Last year, the cricket world mourned the loss of Graham Dilley, who passed away after a short battle with cancer. James Morgan, co-editor of The Full Toss, penned the following piece which he has been kind enough to submit for our series "My Favourite Cricketer".
As a lifelong
Worcestershire fan, Graham Dilley is a cricketer who has always been
close to my heart. He joined Worcs in 1987, at the same time as Ian
Botham, in what was my first season as a junior member at New Road.
It was a special time for the county – and a special time in my
childhood.
Some of my fondest
memories involve spending summer days under the chestnut trees at the
county ground, watching that great Worcs side which won back to back
championship titles in 1987 and 1988. Dilley often used to field in
front of us at long leg. I know I was just ten years old at the time,
but he seemed taller than a giraffe.
Dilley wasn’t
quite a great fast bowler – like so many of England’s best
seamers, injury put paid to that – but he was an extremely useful
one. He was pretty quick, moved the ball away from the right-handers,
and played a part in two of England’s greatest Ashes triumphs. I’m
referring, of course, to his defiant half century alongside Botham at
Headingley in 1981, and his starring role in Mike Gatting’s series
success down under in 1986-87.
From a personal
point of view, however, it was Dilley’s success at Worcs that I
will remember the most. He was the spearhead of what was possibly the
best county bowling attack of the modern era: Dilley was joined by
Neil Radford, Ian Botham, Phil Newport and Richard Illingworth. All
of them represented England at one point or another, albeit not at
the same time. Perhaps only the Lancashire side of the early nineties
could match them.
Dilley, of course,
was the best of the lot (Botham had lost a bit of pace by 1987). He
took an almighty run up that made Allan Donald’s approach look like
an off-spinner’s, reared his left leg horizontal in his delivery
stride, pounded his leading boot into the turf, and followed through
like a wind powered turbine. It was a great sight to behold. When the
ball was taken behind the stumps by Steve Rhodes, usually standing
nearer to the sight-screen than the stumps, the ball made an almighty
thud.
Unlike some of
county cricket’s other big names, Dilley always seemed happy to
sign autographs at the end of the day. He was a gentle giant – and
he possessed one of the best 80s blonde mullets outside of A-Ha. When
I heard about Dilley’s sudden death in October 2011, it was a bolt
from the blue.
Sports fans in
Worcester were particularly upset at Dilley’s premature passing
because his son, Chris Pennell, is captain of Worcester Warriors, the
city’s premiership rugby team. Somehow, somewhere – probably at
that great fast bowlers’ union in the sky – you sense that Graham
is still following the Warriors’ progress, and cheering his boy on.
You can read more at The Full Toss, or follow James on Twitter @thefulltoss
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