Graveney was one of the greatest for county - The Worcester Observer

Graveney was one of the greatest for county

Worcester Editorial 12th Nov, 2015 Updated: 19th Oct, 2016   0

“AN INNINGS of Graveney remains in the memory.

“Simply by closing our eyes we can still see, in deep winter as we browse by the fire in the twilight, a stroke by Graveney; we can see and delight in, retrospectively, the free uplift of his bat, the straight lissome poise and the rhythm of his swinging drives.”

THE WORDS of the esteemed cricket writer Neville Cardus in the Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack of 1965 during a piece reflecting on Graveney’s 100th century during the 1964 season.

Tom Graveney was born in Northumberland in 1927 and moved to the West Country at the age of six following the death of his father Jack.




He was regarding as a man of the West County after that and made his Gloucestershire debut in 1948 before an England debut three years later.

A majestic 175 in the Bombay test during his first England tour seemed to destin Graveney for higher honours, especially after his prolific 1952 Ashes summer.


But form fell away and despite being Gloucestershire captain so did the relationship with the county’s hierarchy.

And so in 1961 he moved to Worcestershire to begin what Tim Jones, Chairman of the Worcestershire Heritage Group, described as the ‘final piece in the jigsaw’

“He was one of the greats of Worcestershire cricket,” he told the Observer.

“I never got to see him play but from the side that won the championship in 1964 and then retained it in 1965 he was without the final piece in the jigsaw.”

Tim said Graveney’s impact on the club was felt both on and off the field.

“He was one of the most stylish batsman of his generation. He was always very good company and brilliant at signing autographs,” he said.

“He did everything with style, both on and off the pitch.”

Graveney’s 100th hundred in first class cricket came in the 1964 championship winning year against Northamptonshire.

After he retired from the game in the early 1970’s, Graveney became a highly respected TV summariser on the game.

He was also Worcestershire President from 1994-98 and continued to visit New Road on a regular basis, attending this summer’s Worcestershire Old Players’ Association Day in the 1865 Lounge.

The pair met in Graveney’s later years as part of Tim’s research into a book on former Pears captain Don Kenyon.

“You could ask him anything about a particular match in his long career and he would tell you all about it,” he said.

“He was always very good towards his former players, never a bad word about anyone and wouldn’t hesitate to describe someone as a ‘good player’.

“I will always remember he came to speak at Stourbridge Cricket Club and had everyone in raptures about the game he was dismissed by the HRH Duke of Edinburgh and caught by a Wing Commander,” he said.

“He described as the ‘classiest’ dismissal of his career!.”

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