Bowlers that ‘cross the line’.
“Batters never gave me much trouble – it was the bowlers that caused all the problems,” said former International Umpire and First-Class cricketer John Holder when he spoke to the AGM meeting of the Nottingham Cricket Lovers Society (NCLS).
Holder gave an entertaining and at times amusingly indiscreet run through of the bowlers that he categorised as ‘problems’, ‘troublemakers’, ‘awkward’ and, more encouragingly, ‘professional’.It wasn’t so much that bowlers were flagrantly breaching the Laws of the game (though some almost certainly were) but that overstepping the front crease or running onto the protected area of the pitch meant that constant and consistent vigilance was necessary.
Great West Indian quick Malcolm Marshall was one that John Holder put into the ‘awkward’ bracket – not because of his attitude, which Holder said was always ‘spot on,’ but because his bowling action meant that transgressions were harder to see.
“Malcolm was one those bowlers that ‘ran through’ the crease rather than the usual jump and stride delivery,” explained Holder, “which meant we had to be on our toes to spot no-balls or scuffing up the pitch.
“The good thing was, though, that a quiet word with Marshall was usually enough to sort it out.”
To the delight of the NCLS audience, Holder reserved his highest praise for one of their own, Sir Richard Hadlee.
“ ‘Paddles’ was the ultimate professional,” he said, “he never bothered with sledging, or arguing.
“Whether it was a wicket, or a dropped catch of even if he’d been pulled to the boundary, he just turned on his heel and went back to his mark to do it all again – only better!
“The only problem with Hadlee was that with those big feet of his, every time he turned to the umpire with an appeal, his left foot was bound to be in the protected area.”
Holder also revealed great affection for the Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne. “He got more revs on the ball that any spinner I’ve seen and he was a canny operator.
“But it was his love for the game and its fans that shone through. Long after matches were done and the other players had gone to their homes or hotels, Warne would be out there, chatting to the public, signing autographs and posing for photos.
“He’s one that will always be missed.”
Given that he had identified the calling of no-balls as a real problem, especially with the quicker bowlers, it was then unsurprising that John Holder was in favour of that decision being removed to the third umpire. “You’ve got enough to do with all the other factors that need watching,” he said, “I would have welcomed that when I was out there.”
Holder was less enthusiastic about the DRS system as a whole, “It was brought in to eliminate the ‘obvious error’”, he recalled, “but now it checks every call, every line judgement.
“It must be humiliating to have stand there in front of tens of thousands of cricket fans, cross your arms and change your decision – it cannot help the on-field relationship that has always been built on mutual trust.”
Holder retired from umpiring in 2009, having stood in more than 500 First-Class, List-A and T20 matches. More recently he has co-authored the popular book You Are the Umpire (published 2019) and has been the star guest in the highly entertaining “Ask the Umpire” sessions on Test Match Special.
Born in Barbados, he emigrated to England in the 1960s and joined a community of West Indian migrants who worked together and played cricket together. From there he was ‘spotted’ and recommended to Hampshire, where he played as a quick bowler from 1968-1972 when injury brought his First-Class career to an end.
He played as a professional in the Leagues in Lancashire and Yorkshire before joining the umpire’s panel in 1983.
It was his days as a player that gave the NCLS team the chance to surprise John Holder. As his presentation ended, the image of him at Trent Bridge receiving an award in front of the Pavilion and with the BBC TV cameras close by was flashed up on the screen.
Holder had been playing for the International Cavaliers against a ‘Trent Bridge Taverners XI’ (essentially a Notts team) but got his award for the best bowling figures in Cavaliers match when he was opposing them for Hampshire. 
His impressive figures were 8.3-4-7-6!
He recalled it all clearly. “At one point I had 5-3 but a sneaky four spoilt the figures”, he joked. “I remember that I got Ted Dexter, Aussie skipper Bob Simpson and Denis Compton among those six – not a bad haul.”
In fact, his feat remained the best bowling either for or against the Cavaliers when their campaigns ended.
John Holder’s talk and the Society’s AGM brought the 2023/24 NCLS season to a close. Meetings will resume in October 2024 and a programme will be published towards the end of the coming cricket season.
Membership of NCLS is £15pa or entry on the night for £5 per session.
March 2024