Battle of Pre-Speedgun Fastest Bowlers

[Manee]

My first battle thread and yes, just like you, I suspect it to go **** up as people complain about the concept or my poor running, but it is worth a try.

This battle is for who you think the quickest bowlers in terms of who can bowl the quickest spell in terms of speeds which are currently registered on TV - this is the speed a split second after release but from the time before speed guns become regulated in cricket games. I would appreciate it if people take prior readings from 'Worlds Fastest Bowler' or the 1974 and 1975 studies (or Tyson's study using sonic booms, etc) with a large pinch of salt - so this thread does not become 10-0 every round and so there are a few shock defeats.

Nominations finish at 8am GMT on Wednesday 6th August (who said July?). Nominations do not have to be seconded or thirded as I will remove some if it is necessary to cut down the number of nominations. Bowlers who finished their international (or domestic if no international career) careers pre-1950 will take place in a preliminary tournament whose winner will get a bye in the first round and the losers will all be eliminated.
Maximum of five nominations per member.

Eagerly awaiting some smartass to dispute the concept
Get nominating.

Nominations:
Pre 1950:
Harold Larwood
Frank Tyson
Charles Kortright
Walter Brearley
George Tarrant
Albert "Tibby" Cotter
Neville Knox
Colin Hilton
William Burns
Mohammad Nissar
Ken Farnes


Final Competition
Waqar Younis
Allan Donald
Javagal Srinath
Dennis Lillee
Malcolm Marshall
Jeff Thomson
Michael Holding
Alan Ward
Devon Malcolm
Colin Croft
Andy Roberts
Wes Hall
Andre Van Troost
Patrick Patterson
Duncan Spencer
John Snow
Bob Willis
Garth Le Roux
Charlie Griffith
Fred Trueman
Rodney Hogg
Geoff Lawson
Imran Khan
Mohammad Zahid
Sylvester Clarke
Ian Bishop
Ray Lindwall
Neil Adcock

Bold = Clips cannot be found for the post-1950 bowler and so bowler will be REMOVED if clip cannot be found by time TBA

(Yes, not much to do for me in these Summer holidays and yes, I am obsessed with pace - shame my bowling takes the quick out of quick medium)

 

[Lillian Thomson]

My first battle thread and yes, just like you, I suspect it to go **** up as people complain about the concept or my poor running, but it is worth a try.

This battle is for who you think the quickest bowlers in terms of who can bowl the quickest spell in terms of speeds which are currently registered on TV - this is the speed a split second after release but from the time before speed guns become regulated in cricket games. I would appreciate it if people take prior readings from 'Worlds Fastest Bowler' or the 1974 and 1975 studies (or Tyson's study using sonic booms, etc) with a large pinch of salt - so this thread does not become 10-0 every round and so there are a few shock defeats.

Nominations finish at 8am GMT on Wednesday 6th July. Nominations do not have to be seconded or thirded as I will approve them if it is necessary to cut down the number of nominations. Maximum of five nominations per member.

Eagerly awaiting some smartass to dispute the concept
Get nominating.

Nominations:

(Yes, not much to do for me in these Summer holidays and yes, I am obsessed with pace - shame my bowling takes the quick out of quick medium)

The 6th July was 29 days ago......unless it's next year.

 

[Goughy]

Ill start the nominations and give some obvious, leave some obvious ones out and add a few lesser names

Harold Larwood
Andre Van Troost
Pat Pat
Devon Malcolm
Duncan Spencer

 

[Manee]

The 6th July was 29 days ago......unless it's next year.

I'm a moron.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Do the fast bowlers have to pre-date speed guns or are we just disregarding the results?

The three fastest bowlers I've seen are Malcolm Marshall, Jeff Thomson and Michael Holding so I'll nominate those three and throw in Alan Ward as a wild card as on his day - which were admittedly few and far between - he was exceptionally quick.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Ill start the nominations and give some obvious, leave some obvious ones out and add a few lesser names

Harold Larwood
Andre Van Troost
Pat Pat
Devon Malcolm
Duncan Spencer

Who's Pat Pat?

 

[Manee]

Do the fast bowlers have to pre-date speed guns or are we just disregarding the results?

We are disregarding speed gun readings prior to 1998 as they cannot be seen as 100% accurate and show little consistency with each other or today's readings in some places. Of course, you can take these into account, but if we were to take them at face value, then Thomson would trump most if not every bowler from the 1970s and 1980s without a second thought.

The three fastest bowlers I've seen are Malcolm Marshall, Jeff Thomson and Michael Holding so I'll nominate those three and throw in Alan Ward as a wild card as on his day - which were admittedly few and far between - he was exceptionally quick.

Thanks.

 

[Goughy]

Who's Pat Pat?

Patrick Patterson

 

[Manee]

Patrick Patterson

Regarded as the most dangerous of the 1980s, IIRC.

 

[archie mac]

Some old players (well what do you expect from me )

Korty- some say the fastest ever

Brearley-said he could throw his had faster after watching Jack Gregory

Tear em up Tarrant (the name says it all)

Ernie Jones-said Larwood could not dent a pound of butter on a hot day

Tibby Cotter- was very quick in his day before he was killed during WW1

Knox-although his action was very suspect

 

[Manee]

Some old players (well what do you expect from me )

Korty- some say the fastest ever

Brearley-said he could throw his had faster after watching Jack Gregory

Tear em up Tarrant (the name says it all)

Ernie Jones-said Larwood could not dent a pound of butter on a hot day

Tibby Cotter- was very quick in his day before he was killed during WW1

Knox-although his action was very suspect

Just the five nominations per member, so please let me know which you wish to remove.

 

[sanga1337]

Throw in a few modern players

Brett Lee
Shoaib Ahktar
Shaun Tait

 

[fredfertang]

Colin Hilton aka “The White Flash” – played for Lancashire and Essex for a while too and never quite made it with either – a bloke who used to coach me as a child (and what a thankless task that must have been!) was a Northern League player and faced Hilton once in the late 60’s when he broke a few records playing for Morecambe, told us at nets one evening “they told me he was quick – but what they didn’t tell me was that he was like f****** greased lightning”. I repeated the story to my Dad when I got home (I was about 10) – he roared with laughter and it was the only time before I reached my twenties that I got away with using the F word at home!

According to Frank Chester Larwood was the finest fast bowler he ever saw – that evidence, coming as it does from a man who stood in something like 50 tests from the end of the Great War to the mid-fifties must be given considerable weight – he did, however, rate him as only the second fastest – he reckoned the quickest was one W B (Billy) Burns who he played with at Worcestershire before the Great War – looking at his figures on cricinfo Burns looks like a distinctly useful all-rounder although according to his obituary in Wisden 1917 (he died in action) “the fairness of his action was often questioned – not without good reason” – strong words from Wisden in those days and no doubt the reason why he is a forgotten figure.

 

[Manee]

Throw in a few modern players

Brett Lee
Shoaib Ahktar
Shaun Tait

Read the title - PRE SPEEDGUN.

 

[sanga1337]

Read the title - PRE SPEEDGUN.

ah my bad. Sorry bout that

 

[Manee]

ah my bad. Sorry bout that

No worries.

 

[sanga1337]

Nominate Wes Hall and Colin Croft

 

[Goughy]

Colin Hilton aka “The White Flash” – played for Lancashire and Essex for a while too and never quite made it with either – a bloke who used to coach me as a child (and what a thankless task that must have been!) was a Northern League player and faced Hilton once in the late 60’s when he broke a few records playing for Morecambe, told us at nets one evening “they told me he was quick – but what they didn’t tell me was that he was like f****** greased lightning”. I repeated the story to my Dad when I got home (I was about 10) – he roared with laughter and it was the only time before I reached my twenties that I got away with using the F word at home.

Looks a bargain!

 

[Manee]

Just a heads up - considering the complex nature of judging the pace of bowlers who no one has seen and who played so long ago, anyone who finished their career pre-1950 will take part in a prior tournament where the winner will go through to the final competition with a bye in the first round.

 

[archie mac]

Just a heads up - considering the complex nature of judging the pace of bowlers who no one has seen and who played so long ago, anyone who finished their career pre-1950 will take part in a prior tournament where the winner will go through to the final competition with a bye in the first round.

If you are going to change the rules then I should be allowed to select 6