LIves in Cricket No 31 - Walter Robins

131 dressing-rooms and bathrooms, a location where other players would be going back and forth at irregular intervals and where there was no reason for the umpires to be present as their changing-room was at the other end of the pavilion, behind the visitors’ dressing-room. If it happened on the second day between the change of innings, the only opportunity to buttonhole the umpires and give them specific instructions before they returned to the field, would have to have been at their own dressing-room, far from where Trueman was taking his bath. If the story as told by Trueman did not happen, why would he invent it? When it came to write his autobiography it must have seemed an opportunity to put the record straight regarding the lack of support he believed that he and other players should have received from the cricket authorities on various occasions during his career. In particular, it must have rankled that despite his heroic efforts taking 34 wickets in the 1963 series, England had lost 3-1, mainly due to what some believed was MCC allowing the West Indies to continue playing with a bowler with a suspect action who had taken 32 wickets. Robbie had passed away before Trueman’s book was published, so was not available to deny the accusation. When composing the story, who would be better to pick out as the leading actor in the scenario than good old Robbie, with his reputation for being a bit of a loose cannon. Perhaps that is why the location of the conversation has definite echoes of the altercation 33 years before, when Shrimp Leveson Gower had sought out Robbie for a dressing down and a very public exchange of views was acted out on the landing outside the England dressing-room. Trueman does try to excuse Robbie’s behaviour by suggesting that Robbie was acting with the best of intentions in the interest of racial harmony, and then goes even further to embellish his story by saying that, when they met two years later, Robbie told him it was the best-kept secret in cricket, which would not have been very difficult as there was no secret to keep. * * * * * * * Returning to the events of 1965, Robbie played at Lord’s that summer in a one-day match between Middlesex Past and Future and Surrey Past and Future when he was joined by old friends, Robertson, Dewes, Bedford and the Compton brothers. He scored a few runs before being bowled by Laker and even bowled a couple of overs himself, but without capturing any wickets to prevent Surrey winning in an exciting finish. He certainly had not yet decided to retire completely, and was continuing to keep himself active with real tennis and by joining the Bowls Club at Brondesbury Cricket Ground. He had also been going to Zermatt every winter with Ken Garcke to enter curling competitions, a sport he had taken up in the early 1960s. Kathleen and Unity went with them one year and Kathleen recalled that she was ‘amazed at the great reception Ken and Walter got from the “regulars”, mostly Scotsmen with whom they played (or curled) for those Challenge Cups.’ The ICC met as usual in July 1965 and attempted again to solve the problem of bowlers’ illegal actions. They came up with an interim definition for Final Years