Crawford White St. Annes Professional 1938

Crawford White cricket writer, was born in Glasgow on October 31, 1910. He died in Guildford on November 29 2000 aged 90.

When his family moved to Lancashire, he soon began playing in the local leagues. He was 6ft 4in tall and a genuinely sharp, right-arm fast bowler, good enough to get into the Lancashire Second XI in 1934, when both the first and second team won their championships. Neville Cardus reputedly hinted that he might play for England. But White kept his day job on the Darwen News, while playing as a professional for St Anne's and Royton, a combination that was a shade more lucrative (or less pauperish) than becoming a county pro. In the end, his nearest approach to on-field greatness was almost being picked to play for the MCC in British Guiana during an injury crisis in 1947-48.

From 1947 until 1975 England cricket sides seldom went anywhere without Crawford White accompanying them — on behalf first of the News Chronicle, then of the Daily Mail and finally of the Daily Express. His career in journalism began with the Darwen News, and after it had ended he was taken on to help Cornhill to launch its 23 years as sponsor of Test cricket in England.

He reported on nearly 300 Test matches and covered some 25 overseas tours, on the first of which, to the West Indies in 1947-48, he had the rare distinction for a working journalist of playing in a match — a one-day game for MCC against South Trinidad, when G. O. Allen’s touring team was beset with injuries.