Cricket mourns death of Frindall

Puck · #1 January 30, 2009, 01:08 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7861363.stm

BBC Test Match Special statistician and scorer Bill Frindall has died at the age of 69 after suffering from Legionnaire's disease.

Known as 'Bearders' and also dubbed 'the Bearded Wonder' by commentator Brian Johnston, Frindall was the longest serving member of the TMS team.

He joined the BBC in 1966 and wrote several statistical cricket books, editing the Playfair annual since 1986.

Frindall was appointed an MBE in 2004 for his services to the sport.

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said: "He brought scoring alive.

"This is what Bill will always be remembered for. He brought to life this weird and wonderful world of cricket scoring that other people might find tedious and boring. He made scoring into an art form.

"He had this incredible scoring system that made every ball an event. If you referred back to something that had happened earlier in the day, he would know exactly which delivery you would be talking about.

"And if you had a query on a statistic, he would have the answer in seconds, his records were so meticulous.

"He also played the role of curmudgeon in the box, if ever we strayed too far away from talking about the cricket he would bring us back."

The England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris added: "Bill Frindall was renowned for the sheer breadth of his knowledge and the deep and lasting affection he had for the game of cricket itself.

"He will be much missed not only by millions of radio listeners worldwide but also by the fraternity of cricketing scorers in England and Wales whose work he did so much to champion.

"On behalf of the many past and present England players who considered him a good friend, I would like to send our condolences to his family."

Former England fast bowler Mike Selvey spent more than 20 years alongside Frindall on the TMS team, and said: "He was a broadcasting legend, without necessarily being a broadcaster.

"He took one of the most mundane jobs in cricket and made himself an institution.

"And having worked with him for so long, I was extremely fond of him."

Frindall wrote a regular column for the BBC Sport website, and latterly the TMS blog, in which he invited readers to 'Stump the Bearded Wonder'.

A huge variety of questions on cricket statistics, records, laws of the game and a number of other more quirky incidents came in regularly from when it began on 16 May 2001 until it finished 185 editions later in January 2009.

Miraz · #2 January 30, 2009, 04:28 PM

A sad day for cricket. I really like his column "Ask the Bearded Wonders". He was an amaging statistician and historian of cricket.

Rest in peace.

Bearman · #3 January 30, 2009, 05:26 PM

He was one of the factors that elevated TMS from an ordinary sports show to something of an English institution.
A cricket nerd in the nicest sense of the world.
Let's hope alongside 20/20 (which Bill didn't have much time for!) Cricket will still have space for characters like him.

RazabQ · #4 January 30, 2009, 05:41 PM

I am very bummed. We've lost an original. I wonder if we'll have have someone as good as him. Just look at Rajesh from CI. Probably pretty knowledgeable but no-where as beloved.

Zeeshan · #5 January 30, 2009, 07:37 PM

Ahhh.....so that's who he is. The bearded wonder person. He really rocked that column. Will deeply miss him. RIP.

PlanetPak · #6 January 31, 2009, 09:58 AM

RIP

Was very good

thebest · #7 January 31, 2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazabQ
I am very bummed. We've lost an original. I wonder if we'll have have someone as good as him. Just look at Rajesh from CI. Probably pretty knowledgeable but no-where as beloved.

Those two sentences said all.
A great loss

battye · #8 January 31, 2009, 11:39 AM

RIP Bill Frindall