I was 12 years old when I first watched the TV coverage on the BBC as Geoff Boycott reached his 100th hundred. Boycs was my batting idol. The best self made opening batsman in cricket's history.
Thanks for this,it should be made compulsory viewing for a) the current England squad and b) all those who say that Boycott is all mouth. Sir Geoffrey Boycott ... National Treasure.
They said Boycott couldn't play shots. He played some beautiful ones here. They said Boycott avoided playing fast bowling. I don't think Thomson or Pascoe were exactly slow.
Boycott could easily have played another 50 Tests - Cowdrey and Boycott were two players who chose when to play and avoided several tours. They could easily have added another 4,000 runs each and added another 10-15 Test centuries each.
Lees, Crawley, Sibley, Burns, Hameed and anyoneelse who aspires to open for England ought to be encouragexmd to study Geoffrey Boycott to learn how to open the batting in test cricket. GB was a man who put a very high price on his wicket. He also had a far more expansive range of strokes thanhis detractors can bring themselves to admit. He was just very circumspect as to where and when he used them. A true batting great, and a very knowledgeable man.
People would be surprised just how many shots Geoff would play in a Sunday League game. He was also used as a very effective 5th bowler in Sunday league cricket too. Swung the ball quite considerably at no more than 70-75 mph!!
After Australian team selection Geoffrey Symond have chance to collect approval, but Europe people have great loves for Boycott, reason that ,this man accept to play from the England National..
The sad thing for me is that as he progressed to the end of his career he took so many shots out of his repertoire that many innings stagnated and, as a result, put pressure on the lower order batsman to make up time. In 1986 in a County Championship match v Middlesex he batted 91 overs for a score of 69. It was this innings that persuaded the Yorkshire Committee to not renew Boycott's contract.
John Pearce Interesting. Remember the famous run out of him by I.T. Botham in a test match under orders. And yet he made a big aggressive hundred in a Gillette Cup match, but as you say, early on in his career.
@@rugbydad678 I think we can agree that Geoff was an enigma!! He had all the shots in his repertoire but quite often, whether by instruction, or otherwise, the general public didn't get to see them that regularly. He was still renowned for slow scoring early in his career too. In 1967 Brian Close dropped him after his slow scoring and in another example early in his career, he spent 135 minutes scoring 15 in a test match in South Africa back in 1964/5. 8 runs were scored in 2 deliveries!! These innings were less frequent however than in the later part of his career.
John Pearce Agreed. Rumour has it that the great fielder Clive Lloyd deliberately dropped a sitter off him in the 1979 WC 60 overs final as he and Brearley put on only 129 in the first 38 overs! But would you have picked GB to bat for your life?I think so.
@@kenjones6441 The reason given for not renewing his contract was that he was taking the place of a younger batsman and they (the Yorkshire committee) were thinking of the future.
To sum up sir Geoffrey selfish, arrogant, me, me, despite all this, we need someone like him in the team today, otherwise we come up against the aussies and get walloped.
That's actually not the reason he didn't make those tours. He didn't want Mike Deness as captain and so he figured that with the best batsman missing from the side, himself, then Deness would have a nightmare competing against the top sides, and so it proved to be. Boycott came back into the team about a year after Deness lost the captaincy. Tony Grieg told the story about how in early 1974 in the west indies, England won the series by winning the last test and Boycott had scored a ton and Grieg had taken a 5 for. As they were walking off, Grieg congratulated Boycott on his performance and Boycott motioned with a glance over towards Deness and said "Yeah but we've just saved him his job."
@@Bernie8330 well OK,I am an Australian after all.wouldn't be able to do that these days...And I grant you we didn't need him coming back in 1977,to punish our attack, which did include one Jeff Thomson, although not the player before damaging his shoulder.
@@roybennett6330 I am also from Australia and no a player certainly couldn't do that these days. Yeah, apart from his shoulder injury, English pitches weren't quite as quick as Australian pitches, and he also didn't have Lillee there to bowl in partnership with.
@@Bernie8330 I'm sort of in Brett Lee home town,Wollongong... Where are you. Ha ha but Thomson did come back in the 82/83 season and bowled with some venom, unfortunately his other half broke down with knee problems. As you can tell I always rated thommo,but to take him to England on the 1985 tour was really doing no one any favours.truly a unique individual and spoke to him as a callow youth of 15,at a cricket camp at unnsw,during the 83/84 season, did a bit of coaching, we had,pascoe,waters,Phil marks,David Knox (rugby) it was great,got to see the big three retiring... Boycott was an enigma...a misunderstood genius, and to say he was slow,makes a mockery of his performance during the 79/80 one Sayers...keep safe...and warm
@@roybennett6330 I am from the Queensland bush, I played junior cricket against Martin Love, as our home towns are only 75 minutes apart. I am not sure if you remember him as he only played 5 tests, but he is now Queensland's highest run scorer in sheffield shield. Yeah, that 1982-83 season was my second as a fan, and Thommo, who played in 4 of the 5 tests took 22 wickets at a strike rate of every 34 balls, and no matter Lillee wasn't there because Geoff Lawson stepped up big time with 34 wickets, including 19 in the two tests Australia won that series. For the last 3 tests Rodney Hogg was a very capable 3rd pace man. I think Boycott was a bit like Jacques Kallis i.e. should have traded 5 or 10 runs off his average for an extra 5 or 10 runs on his strike rate (of runs per 100 balls faced), then they might be remembered more favourably as match winning stroke players - am talking about test cricket of course, one day cricket as it became post world series was really a little late in Boycott's career, much like t20 came a little late in Ponting and Tendulkar's career. I remember a book I got for my 10th birthday written by Greg Chappell about various things from the 1980-81 season, nearly 2 years prior, and with his own (GChappell's) career winding down, he named his allstar team, the best he had played with and against. One of his openers was Boycott, and Chappell surmised that if in fact he (Boycott) seemed to be avoiding series at one point against the out and out quick bowlers then it could only have possibly been to avoid being made to look silly and therefore damage his reputation as a big run getter but, as Chappell finished by saying "physically scared? Never." I gotta say, that story Tony Grieg told about Boycott really does reek of sooky school boy stuff and Grieg said in the same interview that to him (Grieg) it gives an insight into some of the aspects of Boycott's personality. I suppose you know the legendary story of when Bob Willis gave instructions for next man in, Ian Botham, to deliberately run Boycott out in a test in NZ?
I was 12 years old when I first watched the TV coverage on the BBC as Geoff Boycott reached his 100th hundred. Boycs was my batting idol. The best self made opening batsman in cricket's history.
My hero for life. One of the best days of my life, running on the pitch patting the great man on his back. Also his deserved knighthood when announced
Thanks for this,it should be made compulsory viewing for a) the current England squad and b) all those who say that Boycott is all mouth.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott ... National Treasure.
Well said. A disciplined sportsman who took immense pride in doing his task well for county and country.
They said Boycott couldn't play shots. He played some beautiful ones here.
They said Boycott avoided playing fast bowling. I don't think Thomson or Pascoe were exactly slow.
Love 70s cricket. There was always some kid in flares retrieving the ball when it goes to the boundary.
Don't knock flares. I thought I looked great in them ☺️
Rubbish trying to cycle in 'em.
@@manoftrent71 ...that’s why we had long socks.
Boycott could easily have played another 50 Tests - Cowdrey and Boycott were two players who chose when to play and avoided several tours. They could easily have added another 4,000 runs each and added another 10-15 Test centuries each.
Absolute legend of the game
Lees, Crawley, Sibley, Burns, Hameed and anyoneelse who aspires to open for England ought to be encouragexmd to study Geoffrey Boycott to learn how to open the batting in test cricket. GB was a man who put a very high price on his wicket. He also had a far more expansive range of strokes thanhis detractors can bring themselves to admit. He was just very circumspect as to where and when he used them.
A true batting great, and a very knowledgeable man.
People would be surprised just how many shots Geoff would play in a Sunday League game. He was also used as a very effective 5th bowler in Sunday league cricket too. Swung the ball quite considerably at no more than 70-75 mph!!
Sir Geoffrey Boycott!!
Go on Geoffrey, what a legend!!
His 99th hundred according to Dr. Samuel Hassam of the International Cricket Council.
Probably the only person who deserves to be called sir.
Boycott a true Yorkshire legend
...he did split Yorkshire fans (like marmite)and caused many a argument around the Christmas dinner table!😊
BOYCOTT makes batting look simple.
Back in the day when the crowd was truly appreciative, and a minimum of half pint screamers
After Australian team selection Geoffrey Symond have chance to collect approval, but Europe people have great loves for Boycott, reason that ,this man accept to play from the England National..
The greatest. Ever!
The sad thing for me is that as he progressed to the end of his career he took so many shots out of his repertoire that many innings stagnated and, as a result, put pressure on the lower order batsman to make up time. In 1986 in a County Championship match v Middlesex he batted 91 overs for a score of 69. It was this innings that persuaded the Yorkshire Committee to not renew Boycott's contract.
John Pearce Interesting. Remember the famous run out of him by I.T. Botham in a test match under orders. And yet he made a big aggressive hundred in a Gillette Cup match, but as you say, early on in his career.
@@rugbydad678 I think we can agree that Geoff was an enigma!! He had all the shots in his repertoire but quite often, whether by instruction, or otherwise, the general public didn't get to see them that regularly. He was still renowned for slow scoring early in his career too. In 1967 Brian Close dropped him after his slow scoring and in another example early in his career, he spent 135 minutes scoring 15 in a test match in South Africa back in 1964/5. 8 runs were scored in 2 deliveries!! These innings were less frequent however than in the later part of his career.
John Pearce Agreed. Rumour has it that the great fielder Clive Lloyd deliberately dropped a sitter off him in the 1979 WC 60 overs final as he and Brearley put on only 129 in the first 38 overs! But would you have picked GB to bat for your life?I think so.
Agree but he was well into his 40s
@@kenjones6441 The reason given for not renewing his contract was that he was taking the place of a younger batsman and they (the Yorkshire committee) were thinking of the future.
Good old days!!
Legend
To sum up sir Geoffrey selfish, arrogant, me, me, despite all this, we need someone like him in the team today, otherwise we come up against the aussies and get walloped.
A true great!
Sir Geoffrey Boycott
Australia eventually found Boycott's weakness in that series!! The full ball wide of the off stump. Geoff got out the same way at Trent Bridge too!!
😂😂😂
When he got his 100th hundred! Must have been when he knocked out all those plates and bats 🤣 Aggers had him all ends up 😁
_"You can't celebrate your 99th century!"_
What a cheeky swine.
Solid
Shame he boycotted the 74/5 series. He and Snow both let England down and Oz triumphed. Oh well that's cricket.
How the fuck has he been knighted!
Tories
😂😂😂
What about me average
Our geoffrey - such an unselfish cricketer and a team man second to none...🤣😂🤣
Rather be a selfish batter and score a lot of runs rather than an selfish one and score naff all. Who is better for the team then?
@@kenjones6441 I guess there aren't any batsmen who wouldn't deliberately score runs
Sir I'm hiding from thomo killed,and 1976 West indies....
That's actually not the reason he didn't make those tours. He didn't want Mike Deness as captain and so he figured that with the best batsman missing from the side, himself, then Deness would have a nightmare competing against the top sides, and so it proved to be. Boycott came back into the team about a year after Deness lost the captaincy. Tony Grieg told the story about how in early 1974 in the west indies, England won the series by winning the last test and Boycott had scored a ton and Grieg had taken a 5 for. As they were walking off, Grieg congratulated Boycott on his performance and Boycott motioned with a glance over towards Deness and said "Yeah but we've just saved him his job."
@@Bernie8330 well OK,I am an Australian after all.wouldn't be able to do that these days...And I grant you we didn't need him coming back in 1977,to punish our attack, which did include one Jeff Thomson, although not the player before damaging his shoulder.
@@roybennett6330 I am also from Australia and no a player certainly couldn't do that these days. Yeah, apart from his shoulder injury, English pitches weren't quite as quick as Australian pitches, and he also didn't have Lillee there to bowl in partnership with.
@@Bernie8330 I'm sort of in Brett Lee home town,Wollongong... Where are you. Ha ha but Thomson did come back in the 82/83 season and bowled with some venom, unfortunately his other half broke down with knee problems. As you can tell I always rated thommo,but to take him to England on the 1985 tour was really doing no one any favours.truly a unique individual and spoke to him as a callow youth of 15,at a cricket camp at unnsw,during the 83/84 season, did a bit of coaching, we had,pascoe,waters,Phil marks,David Knox (rugby) it was great,got to see the big three retiring... Boycott was an enigma...a misunderstood genius, and to say he was slow,makes a mockery of his performance during the 79/80 one Sayers...keep safe...and warm
@@roybennett6330 I am from the Queensland bush, I played junior cricket against Martin Love, as our home towns are only 75 minutes apart. I am not sure if you remember him as he only played 5 tests, but he is now Queensland's highest run scorer in sheffield shield.
Yeah, that 1982-83 season was my second as a fan, and Thommo, who played in 4 of the 5 tests took 22 wickets at a strike rate of every 34 balls, and no matter Lillee wasn't there because Geoff Lawson stepped up big time with 34 wickets, including 19 in the two tests Australia won that series. For the last 3 tests Rodney Hogg was a very capable 3rd pace man.
I think Boycott was a bit like Jacques Kallis i.e. should have traded 5 or 10 runs off his average for an extra 5 or 10 runs on his strike rate (of runs per 100 balls faced), then they might be remembered more favourably as match winning stroke players - am talking about test cricket of course, one day cricket as it became post world series was really a little late in Boycott's career, much like t20 came a little late in Ponting and Tendulkar's career.
I remember a book I got for my 10th birthday written by Greg Chappell about various things from the 1980-81 season, nearly 2 years prior, and with his own (GChappell's) career winding down, he named his allstar team, the best he had played with and against. One of his openers was Boycott, and Chappell surmised that if in fact he (Boycott) seemed to be avoiding series at one point against the out and out quick bowlers then it could only have possibly been to avoid being made to look silly and therefore damage his reputation as a big run getter but, as Chappell finished by saying "physically scared? Never."
I gotta say, that story Tony Grieg told about Boycott really does reek of sooky school boy stuff and Grieg said in the same interview that to him (Grieg) it gives an insight into some of the aspects of Boycott's personality. I suppose you know the legendary story of when Bob Willis gave instructions for next man in, Ian Botham, to deliberately run Boycott out in a test in NZ?
You can see from the grimace on his face that’s a man who’s always in the contest