Two great amateurs pass on
I was sad to see the passing of Sir Roger Bannister and Hubert Doggart. I can claim a personal connection with both.
Sir Roger attended the same Oxford College, Exeter, as my uncle Paul and at the same time. I broached this with Sir Roger a few years ago. He said he remembered my uncle as “a good member of college”.
My brother thought this the type of remark one makes when one does not recall the person precisely. Then lo and behold, 6 weeks later an envelope popped through my letter box from Sir Roger containing a letter my uncle wrote to him on the very day in May 1954 when the 4 minute mile was broken. Sir Roger sent me his autobiography.
Some 25 years ago I was a gofer on a national newspaper. Their legal correspondent was a barrister involved in a case and could not attend the Commonwealth Lawyers Conference at Vancouver. I was delighted to get the gig and visit that delightful harbour city.
I went to their sports hall of fame museum and saw footage of the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver when Sir Roger beat his great rival John Landy. It remains the best athletics race I have seen.
The point about amateurs – derided as they are for their privileged back ground- is that, unlike a professional sportsman, they have 2 careers and the ending of the sporting one is not a time of and for depression but an opportunity to develop their second. In his case Sir Roger became renowned neurologist.
The spikes in which he ran the race came up for sale. I contacted Bob Tickler as the only person I knew who might pay the £30,000-£50,000 estimate. Here is the link to the auction lot – ROGER BANNISTER SHOES
In fact the spikes went for £240,000, not to Bob. I hoped they stayed in the UK.
Ivan Conway invited me to the Arundel festival to watch Sussex CCC in that most picturesque of grounds 2 years ago. Hubert Doggart who captained Sussex was present. He was lively company, composed a poem for the occasion and was talkative the point of garrulous. I enjoyed his company.
His second career was teaching.He was a housemaster at Winchester and then headmaster of the Bruton’s school. He won 5 Cambridge blues. Again like Sir Roger he seamlessly followed his career on retirement in cricket in which, as a Cambridge undergraduate, he was selected for England.
A cricketer in the past might buy a Post Office or pub with his testimonial proceeds and rue his playing days. Those who enjoyed greater success find the transition more difficult. They are no longer molly-cuddled but have to fend for themselves. The phone does not ring any more and calls are not returned. There is a high rate of severe depression in cricketers and this post-retirement quandary is one reason.
So with the passing of Sir Roger and Hubert Doggart let’s rejoice in the amateur.