Tony Lewis: Difference between revisions

Tony Lewis

CBE
Personal information
Full name	Anthony Robert Lewis
Born	6 July 1938 (age 85); Swansea, Wales
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Leg break
International information
National side	England;
Career statistics
	Source: [1]

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Anthony Robert Lewis

CBE (born 6 July 1938)^[1] is a former Welsh cricketer, who captained England, became a journalist, went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage in the 1990s, and became president of the Marylebone Cricket Club

(MCC).

He should not be confused with the mathematician

Duckworth–Lewis method

.

Early life

Tony Lewis was born in Swansea, the first of two children of Wilfrid Lewis and his wife Marjorie (née Flower). The family moved to Neath during World War II. After service in the war as a major, Wilfrid managed an insurance office in Neath, and then joined the Civil Service.^[2]

Tony Lewis attended the Gnoll School in Neath and Neath Grammar School for Boys, where he learned the violin exceptionally well and was selected for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, as well as playing cricket and Rugby for the school.He represented the Welsh Secondary Schools at cricket for five years and captained them for three.^[3]

Cricket career

He made his

RAF,^[6] he established himself in first-class cricket in 1960, when in his first year at Christ's College, Cambridge, he scored 1307 runs for Cambridge University

at 43.56, followed by 616 runs at 30.80 when he played for Glamorgan later in the season. He captained Cambridge in his final season there in 1962, when in all matches he made 2188 runs at 40.51, with five centuries. He graduated as BA and later MA. He also topped 2000 runs in 1966, when he made 2190 runs, more than anybody else in the season, at 40.51, including his only double-century, 223 against Kent at Gravesend after Glamorgan had followed on. He captained Glamorgan from 1967 to 1972, taking the county to its second championship in 1969, when Glamorgan went through the season undefeated.

He was the last man to

captain England on his Test debut. He led England on a gruelling five-month tour in 1972/73 to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Despite having no Test match experience, Lewis scored 70 not out in his debut Test in Delhi,^[7] which guided England to their first victory on the Indian subcontinent for more than two decades. England lost the next two Tests, but Lewis went on to score his maiden Test hundred (125) in Kanpur.^[1] He went on to captain England a total of eight times, achieving England's first Test victory in India since 1951, losing twice and drawing five times. He was nominated Man of the Match in the Bombay Test and also in his fourth Test, in Kanpur. In the light of his achievements, Lewis was picked as vice captain to Ray Illingworth, when the latter returned from his self-imposed hiatus the following summer.^[1] Lewis was asked by the selectors to make himself available to lead the 1973–74 tour of West Indies

but declined in order to take up opportunities in writing and broadcasting.

Lewis is one of two

C. F. Walters

, nominated captain for a single Test when R E S Wyatt withdrew at the last moment, and captains were always chosen from the amateurs in the team. Walters, but that time, had moved on to Worcestershire. Lewis, however, remains the only Glamorgan player to captain England and the only one to lead England on a major Test tour. Tony Lewis and Allan Watkins are the only Glamorgan players to score a century in a Test match for England.

Later career

Lewis also played

Sports Council for Wales in 1968 and put in long service to Glamorgan County Cricket Club as chairman, chairman of cricket followed later as president and trustee. His broadcasting extended from Test Match Special to the anchor man of all of BBC television's coverage of cricket, from 1986 to 1999, and he was the initial presenter (10 years) of the popular Radio 4 magazine programme, Sport on Four

.

After long service to cricket at

Day/Night Test matches. MCC President for two years 1998–2000, during which he joined with his predecessor Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie

in the work of securing admission to the Club of women members and he secured their playing programme while Ch. MCC Cricket 2001–2006. He became, in 2011, the 31st Honorary Life Vice-President of MCC to be nominated by the Club, the highest honour possible to award to a Member.

Lewis turned his high profile in cricket and broadcasting to the benefit of his home country, Wales. He made an important contribution to

University College of Wales, Newport, as a consultant for five years. His sporting contribution continued as captain of Royal Porthcawl Golf Club

2012.

Lewis served eight years as chairman of the

British Tourist Authority. He was chairman, 2000–2002, of the successful Welsh Ryder Cup Bid 2010 and for a three-year term he was Chairman of the Welsh National Opera Company. He was also a founding Trustee of the Wales Millennium Centre. His first Committee work for the Marylebone Cricket Club was in 1964, and his last in 2011 and apart from being MCC Millennium President, 1998–2000, he chaired both the Cricket Committee for five years and initiated and chaired MCC's World Cricket Committee, 2006–2011. He led the research into the Television Review System (DRS); with his predecessor he secured a two-thirds majority of 18,000 MCC members to win Women's admittance into full MCC membership. This was exactly ten years before the 2010 Equality Act was law. Lewis led the research and development of the use of the pink cricket ball cricket ball for day-night Test cricket in order to arrest declines in attendances, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. He chaired and led MCC's work to erect an iconic media centre in 1998 which won high architectural awards. In 2011 the MCC committee bestowed on him its highest possible recognition for his contributions by making him the 31st Honorary Life Vice-President of the Club. During this time he was a consultant to World Sport Group

and Windsor (later Longreach) Insurance.

Lewis served a year as

Welsh universities: Cardiff, Swansea

, Glamorgan,

UWIC and Newport

.

From 2003, Lewis was a consultant to University College of Wales, Newport, and, having returned to live in Porthcawl in 2010 accepted the offices of Captain, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club and President, Wales, of the Lord's Taverners charity, both organisations among his lifetime allegiances. He continues his freelance writing particularly as a weekly columnist for the Western Mail Magazine, launched January 2015.

In 1962 he married Joan Pritchard, who had attended Neath Grammar School for Girls and the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Addlestone, Surrey. ^[10] They have two daughters, Joanna and Anabel.^[11]

Bibliography

Summer of Cricket (1976)
Playing Days: An Autobiography (1985)
Double Century : The Story of MCC and Cricket (1987)
Cricket in Many Lands (1991)
MCC Masterclass (1994)
Taking Fresh Guard: A Memoir (2003)

References

^
ISBN 1-869833-21-X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help
)

^ Tony Lewis, Taking Fresh Guard, Headline, London, 2004, pp. 1–8.
^ Lewis, Taking Fresh Guard, pp. 19–36.
^ Leicestershire v Glamorgan, 1955
^ Tony Lewis, Playing Days, Stanley Paul, London, 1985, pp. 10–16.
^ Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 38–45.
^ India v England, Delhi, 1972–73
^ Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 89–92.
^ "A R Lewis, Esq, CBE, DL". Debretts. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 84–85.
^ Lewis, Playing Days, p. 93.

External links

[Cap-1] 
ISBN 1-869833-21-X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help
)

[2] Tony Lewis, Taking Fresh Guard, Headline, London, 2004, pp. 1–8.

[3] Lewis, Taking Fresh Guard, pp. 19–36.

[4] Leicestershire v Glamorgan, 1955

[5] Tony Lewis, Playing Days, Stanley Paul, London, 1985, pp. 10–16.

[6] Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 38–45.

[7] India v England, Delhi, 1972–73

[8] Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 89–92.

[9] "A R Lewis, Esq, CBE, DL". Debretts. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[10] Lewis, Playing Days, pp. 84–85.

[11] Lewis, Playing Days, p. 93.

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[3]

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@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 Lewis served eight years as chairman of the [[Wales Tourist Board]] and as a member of the [[British Tourist Authority]]. He was chairman, 2000–2002, of the successful [[2010 Ryder Cup|Welsh Ryder Cup Bid 2010]] and for a three-year term he was Chairman of the [[Welsh National Opera|Welsh National Opera Company]]. He was also a founding Trustee of the Wales Millennium Centre. His first Committee work for the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] was in 1964, and his last in 2011 and apart from being MCC Millennium President, 1998–2000, he chaired both the Cricket Committee for five years and initiated and chaired MCC's World Cricket Committee, 2006–2011. He led the research into the Television Review System (DRS); with his predecessor he secured a two-thirds majority of 18,000 MCC members to win Women's admittance into full MCC membership. This was exactly ten years before the 2010 Equality Act was law. Lewis led the research and development of the use of the pink cricket ball cricket ball for day-night Test cricket in order to arrest declines in attendances, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. He chaired and led MCC's work to erect an iconic media centre in 1998 which won high architectural awards. In 2011 the MCC committee bestowed on him its highest possible recognition for his contributions by making him the 31st Honorary Life Vice-President of the Club. During this time he was a consultant to [[World Sport Group]] and Windsor (later Longreach) Insurance.
-Lewis served a year as [[High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan]] for 1998.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/10456/Anthony%20Robert%20%28Tony%29+LEWIS.aspx| title=  A R Lewis, Esq, CBE, DL |publisher= Debretts| accessdate= 28 August 2011}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] for services to cricket, broadcasting and Wales, in the [[2004 New Year Honours]]. He was an honorary Fellow of several [[Welsh universities]]: [[Cardiff University|Cardiff]], [[Swansea University|Swansea]], [[University of Glamorgan|
+Lewis served a year as [[High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan]] for 1998.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/10456/Anthony%20Robert%20%28Tony%29+LEWIS.aspx| title= A R Lewis, Esq, CBE, DL| publisher= Debretts| accessdate= 28 August 2011| deadurl= yes| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120913162444/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/10456/Anthony%20Robert%20(Tony)+LEWIS.aspx| archivedate= 13 September 2012| df= dmy-all}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] for services to cricket, broadcasting and Wales, in the [[2004 New Year Honours]]. He was an honorary Fellow of several [[Welsh universities]]: [[Cardiff University|Cardiff]], [[Swansea University|Swansea]], [[University of Glamorgan|
 Glamorgan]], [[UWIC]] and [[University of Wales, Newport|Newport]].

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