The class of David Gower

"Gower might have been more at home in the 1920s or 1930s, cracking a dashing hundred for MCC, the darling of the crowds, before speeding away in a Bugatti and cravat for a night on the town". Scyld Berry on Gower, The Observer, 1984

One of the most entertaining 'biographies' I have read is the Wikipedia account of David Gower's international career. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect is the infuriation he generated amongst the press and the ex-players of the period. In case anyone thinks this is a new phenomenon, those who chose to critique Gower, proved that it is no novelty to jump upon the genius of the day by selecting the worst few seconds of his career and blowing them up into crimes against humanity if only to "bring the culprit down a peg or two".

Gower scored a test average of 44 over 14 years, at a time when Test cricket was dominated by the silky, whispering horror of the West Indies bowling attack, plus Australia's full throttle pace attack of Thompson and Lilley, and with little more protection than improvised ceramics and polystyrene borrowed from sports ranging from horse riding to ice hockey.

His average was high quality alone, but it was his style of play that was so widely admired. If Holding delivered the leather ball, at breakneck speed, without a whisper or a grunt, it was Gower who thread pure silk with the bat.

If Lamb and Botham provided the grunt, Gower brought the satisfying sigh.

"Gower was a "most graceful" left hand batsman and had a reputation for being aloof. His languid style was often misinterpreted as indifference and a lack of seriousness....] Wisden described him as "fluffy-haired, ethereal-looking" who played "beautifully, until the moment he made a mistake. Sometimes, the mistake was put off long enough for him to play an innings of unforgettable brilliance." Gower, a left-handed batsmen, played with a dominant top hand, and a "liquid, graceful" style..."

"...magnificent outfielder who took amazing catches and threw with accuracy and power to run out the blasé batsman." Ambidextrous in the field and when bowling, Gower also plays both golf and hockey, writes and kicks right-handed"

The passage of time has served to highlight the contrast in epochs of professional sport. Divided simply into the eras before and after Sky Sports started in earnest. Prior to dawn-to-dusk coverage, professional sport, even at the top class, international level, remained a culture more akin to the school or club house, only a slightly higher standard. In Gower's case, the international cricket scene allowed a certain freedom of social and hedonistic flexibility to which modern sportsmen are no longer privileged to enjoy.

"...during the 1991 Ashes Tour in Australia, England were playing a warm up match in Queensland when Gower together with batsman John Morris, chose to go for a joy-ride in two Tiger Moth biplane without telling the England team management.".

As it turned out, Gower was the highest scoring batsmen in each of the first 3 innings of the Ashes series that year.

"..rumours that Gower lacked serious commitment gained currency in 1989 when, as England captain he walked out of a press conference claiming he had tickets for the theatre."

It would be enough to eulogise over the genius of Gower as batsman alone. Perhaps more striking is the comparison of lifestyles of 80s genius like Gower and others, compared to today's sterilised, over paid, over coached, over egotistical, over priced, androgynous, clone like, character free, sporting world.

For a hint at what is missing from sport these days, look no further than studying the career of David Gower, pure sporting genius.