Farewell, CMJ

It was with sadness that over the last few days the cricketing diaspora heard of the deaths of Tony Greig and Christopher Martin-Jenkins. The pair were amongst cricket’s longest-serving and most valuable contributors, serving the game in a variety of roles for a combined total of eighty-nine years. Though contrasting in style – Greig was far more abrasive and forthright; Martin-Jenkins calm and eloquent – both have left their mark on the sport in their own ways.

Words on Greig and the massive contributions he made to the development of the sport have been widely circulated in the last few days. As a young writer who remembers him mostly as one of the many voices of Channel Nine I am in no position to add much of value. But suffice to say that whilst not everything he did was good, the sport is far better for his lifelong support.

Martin-Jenkins, or CMJ as he was usually referred to as, was better known in England than elsewhere. But in the broadcasting field he was a giant among giants. The most knowledgeable of a legendary Test Match Special team in which his colleagues over the years included Jonathan Agnew, Henry Blofeld, John Arlott and Brian Johnston, he was described by former Wisden editor Scyld Berry as the single person you would want to describe a crucial Ashes Test. He wasn’t wrong.

I was lucky enough to briefly encounter CMJ in October 2011, when he agreed to give an after-dinner speech at my cricket club’s end of season do to celebrate our 150^th anniversary. The CMJ we heard on that evening was different from the one on the radio. On TMS he played the straight man – the perfect foil to the antics of Johnston, Blofeld and in more recent years  Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell. In many ways he kept the show together, ensuring that it delivered not only the type of entertainment you want at five in the morning, but also cricket coverage of the highest quality. But on his own he was incredibly witty, leaving his audience crying with laughter as he recalled tours to Pakistan from years gone by. As an aspiring writer I regret not pressing him more to offer some advice on cricket writing – all of the comments I’ve read today suggest he surely would have done.

It is significant that Martin-Jenkins was never a professional player. He joined the TMS team at the age of just 28, and went on to establish himself as a senior correspondent for various newspapers as well as for the BBC. In the 21^st Century world this is becoming increasingly uncommon. In TV Harsha Bhogle and Tony Cozier are the last flagbearers for the non-playing commentator, whilst even at TMS it has become exceptionally hard for anybody to establish themselves without a background as a player. I sincerely hope that CMJ’s generation will not be the last of the non-playing commentator. Although ex-players undoubtedly offer a fine perspective, and for TV companies offer the benefit of being able to double up as studio analysts, the perspective of the non-player is itself valuable. They perhaps understand the game in a similar way to their audiences, and can instinctively identify what is going through the listener’s mind.

One of CMJ’s greatest strengths as a broadcaster was that he never got too excited about anything accept at genuinely scintillating moments. When his voice went up a decibel you knew that something important was going on. In the modern era of shoutiness it can be difficult to distinguish the top edge for four from the Ashes-clinching wicket. CMJ knew just what tone to take at what moment.

His contributions as a writer should not be neglected amongst his commentary work. Along with the likes of Neville Cardus and John Woodcock he will surely go down as one of the greatest cricket writers’ England has known. A few years ago, around the time of his retirement as Times correspondent he wrote a book which ranked the Top 100 Cricketers of All Time. That he had seen so many of them play live is testament to his longevity. Selecting and ranking 100 cricketers from over 130 years of international cricket was a near impossible task. His selections and rankings can of course be contested. But few men would have been brave enough to even try, let alone produce such a convincing list.

Agnew said today that ‘It's doubtful if anyone has contributed more in a lifetime to the overall coverage of cricket than CMJ’. Whilst he may have a few rivals for that title he’s certainly not far off. He’s high up on my list of inspirations for sure. The cricketing world is a markedly poorer place without CMJ.

A heartfelt tribute has been written by his friend and colleague Mike Selvey – it is well worth a read: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/jan/01/christopher-martin-jenkins-cricket-best-friend?CMP=twt_gu