew his contract and his reported deep rift with Radio 5 Live commentator Alan Green. He now presents talkSPORT’s ""Kick Off"" every weekday 7-10pm and two exclusive programs on Sunday: ""Sunday Exclusive"" (1-3:30pm) and ""Full Time Phone-In"" (3:30-5pm). He presents with regular input from journalists and ex-footballers. Mark Saggers Mark Leonard Saggers (born 28 May 1959) is a British journalist and radio presenter. He"
"Henry Blofeld Henry Calthorpe Blofeld, OBE (born 23 September 1939) nicknamed Blowers by Brian Johnston, is a retired English sports journalist, broadcaster and amateur ornithologist best known as a cricket commentator for ""Test Match Special"" on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. He has established a reputation as a commentator with an accent, vocabulary and syntax that is quintessentially Old Etonian both in style and substance. He also writes on cricket and has authored eight books to date. Blofeld's family were landowners at Hoveton in Norfolk and he was the youngest of three siblings. His elder"
"and was announced as ""a sister for Jonathan and Christopher"". Agnew's paternal grandmother, Lady Mona Agnew, died aged 110 years and 170 days in 2010 and was on the list of the 100 longest-lived British people ever. Jonathan Agnew recalls growing up on the family farm and first becoming aware of cricket aged ""eight or nine""; his father would carry a radio around and listen to ""Test Match Special"": ""The programme sparked an interest in me, in the same way it has in so many tens of thousands of children down the years, igniting a passion that lasts a lifetime."""
"Michael Atherton Michael Andrew Atherton OBE (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international first-class cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a record 54 Test matches. Known for his stubborn resistance during an era of hostile fast bowling, Atherton was described in 2001 as a determined defensive opener who made ""batting look like trench warfare"". He had several famed bouts with bowlers including South Africa's Allan Donald and Australia's Glenn McGrath. Atherton"
"Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until his death in January 1994. Born at the Old Rectory, Little Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, the youngest of four children (elder siblings were Anne, Michael and Christopher). His paternal grandfather, Reginald Eden Johnston, had been Governor of the Bank of England between 1909 and 1911. The World War II airborne division commander Frederick 'Boy' Browning was his first cousin. On 27 August 1922,"
"highlight of her career so far was as the Channel 4 scorer when England regained the Ashes in 2005. Jo King Jo King is a cricket scorer who often works for British broadcasting services. In the past she has scored for Channel 4, who held the television rights for the England cricket team's home tests from 1999 to 2005. She has also scored England's winter Test tours, either for the commercial talkSPORT radio or the BBCs ""Test Match Special"" radio programme. Jo began with TMS in Pakistan in 1987 - the infamous tour in which the England captain Mike Gatting"
"Greg Alexander Gregory Peter Stephen ""Greg"" Alexander (born 4 March 1965) nicknamed Brandy, is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 1990s who has since become a radio, television commentator and noted rugby league journalist. Originally a goal-kicking half-back, in his career he played for and captained the Penrith Panthers and the Auckland Warriors clubs and also represented his country and state on several occasions. Alexander's position for the majority of his career was at half-back, however early in his career – particularly in representative sides – he was moved to . It was this ability to"
"University in July 2011. His peers in sports journalism have frequently commented on Agnew's skills as a broadcaster and writer. Michael Henderson, in the aftermath of the Stanford cricket controversy, wrote of Agnew as a ""master broadcaster ... the pick of the sports correspondents at the BBC ... Agnew's is a sane, reasonable voice in a game that is going potty. Fair-minded, even-tempered, he has become one of the finest specialists the BBC has ever had. In his understated way he speaks for the game: not the people who play it."" In 2016 Agnew was a member of the BBC"
"victory. For these five days, Cowans was the star of English cricket, and had sent the series to Sydney for the deciding Fifth Test, which ended in a draw. Cowans was nicknamed 'Flash' as a result of being able to bowl a cricket ball at almost 100 mph. He was Richard Hadlee's 200th Test wicket, of which Hadlee said: ""I would have preferred it to have been Gower, Randall, or Lamb, but Flash will do in the circumstances!"" Cowans is currently a regular commentator on Sky News and BBC News 24, and has his own sports promotions company. Norman Cowans"
"Greg Matthews Gregory Richard John ""Mo"" Matthews (born 15 December 1959 in Newcastle, New South Wales) is a former New South Wales and Australian cricket all rounder (off-spin bowler and left-handed batsman) who is now a television cricket commentator. When Australian cricket was in the doldrums in the mid-1980s ""his dashing batsmanship and growing ability as a spin bowler suddenly elevated Matthews to a position of a national hero"". He made centuries in times of crisis against New Zealand and India in 1985–86, took ten wickets in the Tied Test at Madras and batted well against England in 1986–87. Thereafter"
"reporters were also able to cover memorable European campaigns for Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Well known locally, Butler's abrasive style was also brought to national attention after being worked into the routines of Birmingham comic Jasper Carrott, who often liked to poke fun at the homespun nature of BRMB's programming at the time. In 1984, Butler was sacked from BRMB after a row with fellow broadcaster Brian Savin, who is disabled. Savin had sent a note to Butler complaining about coverage of a cricket match over-running into his show; Butler was said to have found the"
"BBC radio, including ""Supersaver"" (1981, with Richard Briers) and ""Taking us up to Lunch"" (1991), which was set in the ""Test Match Special"" commentary box. In 2012 he published his debut novel, ""Settling the Score"", set in the County Championship in the 1960s. Peter Gibbs (cricketer) Peter John Keith Gibbs (born 17 August 1944) is an English television script writer, and a former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University from 1964 to 1966, and for Derbyshire from 1966 to 1972. Gibbs was born at Buglawton, Cheshire, and attended Hanley High School before going up to University College, Oxford."
"Nine Network cricket rights deal led to a confrontation with the cricket authorities, as top players from several countries rushed to join him at the expense of their international sides. One of the leaders of the ""rebellion"" was England captain Tony Greig. Greig remained a commentator on the Nine Network's payroll until his death in December 2012. Packer's aim was to secure broadcasting rights for Australian cricket, and he was largely successful. In the 1970s the global cricket establishment fiercely opposed Packer in the courts. To counter the establishment, Packer hired the ten best Senior Counsels in the UK and"
"Nine due to the Seven Network and Fox Sports gaining the rights. In May 2018, it was announced that Slater would join the Seven Network. He will host and commentate Seven’s coverage for both Test Cricket and the Big Bash League Michael Slater Michael Jonathon Slater (born 21 February 1970) is an Australian television presenter and former professional cricketer who played in 74 Tests and 42 ODIs for the Australian cricket team from 1993 to 2001. He subsequently became a cricket commentator and he previously worked on rugby league coverage with ""The Footy Show"" where he was co-host with Paul"
"a new career as a cricket broadcaster and television personality, including being one of the team captains on the popular BBC comedy sports quiz, ""They Think It's All Over"" from 1995 to 2003. He also presented four series of the BBC2 cricket magazine show, ""Gower's Cricket Monthly"" from 1995–1998 and, at the same time was one of the BBC's main cricket commentators. Gower also spent time commentating on several cricket series in Australia in the 1990s. His commentary for Channel Nine, with his trademark relaxed calls of play and generous attitude to the players and fellow commentators, proved extremely popular"
"the video of the Ashes urn, which featured English cricketer Andrew Strauss posing with the object. The footage went back to the newsroom after the report, showing Aiston telling Heggen ""I just can't understand how something so small can be so impressive."" to which Heggen replied, ""Well, Mark, you would know about that"". Heggen later explained on Adelaide radio station Nova 91.9 that she and Aiston never had any romantic history and that it was a joke. ""Those in Adelaide who know Mark Aiston know that he's a practical joker, and a prankster, and he's always cracking jokes and trying"
"the resignation. When Atherton had himself been England captain, Agnew had led the calls for Atherton to resign over a controversy known as the ""dirt in the pocket"" affair. Fellow BBC commentator Jack Bannister felt that Agnew's comments were inappropriate, but only to the extent that he had referred to his friendship with Atherton: Bannister advised Agnew that he should continue to be honest and forthright as a reporter. Agnew was involved in a minor controversy regarding an appearance by Lily Allen on ""Test Match Special"" in 2009. ""The Daily Telegraph"" reported that ""the cricket-loving Allen struck up an instant"