Obituary
One of the greatest all rounders cricket has ever seen. only played seven tests due to the correct boycott of South Africa but a county cricket stalwart for fourteen seasons. No other player has been so important to a county cricket side that the county gets its name nominally changed to his … Gloucestershire to Proctershire 1417 first class wickets at 19.5 21936 first class runs at 36 including 48 centuries. a hero of my childhood and beyond.Just watch the clip of his hat-trick against Hampshire in 1977.
South Africa won six of the seven Tests in which he played, all against Australia. A pretty damn good bunch of cricketers back then.
Another thing reminding me of childhood. Watching Gillette Cup/B & H Cup cricket on the BBC some games going on until 9pm or so in mid summer. Think his hat trick was the first I ever saw, very fast bowler
Also worth remembering that whilst the SA boycott deprived him of what would undoubtedly have been a lengthy and glorious test career, he was always quick to speak out against his country’s apartheid policies and vociferously supported the reasons for the boycott.
I’m pretty sure that for a considerable number of years it was Proctor charging in which opened the Grandstand credits.
Remarkable to think that when he was at Gloucestershire, an average county game played at an out-ground like Ilford or Leyton could include anyone from the England team – often the day after they’d played in a Test Match – and overseas players like Viv Richards, Colin Croft (when I got his autograph at Ilford it was like asking an oak tree to sign it), Barrie Richards, Joel Garner etc.
You want to talk to Viv Richards during a three-day game? So go and talk to Viv Richards, he’s got nothing else to do!
I remember seeing that fantastic Somerset team with Richards, Botham and Garner at Ilford. While Keith Fletcher’s Essex would have had Gooch, JK Lever, Neil Foster, Derek Pringle etc. (Did Essex have any overseas players at that time?) Not a bad day out.
Ken McEwan, a South African batsman, and Norbert Phillip – a West Indian fast bowler and now a sobering 75 years of age! – spring to mind. Mike Denness and Brian Hardie were both Scottish.
I seem to recall that the great Viv Richards even played in the Lancashire League as well…
this was a time when overseas stars joined a club and stayed with them at Gloucestershire we had Proccy, Zaheer and Sadiq for years, Clive Lloyd was loyal to Lancs, Warwicks had Alvin Kallicharan and Rohan Kanhai, Notts had Bishen Bedi, Middlesex had Des Haynes and Wayne Daniel, Hants had Barry Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall. as a youngster these were fabulous and very influential times to be a cricket supporter… I loved it and still have the collection of autograph to show for my years spent at cricket grounds.
I think Bedi was at Northants. Notts had Rice and Hadlee. Amazing how overseas players stayed with one club for so long compared to today. Hashim Amla has played for four different counties for example.
Sad news about Mike Proctor. One of many cricketing heroes for those of us growing up in those days.
I’m glad Richie was commentating on that great spell. I didn’t realise two of the wickets were Greenidge and Barry Richards.
i knew it was Northants … stupid bloody typing skills
Back in the sixties, Aberdeenshire had Rohan Kanhai as the club pro. Them was the days, crowds of at least sixty four, the tension was electric.
“And the latest from Mannofield –
Aberdeenshire 399-7 (Kanhai 309 not out)
Perthshire 77 all out”
My home town used to have one Glamorgan Sunday League game a year. Saw so many legendary cricketers playing on a ground that I had also played on, Lloyd, Richards, Boycott etc