Remembering the best of Blofeld

23 June 2017 02:17

Henry Blofeld will retire as a commentator for the BBC Radio's Test Match Special in September after nearly half a century in the post.

The 77-year-old said "the time has come for the last of the old farts to hang up his microphone" after the Lord's Test between England and West Indies at the end of the summer.

Here Press Association Sport looks at some of the most memorable and quirky moments he has delivered to listeners since 1972.

"Here's Willis, in, bowls to Bright, Bright's bowled! The middle stump's out of the ground; England have won. They've won by 18 runs. Willis runs around punching the air, the boys invade the ground, and the players run, helter-skelter, for the pavilion. Well, what a finish," - describing the moment Bob Willis secured England a famous Ashes Test victory at Headingley in 1981.

"It ballooned into the air and Bell dived forward like a porpoise after a fish and came up with the winner" - using a peculiar metaphor to describe Ian Bell's catch at short leg in the 2005 Ashes series.

"Well you might, you never know. After all Fred Truman's daughter married Raquel Welch's son. So anything is possible isn't it?" - responding to Katy Perry fan Geoffrey Boycott's assertion that he is unlikely to meet the singer because she is American.

"Flintoff starts in, his shadow beside him. Where else would it be?" - painting a fairly obvious picture to listeners as Andrew Flintoff approached the crease.

"Ashley Giles trundles in to bowl rather like a wheelie bin," - painting an altogether different image of one of Flintoff's international colleagues.

"Oh! Look! I've just seen a crane at Lord's actually moving, doing some work. I've seen cranes all around this ground for years and they've always been still. That big white one there is moving. A moving crane, a yellow helicopter, what more has the day got to offer?" - witnessing one of the rare sights at the Home of Cricket.

"Flintoff now, great leap, he bowls, Gilchrist has edged it.oh! He's caught it; it's an absolutely staggering catch by Strauss! He edged it, Strauss flung himself miles to his left and, one handed, somehow managed to hold on, it was an extraordinary effort," - describing Andrew Strauss' sensational catch at second slip during the 2005 Ashes.

"It's a catch he would have caught 99 times out of 1000," - making a dolly sound somewhat less straightforward.

"It's the hat-trick ball. Broad is on a hat-trick. Kumar has come in. We've got four slips and two gullys and a forward short leg and here's Broad - just listen to the noise - he's up to the wicket, he bowls to Kumar, he's bowled him! It's bowled him! He's taken a hat-trick! It's fantastic. Broad has hit his off-stump, Kumar is out. Three wickets in three balls - 273 for eight, isn't it absolutely fantastic? It was a humdinger of a ball, it was a beauty," - commentating on Stuart Broad's hat-trick against India in 2011.

Source: PA