Bill Frindall has died. He was 69.
The cricket scorer and statistician, Bill Frindall, has died . A stalwart of the Test Match Special team, he also wrote books on cricket records and contributed to Wisden. Our Sport Correspondent, Kevin Gearey, looks back at his unique contribution to the sport he loved:
"He was known to cricket fans around the world as "The Bearded Wonder. " It was the nickname bestowed on him by his fellow Test Match Special commentator, Brian Johnson, for his extraordinary ability to answer obscure statistical questions while constantly updating his immaculate scorecard of the game in progress. Bill Frindall had been the scorer for BBC Radio's Test match commentary team since 1966, starting in the month that the England football team won the World Cup. But he was much more than a mere statistician. His wry humour added to the legendary "banter" of the TMS box with his pithy interjections often the source of mirth or the pinprick that burst occasional bubbles of pomposity. His scoring system, which he developed himself, was almost a work of art in itself-- drawn up in multiple colours for clarity of referral. No matter how arcane the inquiry from his fellow broadcasters, "The Bearded Wonder" always seemed to have the answer at his fingertips. No longer can they "ask Bearders" and the art of cricket broadcasting will be stumped by his loss."
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Bill Frindall was one of the triumvirate (along with Brian Johnson and John Arlott) who defined cricket and summer during my formative years growing up as a cricket-mad schoolboy in the late 60s/early 70s. He will be sadly missed. The end of an era.
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Could do with a Bearded Wonder on the blog to push things on a bit. Any takers?
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Bill Frindall will be missed almost as much as Brian Johnson, who coined the term "bearded wonder" because he really was - a wonder.
TMS will NEVER be the same again, but pity the poor scorer person who has to try to fill his much beloved and greatly missed, shoes.
RIP
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Ever since I was a little boy in the village of Fitzwilliam Geoff Boycotts home was just the other side of the cricket field.
I have been an ardent fan of cricket the commentator Brian Johnson was a great loss and now his pal The Bearded Wonder the world of cricket will never be the same. Bill Frindall we will miss you R.I.P
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Sad News.
2009 has been, already, an awful year on so many levels...
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It was a shock to hear of Bill's death this afternoon. I am the archivist at his old school - Reigate Grammar School - and I met Bill at a reunion in 2006. It was with pleasure that I showed him a discovery I had made a few weeks earlier. I reminded him of how he had made a very permanent mark on the school, and showed him a photograph of it. His name and date very precisely written onto a long-forgotten corner of the school fabric! I has also discovered a school cricket match scorecard with his name on it, playing in a match between the school First XI and the Old Boys team. Unfortunately it had not been filled in, but Bill being Bill he had a very clear recollection of how much he scored on that particular occasion, some 50 years earlier.
A sad loss, and I am so pleased I had the chance to meet him and buy his excellent autobiography.
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A sad thing.
They said he died of Legionaire's Disease, but not where he is believed to have got it.
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Chris (7) yes I heard that too. Not only very sad but extremely bad luck on his part. I enjoyed listening to him on TMS, the camaradary (?spell) between them all on the team at TMS was great. He will be sadly missed.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
C_G 7, See Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30. Cricket is a sport of the Devil.
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Re 8, Oversensitive mods.
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Re 11, Make that re 9.
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"Over-and-Out" Bill.
Thanks for the wonderful memories. You made "everyone" look good.
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Eddie:
...Bill Frindall has died....
I am sending Mr. Frindall, friends and family; my deepest condolences....
~Dennis Junior~
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Chris @ 7 - they're saying it was not contracted at a hotel in Dubai where he stayed recently and where other guests have also picked up the infection. Mmmm
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