- E. W. Swanton
Infobox cricketer biography
playername = E. W. Swanton
country = England
fullname = Ernest William Swanton
nickname = Jim
dayofbirth = 11
monthofbirth = 2
yearofbirth = 1907
placeofbirth =Forest Hill ,London
countryofbirth =England
dayofdeath = 22
monthofdeath = 1
yearofdeath = 2000
placeofdeath =Canterbury ,Kent
countryofdeath =England
heightft = 6
heightinch = 0
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Right armleg spin
role = Commentator,journalist
club1 = Middlesex
year1 = 1937 – 1938
deliveries = balls
columns = 1
column1 = FC
matches1 = 3
runs1 = 67
bat avg1 = 13.40
100s/50s1 = 0/0
top score1 = 26
deliveries1 = 0
wickets1 = –
bowl avg1 = –
fivefor1 = –
tenfor1 = –
best bowling1 = –
catches/stumpings1 = 1/–
date = 22 January
year = 2000
source = http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/20449.html CricinfoErnest William (Jim) Swanton CBE (
11 February 1907 –22 January 2000 ) is chiefly known for being acricket writer andcommentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sportsjournalist for "The Daily Telegraph "newspaper and as a broadcaster forBBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator onTest Match Special , easily recognised by his distinctive "fruity" voice. After "retiring" in the 1970s, he continued to write occasional articles and columns, virtually until his death.Swanton was born in
Forest Hill ,London . His father was astockbroker . He claimed to have attended a cricket match at whichW. G. Grace scored a century while a baby in his pram. He attendedCranleigh School , and became a journalist. He started asAmalgamated Press , but began to write for theLondon "Evening Standard "newspaper at the age of 27. He also played threecounty cricket matches forMiddlesex County Cricket Club in 1937 and 1938, all against university sides. He did not distinguish himself, scoring only 67 runs in 5 first-classinnings . He was also President of Sandwich Town Cricket Club, somewhat curiously he is labelled as having served the role for "25 years from 1976" despite passing away in January 2000.He served in the
Bedfordshire Yeomanry in theSecond World War . He was captured by theJapan ese in the fall ofSingapore , and spent 3 years as aprisoner of war . After the war, he became cricket correspondent for "The Daily Telegraph" in 1946, remaining in that post until 1975. He was also editorial director of "The Cricketer " from 1967 to 1988. His writing style was very spare and simple, reporting what happened and why, without the flourishes ofNeville Cardus orJohn Arlott .John Warr once described it as being "halfway between the Ten Commandments andEnid Blyton ".He was awarded the OBE in 1965 and the CBE in 1994. He made his selections for as one of the voters for the
Wisden Cricketers of the Century in 2000, shortly before he died inCanterbury . A respected biography, byDavid Rayvern Allen , of Swanton (see image) published shortly after his death revealed many previously unknown facts about his life.Bibliography
* "Elusive Victory" (1951)
* "Cricket and the Clock" (1952)
* "Best Cricket Stories" (1953)
* "West Indian Adventure 1953-1954" (1954)
* "West Indies Revisited - MCC tour 1959-1960" (1960)
* "Cricket from All Angles" (1968)
* "Sort of a Cricket Person" (1972)
* "Swanton in Australia with MCC 1946-1975" (1975)
* "Follow On" (1977)
* "Barclays World of Cricket" (General Editor) (1980 - 2nd ed.)
* "As I Said At The Time - a Lifetime of Cricket" (1983)
* "Gubby Allen - Man of Cricket" (1985)
* "Kent Cricket - a Photographic History 1744-1984" (with C H Taylor) (1985)
* "The Essential E W Swanton - the 1980s Observed" (1990)
* "Last Over - A Life in Cricket" (1996)Biography
"Jim: The Life of E.W.Swanton" by David Rayvern Allen ISBN 978 1854109002
External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/cricket/614842.stm Cricket pundit Swanton dies] (
BBC News ,22 January 2000 )
* [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/20449.html Player profile] fromCricinfo
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