Our dear old thing: Cricket waves goodbye to Henry Blofeld, one of the great commentators
It’s the end of an era as Blowers hangs up his microphone.
England’s victory in the final and deciding Test match of their series against the West Indies seemed almost to play second fiddle to the last commentary of the legendary Henry Blofeld.
The 77-year-old, who has been with the BBC since 1972, has become one of Test Match Special’s most famous voices in his many years on the airwaves.
And during the afternoon’s play at Lord’s he rounded off his commentary career to the applause of thousands in the ground, and many more outside it.
One of the many quirks of Blowers’ commentary has been his ability to describe the game using every tiny detail, from the comings and goings of buses, to the behaviour of pigeons.
His brightly coloured clothing, despite his appearing on the radio, also became part of his legend, as well as his fondness for addressing people as: “My dear old thing.”
You’ll be pleased to know Blowers was well fed on his final day in front of the microphone.
And he rounded off the day with a lap of honour, richly deserved.
Should you wish to watch his final stint as a commentator, the BBC posted it in its entirety to their Facebook page – Blofeld takes his seat at around 1:30.
