Jump to content

May and Boycott


Recommended Posts

Last week  Theresa May showed her determination to stay in power and lead the government, and used as example the playing style of  cricketer Geoffrey Boycott. I know very little about cricket but it’s easy for everyone to look for information about him, and find out that he was more keen to defend the wicket than going for risky shots . So forget about fours and sixes, stay at the crease as long as you can and runs will come.

I’ve tried to find evidence of this in the stats section of ESPN Cricinfo website. A lot of them seemed quite useful: slowest 100, slow batting ( by runs scored ), longest innings ( by minutes or by balls ).

To my surprise I could find the name of Geoffrey Boycott only in the longest innings stat, but well down in the table, behind many other cricketers I have never heard to be known for a conservative style of play ( Chris Gayle for example ). Those stats were about Tests and I didn’t find some for First Class cricket. Statistics never tell the whole story, but I am still baffled. He scored a lot of hundreds, and if I understand correctly how runs are scored in cricket, some of those hundreds had be slow because of the high number of  dot balls,  and the score moving slowly.

Every time I think my knowledge of cricket is improving, there’s a setback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


He is, and always has been, a very divisive character.

He toured apartheid South Africa in defiance of the English cricket authorities and in retirement was found guilty of beating up his partner.

You won't find many, even in Yorkshire, (perhaps especially in Yorkshire), who give him an unequivocal thumbs up.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

He is, and always has been, a very divisive character.

He toured apartheid South Africa in defiance of the English cricket authorities and in retirement was found guilty of beating up his partner.

You won't find many, even in Yorkshire, (perhaps especially in Yorkshire), who give him an unequivocal thumbs up.

Quite. He can also, even when he's absolutely hitting the nail on the head as a pundit, put people off with his aggressive, hectoring manner.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

He is, and always has been, a very divisive character.

He toured apartheid South Africa in defiance of the English cricket authorities and in retirement was found guilty of beating up his partner.

You won't find many, even in Yorkshire, (perhaps especially in Yorkshire), who give him an unequivocal thumbs up.

The board and administration travails at Yorkshire were also quite something ! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Quite. He can also, even when he's absolutely hitting the nail on the head as a pundit, put people off with his aggressive, hectoring manner.

He knows his stuff and he’ll tell you straight and he’s been there done it . I like and respect that , although a lot of players haven’t always took it so well . I don’t think there’s any doubt for me anyway overall the good outweighs the bad over a very long period of time and he’s played a massive part in the game . I think he played a part in the Yorkshire air ambulance campaign to ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, DavidM said:

He knows his stuff and he’ll tell you straight and he’s been there done it . I like and respect that , although a lot of players haven’t always took it so well . I don’t think there’s any doubt for me anyway overall the good outweighs the bad over a very long period of time . I think he played a part in the Yorkshire air ambulance campaign to ?

He is always Tweeting and re-Tweeting Yorkshire Air Ambulance stuff. It is an ongoing passion of his.

On the radio, Aggers helps mitigate his bluntness by not taking him too seriously, while still respecting him.

Note Henry Moeran trying to keep a straight face in the background.

 

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

He is always Tweeting and re-Tweeting Yorkshire Air Ambulance stuff. It is an ongoing passion of his.

On the radio, Aggers helps mitigate his bluntness by not taking him too seriously, while still respecting him.

Note Henry Moeran trying to keep a straight face in the background.

 

I remember that ! He was obviously very relieved more than anything !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He also plays the professional Yorkshireman card too often along with the likes of Michael Parkinson and Bernard Ingham and Billy Connolly, the professional Scotsman,all who long ago moved as far away as possible from their 'roots'. May still plays the vicars daughter when required too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I remember that ! He was obviously very relieved more than anything !

Boycott was good enough to autograph some of these joke commemorative plates that someone got made after Aggers' prank.

DIEDRE_XUAAOJnT.jpg

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The classic Yorkshireman: rude, conceited and miles up his own backside.

And yet you would sort of miss him if he wasn't there.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Just Browny said:

The classic Yorkshireman: rude, conceited and miles up his own backside.

And yet you would sort of miss him if he wasn't there.

Remove the words Yorkshireman and own replace with Lancastrian and sheep and I would agree with you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Self absorbed to the point of sociopathy

 It may be a general northern trait to speak one's mind, but that alone does not excuse the towering crassness displayed by Boycott. There is something rather non-Yorkshire about Boycott's self-absorption and relentless bigging-up of himself,

"Freedom without socialism is privilege and injustice, socialism without freedom is slavery and brutality" - Mikhail Bakunin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand Mr. Boycott is a strong character and probably a divisive one, so these reactions are more than justified, but I was just looking for some explanations about the fact that statistics don't seem to confirm some things I read about the way he used to play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.