Jim Kilburn
Jim Kilburn | |
---|---|
Born | James Maurice Kilburn 8 July 1909 Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Died | 28 August 1993 | (aged 84)
Occupation | Journalist |
Known for | Sports journalism |
James Maurice Kilburn (8 July 1909 – 28 August 1993)
Early life and career
Kilburn was born in Sheffield in 1909,[2] and attended Holgate Grammar School in Barnsley,[3] before completing a degree in economics at the university there.[2] From an early age, he showed interest in cricket; as a boy he received coaching from former Yorkshire cricketer George Hirst at Scarborough,[4] and played for Barnsley in Yorkshire Council matches and for Bradford in the Bradford League.[3][4] Bowling fast-paced off spin, Kilburn was successful enough with bat and ball to win medals for Bradford and have his achievements reported in the press.[4] He worked briefly as a teacher in a Harrogate preparatory school.[2] While in Bradford, he met the vice-consul for Finland;[3] as a result, he went to live in Finland for a year.[4]
Cricket correspondent
During his time in Finland, Kilburn sent travel articles to the Barnsley Chronicle and the
Now paid £6 per week plus expenses, and initially writing under the by-line "Our Cricket Correspondent",[6] Kilburn quickly established his reputation.[7] Soon after he took the position, he was given the byline "J. M. Kilburn"; his reports were often among the few not anonymised.[6][7] He continued in the position until 1976, when he retired.[8]
Style and personality
As cricket correspondent for the Yorkshire Post, Kilburn wrote primarily about Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The press-boxes of Kilburn's time, particularly in Yorkshire, were unfriendly and serious places.
Legacy and death
Kilburn twice accompanied the England team on overseas tours to Australia: in 1946–47 and 1954–55. During the former tour, he became a founder member of the Cricket Writers' Club.[3] He served as its secretary, chairman and later became an Honorary Life Member. He also became the only journalist elected as a life member at Yorkshire, and opened the newly built press box at Headingley Cricket Ground in 1988.[1] In his final years, he became blind—his sight began to fail shortly after his retirement—[8] but according to Wisden, "Jim Kilburn remained an upright, dignified man until he died".[9] Outside of his work, Kilburn played golf to a reasonable standard, and was married with three children.[3] Derek Hodgson writes: "All his work will be valued as an accurate insight into social attitudes in the first half of this century. Jim Kilburn intended always to write about cricket but in fact he told us all so much more."[1] He wrote ten books on cricket, and contributed regularly to The Cricketer magazine and to Wisden.[8]
Bibliography
He contributed to the following books (as the sole author except where otherwise noted):
- In Search of Cricket. London: Barker. 1937.
- In Search of Rugby Football. London: Barker. 1938.
- The Scarborough Cricket Festival. Bradford: Yorkdale Press. 1948.
- Yorkshire’s 22 Championships 1893–1946. London: Edward Arnold. 1949. With E. L. Roberts
- Yorkshire County Cricket. London: Convoy. 1950.
- History of Yorkshire County Cricket. Yorkshire: Yorkshire County Cricket Club. 1950. With J. H. Nash.
- Len Hutton: The Story of a Great Cricketer. Bradford: Pitkin Pictorials. 1951.
- Cricket. London: P. Garnett. 1952. With Norman Yardley.
- Cricket Decade: England v Australia 1946–1956. London: Heinemann. 1959.
- A Century of Yorkshire County Cricket. Doncaster: The Yorkshire Post. 1963.
- A History of Yorkshire Cricket. London: Paul. 1970.
- Thanks to Cricket. London: Paul. 1973.
- Overthrows: A Book of Cricket. London: Paul. 1975.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Hodgson, Derek (31 July 1993). "Obituary: J. M. Kilburn". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ a b c Hamilton, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "James Kilburn". The Times. London. 11 September 1993. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hamilton, p. 13.
- ^ Allison, Lincoln (September 2004). "Pullin, Alfred William (Old Ebor) (1860–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
- ^ a b Hamilton, pp. 13–14.
- ^ a b c d e Keating, Frank (8 December 2008). "Hail Kilburn, Coleridge of cricket". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d Hamilton, p. 20.
- ^ John Wisden & Co. 1994. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ Hamilton, p. 15.
- ^ Hamilton, p. 14.
- ^ Hamilton, p. 11.
- ^ Hamilton, p. 17.
- ^ Hamilton, p. 18.
Sources
- ISBN 978-1-905080-46-5.