Ashes broadcasts to Australia

[timbo1959]

Not sure if anyone here is old enough to remember, but I'm trying to recall the radio broadcasts for the Ashes in the 1970s and 80s. As I recall, Australians used to get the BBC commentary team for games played in the UK - AM and shortwave - while Alan McGilvray and friends would do the home broadcasts for the ABC. I recall late nights living in rural Australia, staying up late to hear the Tests in England on my little tranny radio, and I'd swear it was the classic Oxbridge accents I listened to, not an Australian broadcast.

Can anyone confirm this?

And for the odd question of the day to anyone reading that's from England - hopefully from Birmingham! Does Edgbaston have a visitors gate for opposing players to enter the field of play, or do both teams come through the same gate at different times? It's a piece of trivia that I was trying to get the answer to.

Thanks

 

[tony p]

As a 14 year old, listened to the 1981 Ashes series in Tasmania on the ABC with the test Match special commentary on my small pocket radio under the covers.
Distinctly remember Henry Blofeld on the comm for the last wicket that Willis took (8-43), dismissing Ray Bright bowled in THAT match.
Not sure if McGilvray was there that year.

 

[timbo1959]

Under the covers too? lol I used to do that as well when I was around the same age, but about a decade a earlier. Problem is, was that Henry working for BBC, or popping up for the ABC? I was in England during that series - very painful for an Aussie! And I only just missed out by a matter of minutes doing a Lillee and Marsh and putting down 20 pounds at the insane odds of 500/1 of England winning. I never had any issue with them making that bet, as the odds were so out of whack, given the topsy-turvey nature of the game, that even John Howard would have put money down on England winning.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah there used to be BBC radio coverage to Aus on the ABC, and one ABC guest commentator would go over and join the TMS team. It used to be McGilvray then it became Maxwell in later years. I actually thought that was still how they did it, but tend to watch everything nowadays rather than listen.

 

[tony p]

Under the covers too? lol I used to do that as well when I was around the same age, but about a decade a earlier. Problem is, was that Henry working for BBC, or popping up for the ABC? I was in England during that series - very painful for an Aussie! And I only just missed out by a matter of minutes doing a Lillee and Marsh and putting down 20 pounds at the insane odds of 500/1 of England winning. I never had any issue with them making that bet, as the odds were so out of whack, given the topsy-turvey nature of the game, that even John Howard would have put money down on England winning.

Just looking at my ABC Cricket Book for 1981, it says about radio commentary for the series,
"Alan McGilvray will join the BBC Radio commentary team in descriptions of the 6 Test Matches & the one-day Internationals.
So it would have been the Test Match Special team we got in Australia in 1981.

 

[timbo1959]

Brilliant. Thanks to you both for clarifying that for me. You wouldn't have the ABC guide for 85 to tell you if it was McGilvray or Maxwell on duty in 1985?

Is Jim Maxwell still at it? I've been away from Australia for over twenty years, so I haven't listened to any radio broadcasts for a long time. My preference used to be to watch the Nine telecast with the radio broadcast playing over it - the best of both worlds.

 

[tony p]

Brilliant. Thanks to you both for clarifying that for me. You wouldn't have the ABC guide for 85 to tell you if it was McGilvray or Maxwell on duty in 1985?

Is Jim Maxwell still at it? I've been away from Australia for over twenty years, so I haven't listened to any radio broadcasts for a long time. My preference used to be to watch the Nine telecast with the radio broadcast playing over it - the best of both worlds.

I've got just about every ABC Cricket Book since 1946/47.
In the 1985 one, it says,
"Alan McGilvray & Alan Marks will be accompanying the Australian Team on their Tour of the United Kingdom.
They will provide the radio summaries of matches (county games), and will join the BBC Radio commentary team in descriptions of the SIX Test Matches & one-day internationals".
Have to be honest, don't remember much of the commentary of that year.

Maxwell is still at it, but I think he had a partial stroke a few years ago, someone else may know.

 

[Burgey]

Maxwell has done what so many commentators do and got to the point where he’s long in the tooth and probably should have given it up a few years ago. seems very ornery these days about **** that’s not important like over rates etc.

Benaud probably the exception to the rule that commentators tend to carry on for too long.

 

[timbo1959]

Thanks again - that nails it for me. Every booklet since 1947? That's impressive.

As for the point about commentators getting a little past it, I tend to find that aspect among a few writers on the game, whose opinions and sense of self-importance rises with their reputation.

 

[Burgey]

See also Haigh, Gideon.

Why use 5 words when you can use 500?

 

[timbo1959]

See also Haigh, Gideon.

Why use 5 words when you can use 500?

LOL - I actually made a comment along those lines in my previous post, then deleted it. Where Gideon is concerned, why use something as mundane as 'beautiful' when you can impress everyone with 'pulchritudinous'?