John Arlott

Vocation

Traits

Family

British sports commentator known as "the voice of cricket" for his coverage of every Test Match that England played up to his retirement in 1980. For many, his was the voice that was evocative of English summer. A natural communicator, the distinctive, resonant tones of his broadcasts were serious but leavened with a dry wit and humor. His love of the game was obvious. Prior to entering the broadcasting field, Arlott had a varied career as a mental hospital administrator, a policeman, a published poet and a BBC radio producer. The latter post led to his first ten-minute stint doing cricket summation. He also worked as a wine writer and a football reporter, and in May 1955 General Elections, even stood as a Liberal Party candidate. He considers himself lucky professionally through the opportunities he has followed up. He had domestic upsets of a traumatic divorce in 1958 followed by the deaths of his daughter in 1960, his first son in 1964 and his second wife, 1976. The year 1958 was particularly meaningful, as he was scheduled on a plane flight to Munich on February 6th but was replaced for the assignment and missed a fatal plane crash. It was this same year that he assisted DiOliviera, the talented South African all-rounder, to play professionally in England, from where he went on to championships worldwide. Arlott died on December 14, 1991 at his home in Alderney, Channel Islands. He was 77. Link to Wikipedia biography