Mike Gatting as after dinner speaker

[lancsdes]

I always liked Mike Gatting’s pugnacious style of cricket but his after dinner speech the other day was one of the most disappointing I have ever heard. He had no timing at all and I am not exaggerating to say I could have made the audience laugh more with anecdotes about his era. I had heard everything before . There was just one mildly amusing bit in the story about Malcolm Marshall breaking his nose . Prior to the break he said he hadn’t been able to get bat on ball for overs . Eventually Marshall said “ Eh man, you hold the bat still. I’ll hit it”.

One thing you couldn’t have accused him of was being big headed . He didn’t even mention being one of only two English away Ashes winning captains in the last half century.

[oldhamexile]

That's a shame Des, he seems a very affable chap by all accounts. I understand he's still a regular visitor at Enfield CC (North London branch) where him and his brother (Steve Gatting, ex-Arsenal and Brighton & HA) played league cricket. It's an improbably nice ground given the proximity to the A10, good standard of cricket in that area.