TEST
MATCH SPECIAL - Dubbed 'The Bearded Wonder'
by the late Brian Johnston, Bill Frindall, the
BBC's scorer and statistician, is the longest
serving member of Radio's Test Match Special
commentary team. Since making his debut in 1966,
he has scored 326 Test matches, including all
218 played in England. Barry is a talented event host and after dinner speaker.
William
Howard Frindall was born in Epsom, Surrey,
on the first day of the Timeless Test at Durban
and was a record eleven days old when it ended
(as a draw). At ten he joined his first cricket
club after being taught to score by a schoolmaster
during a rainy sports afternoon. Educated
at Reigate Grammar School, he studied Architecture
at the Kingston School of Art before converting
National Service into six and a half cricket
seasons in the RAF (including two with NATO
and two as an Accountant Officer). He became
a full time freelance cricket statistician
in 1966.
SCORING
SYSTEM Devised his own linear scoring
system, based on that invented in 1905 by
the Australian scorer, Bill Ferguson, and
now publishes and retails his personally designed
and drawn scoresheets to international, county,
club and individual scorers throughout the
cricketing world.
PUBLICATIONS
Author/compiler/editor of the Playfair Cricket
Annual (20 editions), The Wisden Book of Test
Cricket (five editions), The Wisden Book of
Cricket Records (four editions), Guinness
Cricket Facts and Feats (four editions), England
Test Cricketers, The Playfair Cricket World
Cup Guide (two editions), Ten Tests for England,
Gooch's Golden Summer, A Tale of Two Captains
and Limited Overs International Cricket (two
editions). Contributor to many other titles,
he was responsible for the Cricket Records
section of 22 editions of the Wisden Cricketers'
Almanack and 17 of The Guinness Book of Records,
He also provides statistics for the England
and Wales Cricket Board and various sponsors.
He is cricket statistician to The Times and
cricket archivist to the late Sir Paul Getty's
Estate. His memoirs will be published in 2006
to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his TMS
debut.
CRICKETING
CAREER Founder of the Maltamaniacs,
he led them on ten overseas missions that
included Australia, New Zealand, South Affica,
Malaysia and Singapore. A right handed medium
fast bowler and mid order batsman, he played
most of his club cricket for Banstead (Surrey)
before representing the MCC, Singapore, France,
Hampshire 2nd Xl, the Lord's Taverners, the
Cricket Society, the Wiltshire Queries, and
the Clergy of Oxford and Salisbury (as 'Father
Williarn). He toured California and Biitish
Columbia with MCC teams and has been President
of the BBC Cricket Club since 1998. He played
his final match in September 2003, captaining
his Maltainaniacs against the Guernsey Lord's
Taverners.
BRITISH
BLIND SPORT Their inaugural President
(1984 2004), he attended the Tri nation Blind
Cricket Tournament at Brisbane in April 2000.
AWARDS Association of Cricket Statisticians
and Historians' 'Statistician of the Year'
1996. Awarded Honorary Degree of Doctor of
Technology for his contribution to the field
of sports statistics by Staffordshire University
1998. Appointed MBE in the 2004 Queeds Birthday
Honours.
GUEST
SPEAKING / COMMENTATING - A professional
speaker since 1968, he specialises in anecdotes
from the TMS commentary box and impressions
of its occupants, past and present. His speaking
venues include all the current home Test match
grounds (and several major soccer stadia),
as well as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand,
India, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, Singapore,
Malaysia and Malta. Commentator on British
Telecom's Cricket Call (1987 90), he provides
the public address commentary at charity and
benefit games, in addition to major matches
at Arundel, Finals Day of the Under 15 Club
Cricket Championship and the annual County
Challenge match in Guernsey.
FAMILY
Lives in a Wiltshire village with his wife
Debbie, daughter, Alice Katharine, and a quintet
of cats.
