One of my childhood sporting heroes was cricketer Derek Underwood. Then, 25 years after he retired, I was at Canterbury's ground with my son who was 11. We took his bat and I bowled to him for hours on the grass by a bush. Then I said I wanted to watch the game for a while.
We sat down and my lad got a bit bored and said 'I want to keep playing'. The man in front turned round and said politely 'Hey sonny, your dad's been bowling at you for ages. Let him have a few minutes' and it all calmed down. I looked at him and realised it was Derek Underwood.
@mrmarksteel And bowled so fast for a spinner! And Alan Knott stood up to him! Tell that t’ folk nowadays they’d never believe thee.
@mrmarksteel Just occasionally, as here, Twitter excels….🤗
@mrmarksteel An absolute gent, I'd forgotten it was 19 years ago. RIP Deadly
@mrmarksteel I first saw him play at Headingly in a test against the West Indues in the 60s. I’d never seen a bowler like him in that he was a spinner but much faster than the other spinners with a much flatter delivery. On his wicket he was unplayable.
@mrmarksteel Was a kid at the test at the Oval when it was a drying wicket and Deadly bowled them all out for not many. Queued for his autograph after, like loads of lads did. He said footballers don’t have to do this, but he signed for everyone waiting. Lovely man, fantastic bowler.
@mrmarksteel Forgive the intrusion of a Lancastrian but one of my beloved memories is Dad taking me overnight to Lords for the 1971 Gillette final - Underwood 1 for 26 off 12!!. We were losing all game until Jack Bond brilliantly caught the sublime Asif Iqbal…DU my non-Lancs hero ever since.