Like many, I was shocked to read that Trevor Bailey had died, especially that it was as a result of a fire at his home. He was 87 and, to borrow an over-used phrase in the cricketing world, had enjoyed a good innings. Nevertheless, this is not the way a great cricketer should go.
I'm too young to have seen Bailey play but, as someone born and bred in Essex, his name was synonymous with the county, much as Graham Gooch is today. To others he is perhaps better known as a Test Match Special pundit but back in the 1950s he was England's leading all-rounder. He was probably a better bowler than batsman, usually at fast-medium, and he took more than 2000 first-class wickets in a 21-year career at an average of 23. Most were in the employ of his home county of Essex but the figure includes 132 in 61 Tests played between 1949 and 1959. In the latter days, he was eclipsed with the new ball by the likes of Truman and Statham but in his last Test, against Richie Benaud's Australians at the MCG, he opened the batting. Unfortunately he had the ignominy of ending an illustrious international career with a 'pair'!
Bailey became known as 'Barnacle' because he often seemed stuck to the crease, so difficult to get out. Often an admirable quality, but the trouble was he didn't score many runs when he was there. He made Geoff Boycott look like Virender Sehwag! In one Test against the Aussies, he scored the slowest ever Test 50 - in almost six hours! One-day cricket would not have done him any favours as a batsman and he played only seven limited-over games for Essex. However, his bowling and fielding were great assets in his career.
Like many in that immediate post-war era, Bailey was a talented multi-sportsman, not only at cricket: he also won a football 'Blue' for Cambridge University. However, he made his first-class debut in 1946, getting an England call-up against New Zealand three years later, and playing on for Essex until 1967. Eight times, he did the 'double' of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the same season, and scored almost 30,000 runs in total.
While a popular figure in Essex he, like Benaud, Truman, Laker and Lewis, continued in the game through journalism and broadcasting and became known to a wider audience. He was born in the same town as he died, Westcliff-on-Sea, an Essex man through and through, albeit without the accent! Sadly, it took a tragic accident to prise 'Barnacle' from the crease of life but he will be remembered well beyond the county boundary as one of England's finest all-rounders in the post-war period.
