Fred Titmus RIP
A few weeks ago one of boyhood heroes passed away, the English offspinner Fred Titmus. Fred wasn't a great player but he played with a great spirit. (He was a good player, though.) He always seemed to be having fun. Although picked for his bowling he was a useful bat and one of my enduring memories was seeing Fred come to the crease when England were in trouble. His jaunty air transmitted reassurance and, invariably, he would hold up his end while a recovery was built. He was great example of what can be achieved by knowledge of limitations, concentration and confidence. His technique wasn't so good but he got behind the line and was a gritty defender. He only had one real offensive stroke, a slash off the back foot that he would hit between cover and third man. But did he use it well!
As a bowler he didn't get a lot of turn but he had great flight and, of course, accuracy. His "arm ball" - the ball that drifts away to the off and keeps straight - was excellent and got many a wicket caught behind or at slip.
He was an olde stereotype - the Cockney "cheery chappie" - but he wore it well and endeared him to many fans of cricket, including those of the opposition.
In a very different way he was like Conrad Hunte, another of my favourites. Hunte was the antithesis of the received image of a West Indian batsman but that made him a very good opener. Like Fred, he seemed to love playing. He had this huge smile which he shared all the time when not concentrating ferociously. He was a brilliant fielder, right up there with the best, save the incomparable Lloyd and Bland. My favourite memory of him was when he caught a towering hit by Dexter a few yards in front of me on the boundary at Old Trafford. He looked down and checked what he must have felt - that his foot was on the rope. Without hesitating he signalled "six". Someone said something an he turned to look at the crowd. He had the biggest smile that you ever saw.