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117 pages

English

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Gunner: My Life in Cricket is the revealing and absorbing autobiography of Ian Gould, the former England cricketer who became one of the best umpires in the world. During a 13-year career as an elite umpire, 'Gunner' was centre stage for some of the biggest controversies in world cricket, including the infamous 'sandpaper' Test in 2018. As a former international, he appreciated the pressures players were under and formed a rapport with some of cricket's biggest stars, although he always had the integrity of the game at heart. In this candid story of his life in cricket, he is refreshingly honest about the characters and controversies, and he opens up about his battle with depression, after the introduction of DRS technology made the pressure on him intolerable. There are colourful tales too from his days as a player and coach with England, Middlesex and Sussex, and about how he nearly became a professional footballer instead of a cricketer. This included a stint at Arsenal which earned him the nickname 'Gunner'.

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Cricket

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Publié par	Pitch Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	20 avril 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781785316937
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2020
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Ian Gould, 2020
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 9781785316302
eBook ISBN 9781785316937
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Ebook Conversion by www.eBookPartnership.com
Contents
Foreword by Jeff Crowe
Acknowledgements
Line in the Sand
I m Out
Teamwork
Man Management
Burnt Out
Gunner of the Gunners
Middlesex Matters
Sussex by the Sea
England
Never Go Back
On the Circuit
What s Next?
Bibliography
Picture credits: James Boardman/Telephoto Images (cover); Getty Images; Sussex Cricket Museum; other images are from the author s family archive.
The author would also like to thank Mark Baldwin and Andrea Dunn for checking the text and making helpful suggestions.
Foreword by Jeff Crowe
T HIS wonderful game of cricket generously offers so much to its followers. A fiercely fought contest can produce a jaw-dropping spectacle that simply takes your breath away. But for me, that is not what makes cricket so great.
As a past player, team manager and now an administrator the human element has always been the most satisfying for me. Among cricketers a genuine camaraderie exists from which lasting friendships are formed.
Once upon a time in Auckland, at the beautiful Cornwall Cricket Club ground, I walked into the home dressing room one afternoon and there in the corner was Ian James Gould, sitting with a young wicketkeeper called Adam Parore.
Tongue in cheek, Ian quipped: Alright guv, all s going well. It s all yours. He was caretaker skipper while I was on provincial duty. That was close to 40 years ago back in the early 1980s and it was the beginning of an extraordinary cricketing bond.
We had come across each other before when Ian was representing Middlesex and England. He also played for another local club, Ellerslie, as well as Auckland, so I saw a lot of him during the next few Kiwi summers. Ian and his darling wife Jo loved their time in Auckland and the city embraced them big time. They are worldly, warm and engaging. You know, proper people.
After coaching Middlesex, Gunner turned to umpiring and it could be argued this was something that became more important to him than playing for his country.
He became a brilliant umpire and, as luck would have it, we became reacquainted after I joined the ICC s match referee panel. We were to travel the cricketing world again and this time on the same team.
He was undoubtedly the best man-manager I have ever seen among on-field umpires. His ability to read players, engage and be able to control them was extraordinary. Players respected him while TV commentators all over the world regularly remarked on how skilled Gunner was in his decision-making. Even when it got tense in the middle he just knew how to take command of the situation. Erroneously in my opinion, he was never awarded the ICC Umpire of the Year.
My brother Martin was a great fan and mate of Gunner. Martin told me one day that he thought Gunner s technique when raising his finger to give someone out wasn t as English as it might be and suggested he change to raising a pointed finger in front of the eyes pointing towards the batsman instead. While we were in Dominica prior to a Test match I mentioned this to him and we went straight to the nets. Gunner practised for a while with some different styles until we finally agreed on one. I took a photograph of it and sent it back to Martin for his approval. Ian now had a new dismissal delivery technique.
I always enjoyed catching up with Gunner, whether it was in the hustle and bustle of Dhaka or the white sands of a Caribbean beach. There were always places to see and enjoy on non-matchdays with him.
And usually I knew where to find him. Once, on arriving at our hotel in Jolly Beach, Antigua, I walked out on to these gorgeous sands and looked left and right. I bet he s at that far end of the beach, I thought. And there he was, sitting in a Tiki hut with the locals, swilling and chilling.
Just like when we connected in Cape Town prior to the third Test between South Africa and Australia in 2018, the infamous Sandpaper Test . I had completed the first two Tests and the cricket had been as acrimonious as any. Don t worry, we ll sort it from now on my son, he said. And he did.
Ian s contribution to cricket has been enormous. He is rightly respected as a player, coach and latterly an international elite match official. It was an honour and delight making a presentation to Ian before his 100th one-day international in Sydney during the 2015 World Cup.
As he did at Cornwall Park for me way back, during these last years I was always nearby and willing to be his caretaker when needed.
People love his classic cockney style, sharp dry wit and his ever-present broad smile. Gunner never wants much fuss and he will always try to uphold the standards and traditions of the game.
When we disagreed on anything he always starts: I ve known you for a very long time !
Ian s story in cricket is unique. County player, county captain, England player, county coach and world-class umpire. He has an incredible amount to share and to tell from both on and off the field and through these absorbing chapters all will be revealed.
Salut and go well my son, it will continue to be an absolute pleasure.
And it s your round! Jeff (Chopper) Crowe
Jeff Crowe played more than 100 times for New Zealand including 39 Tests before spending four years as manager of the team. He has been an ICC match referee since 2004.
Acknowledgements
C RICKET has given me a fantastic life and I have met some wonderful people but two people in particular have played a big part in my story so far. When I was growing up in Cippenham, my PE teacher Terry Davies guided me in the right way. Thank you, Terry.
I would not have enjoyed the career I did in umpiring without the support, time and guidance so generously given by my coach Denis Burns.
When I first had the idea to tell my story shortly before my retirement from the ICC elite panel in 2019, I didn t have much idea about what it involved. It has amazed me that a year later you are reading a book of which I am extremely proud.
Peter Jacob is a cricket writer I have known for more than 30 years. Over many sessions in a couple of my favourite Hove hostelries (drinking coffee only before you ask!) he helped put my thoughts and stories on to paper. Similarly, my grateful thanks to everyone at Pitch Publishing for their support.
Sadly, my father George, mother Doreen, sister Maureen and brother Barrie are not here to read it. May Gunner - My Life in Cricket be a loving remembrance to them.
Finally, I could not have done this without the love and support of my wife Jo, who has given me the time, space and freedom to work on my book. My incredible children Gemma, Michael and George, brother Jeff and beautiful grandchildren Ava, Mya and Neo are a wonderful team to have around me.
Ian Gould, Hove, March 2020
1
Line in the Sand
I KNOW this might surprise a few people who love cricket and watch a lot of it, but most top umpires prepare for games as fastidiously as players. From the day I joined the International Cricket Council (ICC) s elite panel in 2008, two years after I stood in my first international at the Oval, I trained for every game, and in particular Test matches, in pretty much the same way and certainly with a bit more professionalism than when I played for England back in the 1980s when warm-ups usually consisted of a few laps of the outfield and some stretches with the physio Bernard Thomas, who was the equivalent of a modern-day strength and conditioning coach back then.
Two days before the game started, I would go down to the ground, dump my gear in the umpires room, wander over to the nets and stand at one end during each team s practice and just observe. When you think about it, it s an obvious thing to do. The international game moves so quickly these days that when I began a new series in a different country there were invariably bowlers and batsmen who I had not come across before. So, I stood there quietly, getting used to the pace and bounce of the wicket - which is quite often pretty consistent with the pitch they are going to use for the match - and just see what s going on. As everyone in cricket knows, I m a pretty gregarious person so it was also a nice opportunity to say hello to players I ve umpired before, meet new ones and get some feedback on them from the coaches before chewing the fat with the groundsman or the dozens of administrators and media people that are invariably milling around any ground in the days before every international fixture.
But most importantly, it s a time when I could prepare mentally and physically for what s coming: things like adjusting your eyes to the light, which varies so much from country to country or sometimes even ground to ground, getting accustomed to any changes in the background like new stands that you ve not seen before or working out where the nearest toilet is if you get caught short during a long session of play - which happens quite a lot, I can tell you. A couple of hours sharpens you up and gets you back into focus. I can t say that my method of preparation is followed by all of the other leading umpires. In fact, I think it s a bit