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Cricket has lost a true gentleman

I've just heard the news of Bob Woolmer's death today. This is is tragic news for the cricketing community and am personally very sad to hear this news. My thoughts go out to his family. 

Bob was the reason I went to South Africa in 1992 - he put me in touch with a couple of cricket clubs in Cape Town when I was looking for a winter away in the off-season.  I spent a lot of time with Bob that Cape Town summer. He invited me along to the nets practice he arranged at the Avendale cricket club along with Ashley Giles, Kieth Piper, Graham Welch, Trevor Penney and Herschelle Gibbs. He was a kind and intelligent man, bringing a creative approach to the game pioneering the use of technology and statistical analysis as an aid to coaching and team management, a real innovator.

Bob was highly respected amongst the players he coached and interacted with. These tributes are a testament to Bob's character as a man and his talents as a coach and entirely consistent with my feelings for him. As Dickie said, the cricket world has lost a true gentleman.

Posted: Mar 18 2007, 10:21 PM by alexbarnett | with 2 comment(s)
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