Bairstow a cricketer who never knew he was beaten (7 Jan 1998)

7 January 1998

Bairstow a cricketer who never knew he was beaten

Christopher Martin-Jenkins

Christopher Martin-Jenkins pays tribute to former Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper who was found hanged at his home

THE appalling cocktail of misfortune which led to the tragic death of David Bairstow at the age of 46 on Monday night belies totally the image of the tough, ebullient and exuberant character which will be cherished by all who knew him in cricket. It is encapsulated in a photograph of the Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper on his tour of the West Indies: a beaming 'Bluey', red hair tousled, is proudly holding one of his better catches, a tropical fish almost as tall and broad as himself.

This is the picture to which all who warmed to his wonderfully spirited cricket for Yorkshire should cling on this miserable morning when an inquest will determine whether he did indeed take his own life. The irony is shocking, for here was a personality full of joie de vivre who gave all his concentration and enthusiasm to the people and causes in which he believed.

Yorkshire cricket was the greatest of them. He played for two decades, starting in 1970 after sitting an A level exam at Hanson Grammar School in Bradford. In the same year he represented MCC Schools at Lord's. He was proud of the fact that his son, Andrew, also played representative schools cricket with exceptional distinction and was hopeful that he would build on his successful start in county cricket (for Derbyshire) three seasons ago.

'Bluey', as his contemporaries knew him with great affection, captained Yorkshire with heartfelt pride and dedication from 1984 to 1986 in the aftermath of a cricketing civil war within the broad acres. He retired after the 1990 season with 961 catches and 138 stumpings, 14th in the all-time list overall, and he scored more than 1,000 runs in three seasons to emphasise his very considerable contributions as a batsman. He hit the ball very hard and he was quite fearless. Goodness knows how many tense one-day games he turned Yorkshire's way. He played 21 one-day internationals for England in addition to his four Tests.

Fielders, batsmen, or football opponents who bumped into David Bairstow accidentally felt as though they had they collided with a rhino at full charge. Give him a horn, in fact, and he would have taken on any rhino himself, especially if the good of his team depended upon it. He was noisily committed to every match he played.

He should probably have played more Test cricket than he did: his wicketkeeping was not a thing of beauty but it was agile and often under-estimated. I had the good fortune to play with him on a brief winter tour late in his career and can still see the skill with which, standing up, he gathered in a yorker a fraction after it had pitched inches outside the leg stump: an impossible take made simple.

Bairstow's many friends in cricket were totally stunned by the news that he had been found hanged in his own home. In the West Indies the England coach, David Lloyd, an old adversary in many a Roses match, said: "David was a Yorkshire cricketer down to his boots - a great competitor.

"He was the sort of fellow you looked forward to playing with and against. But after he retired, we did radio work together on Test Match Special and that was great fun.

"David was a very brave player. You could hit him with anything and he would always bounce back."

Phil Carrick, a former Yorkshire team-mate who was also godfather to Andrew, said he was stunned by news of Bairstow's death.

"I just can't take it in," he said. "I saw him at a funeral six weeks ago and he seemed in good spirits. I've known him since we were about 10 years old and we first met because our fathers played cricket together in the early 1960s.

"We had played cricket together since 1967 until David retired in 1990. He was the life and soul of the party and he became very close to me, especially in the 1970s and we shared a lot of good times and bad times.

"He was a fantastic cricketer, who never knew when he was beaten. He never gave in and while he was at the wicket, you knew you had a chance of winning."

Ray Illingworth, the former England captain and chairman of selectors, who played with and against Bairstow during his own cricket career, added: "I just can't believe it. He was one of those people who lived life to the full and what you saw was what you got with David."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)