'One of the most truculent cricket writers'
David Hopps, in the Guardian , pays tribute to Martin Searby, the former Times and Daily Telegraph sports writer and journalist, who passed away at the age of 72.
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
David Hopps, in the Guardian, pays tribute to Martin Searby, the former Times and Daily Telegraph sports writer and journalist, who passed away at the age of 72.
Searby – virtually everybody called him Searby – worked on the county cricket circuit when press boxes still bristled with purpose and a sense of self-worth and, after he had filed repeatedly for five evening papers, mostly ad-libbed with uncanny accuracy, and three radio stations, he had worked up quite a thirst.
In late evening when he turned to double scotch – "a gentleman's measure" – and his opinions became more aggressive, it was a courageous colleague who would not make their excuses and leave. Many a victim returned whey-faced to the press box the next morning to add another anecdote to the collection.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo