Cricket mourns death of Bill Frindall

DR. AJITH C. S. PERERA

William Howard (Bill) Frindall MBE (3 March 1939 - 29 January 2009), a renowned cricket scorer, the foremost cricket statistician in the game and author well-known for his encyclopedic knowledge of cricket facts, has died at 69 of the infectious respiratory Legionnaires' disease.

Bill, at the time of his demise, was in his 43rd consecutive season as BBC cricket scorer and statistician (the longest serving member of the famous BBC Radio 'Test Match Special' cricket commentary team having scored in 377 test matches); The Times cricket statistician; Editor (since 1986) of Playfair Cricket Annual; Patron of the German Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers; and Cricket Archivist to the estate of the late Sir Paul Getty.

He was also inaugural president of the charity, British Blind Sports Association. Dubbed 'the Bearded Wonder' by the renowned cricket commentator Brian Johnston, he will long be remembered by very many around the cricketing world for two reasons:

(a). For his endeavours to upgrade the significance of the role of scorers, a fact I personally knew. In this regard, the congratulatory message Bill sent me by e-mail dated 29 August 2007 to be read at the launch of the Sri Lanka Cricket Scorers' official website the next evening is worth quoting below.

"Without a scorer there would be no game. For so long they have been regarded as the poor servants of cricket, whereas they are as vitally important to it as players and umpires.

My brief tours of Sri Lanka, as a player and a correspondent, have shown me how efficient and conscientious your scorers are.

May your recognition of the wonderful service of the worthy doyens of Sri Lankan scoring encourage others to follow their dedicated paths".

(b). For revolutionizing the art of cricket scoring to infuse life when others found it boring; and to make every ball an event.

Bill and I met each other for the first time in 1990 when I was invited to the BBC's Test Match Special commentary box during England's Second Test match against India at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Before the start of the second day's play, there was BILL occupying his corner of the commentary box. He invited me to stand behind him and be a 'silent observer' of him working - with precision, meticulous care and utmost concentration. Prior to that he gave me a good introduction to his innovative method of 'linear scoring'.

It was indeed a lifetime opportunity, both inspirational and educational, to witness such 'a master in action'.

Bill has introduced to cricket his own version of scoring known as the 'Frindall system' - in an era before laptops and electronic scoring.

Yet, it was so methodical, accurate and practical that it enabled him to provide in moments even the most obscure cricketing facts or detail the commentators required.

Bill's published works include the Wisden Book of Test Cricket; the Wisden Book of Cricket Records (four editions); the Guinness Book of Cricket - Facts and Feats; and the 'Cricket records' section of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, which he wrote for several years.

He had a regular column on the BBC cricket website that ran to its 185th edition. It had a wide variety of interesting questions that covered even the laws of cricket. Here he invited visitors to 'Stump Bearders'.

In 1998, Bill was awarded the honorary degree of 'Doctor of Technology' by Staffordshire University for his contribution to statistics For his distinguished services to cricket and broadcasting, in 2004, Bill Frindall was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

I have lost my good cricketing friend at 'THE BEECHES' from Wiltshire who kept regular contact with me until last Christmas; a friend who even visited me at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in January 1994; a friend who inspired me in the mid 1980s to move into professional cricket scoring to serve the game in Sri Lanka more meaningfully; and lately, a friend who encouraged me to carry-on my campaign for 'user-friendly facilities at sports stadia' to welcome all people at grounds and thereby make sports in Sri Lanka encourage social inclusion of all people.

For the superlative contributions made well over 43 years to cricket, may Bill Frindall long be remembered with gratitude. It is our duty to 'Honour them to whom honour is due'.