John Woodcock interviewed by David Rayvern Allen Part 1

Reference

MCC/AAL/3/170

Date:

2006-02-17

Level of description

item

Extent

1 CD: 48 minutes 22 seconds

Part of

David Rayvern Allen Audio Archive (MCC/AAL/3)

Scope and Content

1 CD, John Woodcock, cricket writer, interviewed by David Rayvern Allen. The CD consists of 9 tracks.

Track 1: [0:00-0:41] Introduction by Rayvern Allen, [0:42-1:23] Woodcock talks about loving cricket since being at prep school, [1:24-2:21] Woodcock talks about going to the Dragon School in Oxford and then St. Edwards and falling during the Second World War which curtailed him from playing cricket to a good standard, [2:22-3:02] Woodcock talks about playing club cricket in the 1950's for Free Foresters and Arabs, [3:03-3:22] Woodcock talks about preferring batting and being part-time wicket-keeper, [3:23-4:19] Woodcock talks about organising a yearly village cricket match and getting famous name to play.

Track 2: [0:00-0:17] Woodcock talks about Longparish winning the National Village Championship, [0:18-1:51] Woodcock talks about his parents and family ties to Longparish, [1:52-2:41] Woodcock talks about his family ancestry, [2:42-4:45] Woodcock talks changes in village cricket during his lifetime including how competitive school crickey has become.

Track 3: [0:00-0:48] Woodcock talks about parents watching school sport matches, [0:49-1:31] Woodcock talks about how village cricket has changed and the difficulties in getting a team together, [1:32-1:53] Woodcock talks about the demands of modern life impacting on modern cricket, [1:54-3:23] Woodcock talks about attending Oxford University, [3:24-3:53] Woodcock talks about playing cricket and other sports for Trinity College at Oxford University, [3:54-4:48] Woodcock talks about briefly being a schoolmaster, [4:49-5:18] Woodcock talks about working for Jim Swanton.

Track 4: [0:00-0:27] Woodcock talks about replacing John Kitchen and being friends with him, [0:28-1:23] Woodcock talks about recording the 1950-1951 MCC tour to Australia for the BBC, [1:24-2:01] Woodcock talks about going on tour to Australia by boat, [2:02-4:36] Woodcock talks about what it was like working for Jim Swanton and mentions others who worked for him including Scyld Berry and Irving Rosenwater.

Track 5: [0:00-1:42] Woodcock talks about having strong memories of the 1950-1951 MCC tour of Australia and listening to Neville Cardus, [1:43-2:42] Woodcock talks about where Neville Cardus lived and writing in pencil, [2:43-4:58] Woodcock talks about Neville Cardus telling stories.

Track 6: [0:00-2:34] Woodcock tells a story about a dinner marking Denis Compton's 50th birthday and the type of player he was, [2:35-3:20] Woodcock talks about what he saw of the 1947 cricket season, [3:21-5:02] Woodcock talks about Len Hutton being England's first professional captain.

Track 7: [0:00-2:30] Woodcock talks about Len Hutton being the first professional captain of England and Yorkshire cricket always being seen as good, [2:31-3:10] Woodcock talks about whether Brian Sellars could have captained England, [3:11-3:57] Woodcock talks about Norman Mitchell-Innes, [3:58-4:52] Woodcock talks about Johnny Clay.

Track 8: [0:00-0:39] Woodcock talks about Len Hutton being the first professional captain, [0:40-1:15] Woodcock talks about how long he worked for Jim Swanton as his secretary, [1:16-3:59] Woodcock talks about moving to The Guardian and his first Test Match covering the 1952 Indians in England.

Track 9: [0:00-2:03] Woodcock talks about his writing style for The Guardian, writing a ghosted piece of Denis Compton and nom-de-plume's, [2:04-4:49] Woodcock talks about England winning the Ashes in 1953 and celebrating after MCC winning in Melbourne in 1950-1951 and knowing Harold Larwood.



A back-up copy of this CD is included.

Associations

John Charles Woodcock
David Rayvern Allen
Oxford University
Ernest William Swanton
Scyld Berry
Irving Rosenwater
Denis Charles Scott Compton
Sir Leonard Hutton
Arthur Brian Sellers
Norman Stewart Mitchell-Innes
John Charles Clay
The Guardian
Harold Larwood
Raymond Russell Lindwall
Alan Keith Davidson
Keith Nichol Slater

Subject

school cricket, village cricket, MCC in Australia 1950-1951, amateurs and professionals, captains, captaincy, India in England 1952, Australia in England 1953

Conditions governing access

Open

Language

English

Size

1 CD: 48 minutes 22 seconds

Hierarchy browser

• David Rayvern Allen Audio Archive (MCC/AAL/3)
  
  • John Woodcock interviewed by David Rayvern Allen Part 1 (MCC/AAL/3/170)