Bob Willis goooone

[happyhooker]

Bollocks.

He was the center piece of my comedy bowling actions routine that was the delight and wonder of the School cricket team.

Mine was Gladstone.

Wind your neck in, mate.

Fúck you too

[Anonymous 1]

Bollocks.

He was the center piece of my comedy bowling actions routine that was the delight and wonder of the School cricket team.

Mine was Gladstone.

Wind your neck in, mate.

Fúck you too

And some people don't like PR

[vh5150]

A very fine fast bowler. Grew up watching him giving the Kiwi openers,Edgar and Wright, the hurry up a few times.

Had a real feud with Glenn Turner who nicknamed Willis “The Goose” Not fond of one another. Was a great mate of Kiwi skipper Geoff Howarth at the time they were leading their respective countries.

[Anonymous 1]

A very fine fast bowler. Grew up watching him giving the Kiwi openers,Edgar and Wright, the hurry up a few times.

Had a real feud with Glenn Turner who nicknamed Willis “The Goose” Not fond of one another. Was a great mate of Kiwi skipper Geoff Howarth at the time they were leading their respective countries.

I've read that somewhere before

[Taranaki Snapper]

We'll always have the Texas Playboys...

[kiwinoz]

Respect Bob - you bowled your bloody guts out every time you had the ball. A lot of current test cricketers could learn from watching you.

[LandOTurk]

Well that's a bit shit.

20 years ago it used to baffle me how fixated my mother was on older people dying; I used to joke about how every conversation seemed to contain a "have you heard that X has died?".

Now I get it. It's when you hit the age when a whole raft of people who are part of your mental furniture, and who you subconsciously have pegged as going to be around for a long time, start dying.

(And then there are the ones that I sort of assumed died ages ago but haven't; It seems very odd to me that Dick van Dyke & Julie Andrews are still alive but Bob Willis and Alan Rickman are dead.)

I am fixated by it. Genuinely when they go, its like a little piece of me vanishes too. I am mid 50s so a whole team (of Llanelli and Wales) is going to very soon. I am not sure why its when you were a kid that has such an influence on your life but all my sporting/film/TV heroes come from the 70s pretty much. And when I talk to other Welsh/Brits about it, unless they are within 5 years of you, it is not as significant becase things change. When I was 15, if they were 5 its a world apart. So now I am close to 55 and they are 45 its no big difference expect our childhood memories are off a little and they may not have the love of say Phil Bennett that will endure with me. My parents' neighbours and close friends passed away 5 years ago and this year. The kids are selling the house as they all live in England. My mother will never set foot in there again nor me. Very odd because as a kid I was in there 3-4 times / week. Very familiar faces, sounds, smells particular to that house. Makes me sad to think of it but you keep moving on with the next generation.

[Insane_Homer]

I really loved his commentary and game analysis on Sky, a fine cricketer and by all accounts fine chap too. RIP.

[Ghost-Of-Nepia]

I hope this doesn't mean the end of Bumble's impersonations of Bob.

[piaras]

Wow must have gone down hill very quick, wasn't he working on the Sky Sports Debate up until very recently?
Definitely think he worked the Ashes but could be wrong on that.

[Kiwias]

RIP

You could see how hard he tried with every ball.

[Grandpa]

Wow must have gone down hill very quick, wasn't he working on the Sky Sports Debate up until very recently?
Definitely think he worked the Ashes but could be wrong on that.

Yep, he was on the "Debate" during the Ashes. I remember thinking he looked old all of a sudden. Never realised he was ill. I missed him during the NZ series... they said he was having surgery but hoped to have him back soon...

English cricket won't be the same without his critique... loved him...

[Grandpa]

Well that's a bit shit.

20 years ago it used to baffle me how fixated my mother was on older people dying; I used to joke about how every conversation seemed to contain a "have you heard that X has died?".

Now I get it. It's when you hit the age when a whole raft of people who are part of your mental furniture, and who you subconsciously have pegged as going to be around for a long time, start dying.

(And then there are the ones that I sort of assumed died ages ago but haven't; It seems very odd to me that Dick van Dyke & Julie Andrews are still alive but Bob Willis and Alan Rickman are dead.)

I am fixated by it. Genuinely when they go, its like a little piece of me vanishes too. I am mid 50s so a whole team (of Llanelli and Wales) is going to very soon. I am not sure why its when you were a kid that has such an influence on your life but all my sporting/film/TV heroes come from the 70s pretty much. And when I talk to other Welsh/Brits about it, unless they are within 5 years of you, it is not as significant becase things change. When I was 15, if they were 5 its a world apart. So now I am close to 55 and they are 45 its no big difference expect our childhood memories are off a little and they may not have the love of say Phil Bennett that will endure with me. My parents' neighbours and close friends passed away 5 years ago and this year. The kids are selling the house as they all live in England. My mother will never set foot in there again nor me. Very odd because as a kid I was in there 3-4 times / week. Very familiar faces, sounds, smells particular to that house. Makes me sad to think of it but you keep moving on with the next generation.

I feel exactly the same... your life is your memories.. now my life is becoming like those bad dreams you had as a kid... where places look sorta familiar.. but not quite the same... and you don't recognise anyone.. and they don't know you...

But now you don't wake up from this nightmare... you seem to have become a spectator to your own life...

[rett]

Well that's a bit shit.

20 years ago it used to baffle me how fixated my mother was on older people dying; I used to joke about how every conversation seemed to contain a "have you heard that X has died?".

Now I get it. It's when you hit the age when a whole raft of people who are part of your mental furniture, and who you subconsciously have pegged as going to be around for a long time, start dying.

(And then there are the ones that I sort of assumed died ages ago but haven't; It seems very odd to me that Dick van Dyke & Julie Andrews are still alive but Bob Willis and Alan Rickman are dead.)

I am fixated by it. Genuinely when they go, its like a little piece of me vanishes too. I am mid 50s so a whole team (of Llanelli and Wales) is going to very soon. I am not sure why its when you were a kid that has such an influence on your life but all my sporting/film/TV heroes come from the 70s pretty much. And when I talk to other Welsh/Brits about it, unless they are within 5 years of you, it is not as significant becase things change. When I was 15, if they were 5 its a world apart. So now I am close to 55 and they are 45 its no big difference expect our childhood memories are off a little and they may not have the love of say Phil Bennett that will endure with me. My parents' neighbours and close friends passed away 5 years ago and this year. The kids are selling the house as they all live in England. My mother will never set foot in there again nor me. Very odd because as a kid I was in there 3-4 times / week. Very familiar faces, sounds, smells particular to that house. Makes me sad to think of it but you keep moving on with the next generation.

I feel exactly the same... your life is your memories.. now my life is becoming like those bad dreams you had as a kid... where places look sorta familiar.. but not quite the same... and you don't recognise anyone.. and they don't know you...

But now you don't wake up from this nightmare... you seem to have become a spectator to your own life...

Yeah. We have no choice but to adapt, and observe. Treat every day as a bonus.

[Finsbury Girl]

Vale Mr Willis.

Champion bowler, loved him on the TV. Always bang on and had that cheeky air about him.

Used to see him pottering around Barnes all the time, bloody nice chap when you said g'day.

[Tehui]

20 years ago it used to baffle me how fixated my mother was on older people dying; I used to joke about how every conversation seemed to contain a "have you heard that X has died?".

Now I get it. It's when you hit the age when a whole raft of people who are part of your mental furniture, and who you subconsciously have pegged as going to be around for a long time, start dying.

Beautifully written.

[towny]

This is made me quite sad. One of my earliest memories of cricket is of Bob Willis and I liked his honest, even whiny commentary.

[towny]

20 years ago it used to baffle me how fixated my mother was on older people dying; I used to joke about how every conversation seemed to contain a "have you heard that X has died?".

Now I get it. It's when you hit the age when a whole raft of people who are part of your mental furniture, and who you subconsciously have pegged as going to be around for a long time, start dying.

Beautifully written.

+1

I hadn’t realised that this was what I was feeling.

[Pat the Ex Mat]

Apologies for Globusing the thread....

I was in a restaurant where Stuart McGill is the Sommelier last night and we toasted Bob's Memory.

He said it was sad that only a older (above 40) Aussies remember him.