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Thanks for the memories Picca

Woodster

International Captain
Excellent read Martin, a very well constructed tribute to a man that I'm sure will be missed.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
Seems like only yesterday he was picked as a raw 20 year old for the Australian Tour. I don't think the intention at the time of his selection was to play him in the Test Matches. I can still hear Fred Trueman's rant on TMS about how Dilley wasn't good enough, had a terrible action and didn't bowl the ball to the other end but just pushed it down. Brian Johnston thought Fred was being a bit harsh and asked who should have been chosen instead and Fred said Graham Stevenson of ................drum roll..............Yorkshire. Stevenson joined the tour late on and did quite well in a couple of ODI's and performed okay in the Jubilee Test in India.

Like Martin, this was approaching the time when people being chosen for our sports teams were starting to be the same age as me or younger. Not something you worry too greatly about in your late teens but the current resident at Number 10 Downing Street means that for the first time ever even the bloody Prime Minister is younger.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
Ditto regarding the age thing. fwiw I think that Norman Cowans was the first England cricketer born after me.

As for Dilley, his test career was a strange thing. Looking back now, it seems unbelievable that he barely played a test between 1982 and 1986, but I don't really remember how often he was fit enough to play. You'd have to say that a lot of worse bowlers played for us in those years though.
 

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