Lives in Cricket No 10 - John Shepherd

had announced that the Government had approved Younis’ and Shepherd’s inclusion in the side and this was followed by a statement from the President of the (all-white) South African Cricket Association, Boon Wallace, that both players were ‘very keen’ to come to South Africa and that he was ‘delighted … that the selected team is welcomed’ (a clear reference to the D’Oliveira Affair of 1968). The tour party captain was the indomitable Brian Close and he was joined by a high-quality group of English professionals with international experience such as Graham Roope, John Lever, Roger Tolchard and John Snow. Shepherd’s county colleagues Graham Johnson and Bob Woolmer were also in the party and the Kent connection was strengthened further as Les Ames was to manage the side. For the 1973 season Kent had improved the salary of John Shepherd from £1,850 per annum to £2,150 per annum, a rise of 16%, although much of this seemingly generous increase was to be eaten away by inflation which was over 9% in the year. This meant that his salary, at the age of 29, was almost exactly the same as the UK average earnings of £2,170. 81 The younger Bob Woolmer (25) and Graham Johnson (26) were paid £1,750 that year. Whilst these salaries were arguably satisfactory, given the norms of the time, there was always a need to supplement the earnings outside of the cricket season. So for John Shepherd and the other two Kent-contracted professionals the offer, conveyed to them by the appointed tour manager Les Ames, of generous remuneration for some eight weeks of work in South Africa was obviously attractive. The same applied to the other members of the tour party of course – they were all full-time cricket professionals who no doubt reasoned that careers were short and that every opportunity to augment their modest county earnings should be pursued. The other non-white player on the tour, Surrey’s 27-year-old Pakistani batsman Younis Ahmed, put the case clearly at the time: There is no mystery why I came on this tour. First of all I am a professional cricketer and I go anywhere in the world where I can earn my living. In this case I was offered £100 per week, plus all expenses, for this eight-week trip with the Derrick Robins XI. And since I have been out here I have signed a further three-month contract to play and coach in Rhodesia … also at £100 a week plus accommodation, plus car. Where in England could any county cricketer match that sort of payment in an English winter? So as a professional cricketer I just had to take the offers. 82 In reality of course Younis Ahmed did not ‘have to take the offer’ any more than John Shepherd or any other member of the touring party had to be involved. They chose to for the reasons that Younis stated – and John Honorary White 69 81 Equivalent to £32,000 in 2009 money. 82 Crawford White, ‘Younis, Shepherd beat apartheid’, in (London) Daily Express , 13 December 1973.