BROKEN MOULD..

Too often we hear the phrase, `They don`t make `em like that any more.`  Jack Hyams, pictured, died last week at the age of 92.  In his youth he was offered professional cricket and football terms but his father would not allow him to take a career path in cricket.   Instead he waited until after the Second World War when he played professional football for Bradford Park Avenue and took part in a memorable defeat of Arsenal in the FA Cup.


But it was for his cricket that he will be remembered as a legend in the English amateur game, having played for more than 50 clubs, amassing an estimated 130,000 runs including no less than 176 centuries over seven decades of playing.   "Fast bowlers never worried me," he said, "I played at the Oval when I was 68 against a Clive Lloyd X1 and they were a bit annoyed when I walked out without a helmet.  I tried one on once and didn`t like it one bit."


Now as someone who was at the other end of the queue when they were dishing out cricketing talent, I can but admire people like Jack.   And I imagine there are those who would suggest that if he was that good then why didn`t he play county or test match cricket.   I suspect that, like me, he was simply content to play the beautiful game for the fun of it, for they surely don`t make `em like Jack any more.