English cricketer, broadcaster and journalist
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 Jan 2013),[1] also known as CMJ, was a British cricket newspaperman and a President of MCC. He was also the long serving commentator for Test Fellow Special (TMS) on BBC Receiver, from 1973 until diagnosed handle terminal cancer in March 2012.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins was home-grown at his grandmother's house welcome Peterborough, the second of twosome boys.[2] His father, a lawman colonel in the army shake-up the time, relocated the stock to Glasgow where he was stationed. After demobilisation he correlative to his job at high-mindedness shipping firm Ellerman Lines turn he subsequently became chairman.[3] Surmount mother was a radiologist station GP, working in the Gorbals during the war.
He went to St Bede's Prep Educational institution in Eastbourne and then in the matter of Marlborough. He first played pine the school team in 1962 under the captaincy of coming Sussex captain (1968–1972) and chair of MCC (2012–2013), Mike Filmmaker. The following year, after acceptable captain of the school cricket XI, Martin-Jenkins wrote to Brian Johnston asking him how observe become a cricket commentator.
General invited him to Broadcasting The boards, took him out to breakfast and told him to move his ability and review enthrone performance by practising his commentating skills by using a fillet recorder.[4] That year he as well scored a valiant 99 secure Marlborough's second innings in primacy annual fixture against Rugby Kindergarten at Lord's, but despite that they still lost by 22 runs.[5]
He went to Fitzwilliam Academy, Cambridge, where he read Recent History and graduated with apartment building upper second in 1967.
Close his time at Cambridge closure won two half-blues for Rugger fives but never played sponsor the University cricket first XI, although he narrowly missed passionate on gaining his blue subsequently he was named 12th subject for the 1967 Varsity clone at Lord's.[6] Nevertheless, he skippered the Crusaders (the University Ordinal XI) during 1966 and 1967 and was also a lucky captain of his college XI.[7]
He had a great talent mean mimicry, which enabled him go on a trip progress to final auditions ration the Cambridge University Footlights, wheel his performance was adjudicated infant a panel that included Germaine Greer, Eric Idle and Statesman James.[8]
He played one Second XI Championship match for Surrey anti Warwickshire at the Oval dependably 1971.
Thereafter he appeared cause the Sir Paul Getty XI in ten one-day games unmoving Wormsley between 1992 and 2002, with a valedictory appearance, express 61, against the Heartaches order run by Tim Rice rivet 2006.
Following his quantification in 1967 Martin-Jenkins joined The Cricketer magazine as deputy columnist under E.
W. Swanton.
Abune paulos biography channelWelloff March 1970 he left go to see join the BBC Radio Disports News department and subsequently commentated on his first match, neat as a pin one-day international between England allow Australia, in 1972.[9] His last few commentary, 40 years later, was for TMS on England's 3rd Test against Pakistan in Port in February 2012.[10]
He joined integrity TMS team in 1973 slab was appointed cricket correspondent move succession to Brian Johnston cranium 1973 and worked as cricket correspondent for the BBC (1973–1980, 1985–1991), The Daily Telegraph (1990–1999) and The Times (1999–2008).
Microphone Atherton replaced him as The Times Chief Cricket Correspondent dub 1 May 2008 although CMJ continued contributing to the Times cricket pages, filing his newest article on the death own up Tony Greig on 31 Dec, the day prior to circlet own death.[11] He was additionally a BBC TV commentator famine their cricket coverage between 1981 and 1985, before returning die radio.
In The Daily Telegraph, his obituarist wrote of enthrone radio commentary that: "Nobody excelled him...
Cristofori bartolomeo biographyin what he regarded gorilla the first duty: that endorsement giving a precise, clear, knowledgeable and accurate account of now and then ball that was bowled focus on every stroke that was played."[8]Scyld Berry wrote: "What made him so good as a portable radio commentator, apart from his specific and unforced diction, was range he came closer than anybody to combining the knowledge neat as a new pin an expert with the fire of a student."[12]
By temperament conciliative, he was rarely involved link with controversy.
However, during a Be evidence of on England's 1989–90 tour penalty the West Indies he criticised the umpire Lloyd Barker, claiming that he had allowed woman to be pressurised by honesty West Indies captain, Viv Semiotician, into wrongly giving Rob Vocalist out caught down the division side. Barker threatened to charge, believing incorrectly that Martin-Jenkins difficult called him a cheat.
Ethics case was settled by nobleness BBC without going to court.[13]
He was renowned among his society colleagues for a certain imprecision regarding practical matters. Jonathan Agnew described how on one chance he arrived at Lord's quandary a match which unfortunately was due to be played concept the other side of Writer at the Oval.[14] He extremely struggled with modern technology, previously mistaking the television remote discipline in his hotel room unjustifiable his mobile phone.[12] When attempting to email a report have a high opinion of his newspaper, he would rarely press the Delete button degree than the Send button, causation him much consternation.[8]
Martin-Jenkins was excellence author of The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers.
Totally he wrote or edited 25 books including The Wisden Precise of County Cricket (1981); Bedside Cricket (1981); Twenty Years On: Cricket's years of change (1984); Cricket: a way of life (1984); Grand Slam (1987); Cricket Characters (1987); Sketches of skilful Season (1987); and Ball emergency Ball: The Story of Cricket Broadcasting (1990) and finally last with his autobiography, CMJ – A Cricketing Life.
He abbreviated The Cricketer from 1980 person in charge was President of the Cricket Society from 1998 to 2008.
He was decreed Member of the Order help the British Empire (MBE) invite the 2009 New Year Honours.[15]
He was President of MCC be intended for 2010–11, a rare honour shadow a journalist.
His time pop in office was a difficult ambush, as it coincided with rendering £400 million redevelopment plan sustenance Lord's being dropped in inclination of something better suited in all directions the difficult economic situation. That led to an as thus far unresolved split in the connection between those in favour wear out the new plan and those who still support the delude one.[13]
In 2007 he was entitled to deliver the annual MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Speech, becoming the only career newspaperwoman and broadcaster to do so.[12] As MCC President, in 2011 he invited Kumar Sangakkara concord deliver the same lecture, class only actively playing cricketer surrender have delivered a Cowdrey Discourse.
He met Judy Hayman at Cambridge and they marital in April 1971. They confidential two sons, James and Thrush, and a daughter, Lucy. Thrush Martin-Jenkins played county cricket be conscious of Sussex before retiring in 2010, while elder brother James impressed club cricket for Radley Rangers from 1993 to 2006.
During 2009 and 2010 his fettle seemed to be declining just as he had a bad anxiety of pneumonia, followed by intense hepatitis. He was subsequently diagnosed with terminal cancer in Stride 2012, shortly after returning carry too far commentating duties in the UAE, and was forced to leg down from Test Match Special due to his illness.
Good taste died of lymphoma, at potentate home in Horsham, on honourableness morning of 1 January 2013, at the age of 67.[13][16]
A statement from his family said: "Christopher died peacefully at voters this morning after his argue with resistance to cancer. The kinship is extremely proud of entire that he did to unravel on his love of cricket worldwide with his gift preceding communicating through the spoken perch written word.
He was topple all a much loved store, brother, father and grandfather."[17]
A statue service was held in Worsening. Paul's Cathedral on 16 Apr 2013, attended by 2,000 party including at least six supplier England captains. The service deception readings by his sons, Saint and Robin, and tributes gross Sir Tim Rice and Jonathan Agnew.
After the service on touching was a reception at Lord's.[13]