RIP Graham Dilley

The former England bowler died today aged 52. A very sad loss.

Very sad loss for the world of cricket, and his family. RIP graham dilley.

Fists - just seen this thread. First I had heard of this terrible news. Staggered. I remember Dilley well and will write more tonight.

Don't know a huge amount about him to be honest, Guildford, so I look forward to your post.

apparently he lost his battle with a short illness

Bloody hell - so young

Like many others I'm shocked by this news. Vividly remember his 50 in support of Botham at Headingley in 81. Sad day.

52 is no age.

rip

The media outlets are all speaking about the headingley Ashes thing, when he and beefy added 117 to beat the Aussies. I however remember the hysterics that Jonno caused when broadcasting on test match special .. remember the gaff about Lilley, Dilley and Willey

RIP fella and only 52 sad day for all sports fans

He was a cracking fast bowler with a really exagerated delivery stride. I remember trying to copy it at School.

He played with a smile on his face.

To his memory

Commiserations to his family - as has been said 52 is no age at all.

Dilley was quick, about as quick as Willis. Played at a time Botham was the only other good bowler. There were others like Emburey and Pringle, but never a combined good attack, and great batsmen like Viv Richards to bowl to. Dilley bowled well against powerful WI teams.

Too young to die. Another young life lost to cancer.

RIP.

What a desperately sad day this has become. This news has come out of nowhere for me
Had a slingy action and genuinely quick; good lower order bat though I always thought his batting ability wasn’t reflected in his average. Did the right hand bowl, left hand bat thing. By reputation he was an excellent coach who was always willing to pass on his knowledge of the game

Always thought of him as one of the real gentelmen of the game

Remember that supporting innings, without which Botham couldn't have scored that great innings. That catch on the boundary.


It was Botham, Willis, and Dilley's match that.


Very useful bowler too on his day. Remember the unusual delivery stride.


Sad day, rip Graham Dilley

I knew Dilley well.
As part of the Kent set up in the mid 80s he was often around to help Colin Page and Alan Ealham with Colts/2nd team.
He lost a umber of friends when he left for Worcester but Kent, even in them days, were notoriously poor payers, and he was offered much better money to help kickstart the Worcester revolution (Botham joined same time).
Pagey once told me that he Dilley would never leave and he was too close and committed to Kent but he did much more for Kent cricket than many realised and was generally very highly thought of.
I spent many net sessions with him and even though I haven't been in contact with him for a number of years this news is extremely sad.
RIP Dills

A Very Fine Member of the Supporting Cast

Like so many, I was schocked and saddened to hear (via 606 v2) of Graham Dilley's death today. The shock was probably accentuated for me as we were almost the same age and I remember him so well with his youthful looks and blond hair running in to bowl.

Although he is unlikely to feature in many or, indeed, any of Fists' Greatest of All Time bowling lists, Graham Dilley was nonetheless a more than decent fast bowler for England during the 1980s. He played 41 tests and took 138 wickets at an average of just under 30. Certainly respectable figures now and even more so then, considering that there were no test minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe around against whom to take easy pickings.

It is therefore ironic that Dilley is now best remembered for one innings with the bat. Not only did he score 56 against Australia in the Headingley test of 1981 but he stayed around long enough with Ian Botham on a very difficult wicket to add 117 for the eighth wicket of the second innings. Botham went on to score 149 not out and with Bob Willis' eight wickets in Australia's second innings secure a very narrow and remarkable England victory. When Dilley went out to bat, most thought England were certain to lose by an innings and bookmakers were offering 500-1 for an England win.

One of Willis' eight wickets was a fine boundary catch by Dilley. England captain Mike Brearley was apparently none too confident the catch would be taken. Seeing the fielder under the ball waiting for it to descend from the sky, Brearley turned to Botham at slip and said ''My God, it's Picca!''. [Picca or Dill were Dilley's usual nicknames.] Botham is said to have enjoyed telling this story to Dilley immediately after the catch was held and on many subsequent occasions.

Whilst Dilley took that catch and succeeded with the bat, he failed to shine with the ball and was dropped for the next test. Whilst Brearley, Botham, Willis and co lined up to play and again defeat the still shell shocked Aussies at Edgbaston a fortnight later, Dilley was playing for Kent's second eleven against the Army. It was probably right at the time that he was dropped on account of his bowling but he still desrved better than that.

Without Dilley's 56 at Headingley, we would without doubt have lost that test. We will never know but things might also have been very different in the rest of that series which became known as Botham's Ashes. Alderman's Ashes would not have the same attractive sound to any Englishman.

Dilley went on to force himself back in the test side time and again during that decade when left out due to either loss of form or recurring injury. He also successfully joined up again with Botham at the tail end of his (Dilley's) career when he signed for Worcs from his home county of Kent.

After his playing days, he remained in cricket on the coaching side and earned further respect from a younger generation of players. These include Monty Panesar whom he coached at Loughborough University. However, it is for that one innings thirty years ago that he will always be best remembered.

It has been rightly commented that if there were a cricket equivalent of the Oscars then the award for Best Supporting Actor in 1981 would unquestionably have gone to Graham Dilley.

Wonderful tribute, guildfordbat

Excellent stuff, Guildford.

I can't match Guildford's tribute, and I would be foolish to try but I would just like to add my sentiments that cricket has lost, perhaps not a truly great player, but certainly a truly great man. RIP.

good stuff guildford, execclent tribute.

Guilfordbat,

Nice and fitting tribute, indeed.

Very sad. My hero as a nipper. In hindsight he wasn't that quick but hearing Goughie talking about his injuries explains all. Unassuming chap, star of a great era. Sleep well mate x

A very sad loss at such a young age. Seems there's no-one with a bad word for him, particularly because of his continued contribution to the game as a coach after his playing days ended.

I remember one funny bit of commentary from Benaud during the Ashes win on Gatting's tour. RB described the two England opening bowlers as something like 'Dilley: tall, blonde, graceful and long necked, and Gladstone Small, who isn't'.

dummy_half wrote:A very sad loss at such a young age. Seems there's no-one with a bad word for him, particularly because of his continued contribution to the game as a coach after his playing days ended.

I remember one funny bit of commentary from Benaud during the Ashes win on Gatting's tour. RB described the two England opening bowlers as something like 'Dilley: tall, blonde, graceful and long necked, and Gladstone Small, who isn't'.

haha lol classic richie. huge loss to the world of cricket is Mr Dilley, and will be remebered by all.

Thanks for the feedback, chaps. Appreciated.

Being of a similar vintage I'm hoping the Corporal will be able to share a Dill memory when he returns in the next day or so from his extended patrol ....

52 is just too young isnt it.....

will most likely be rembeered most for his and botham's partnership in 1981

I too was really shocked to hear the news. I can't really add anything of substance to the excellent tribute from Guildford and the very apt comment from Benaud reported by Dummy Half.

As many have said, it is ironic that he will be remembered most for his innings. I can certainly vividly remember watching that day's play on the TV. ...

As a follower of the county cricket scene I would also give honourable mention to his achievement in helping Worcs to two county championships.....

Thanks, Corporal. You're of course right to emphasise his County Championship success at Worcs. Wonderful comment as well from Benaud as reported by Dummy.

Since my post the other day, I've since spoken to a good friend who briefly met Dilley thirty years ago when they were both young men. My friend was staying in the same hotel as the England cricket team. I know this will probably sound all too predictable but he emphasised how pleasant and polite Dilley was, having time to sign autographs and chat to wellwishers. A great loss.

its also a shame that he had a lot of injuries, otherwise he would have played a lot more for england...

Its a shame that we never got to see Graham Dilley bowl to the best of his abilities as a fast bowler in that 1981 ashes test series. With England's then premier fast bowler Willis charging down the hill at one end and a fully firing Dilley charging in from the other end, England could well have had as good a pair of fast bowlers back then since the days of Trueman and Statham or Tyson and Statham back in the 1950's.

gboycottnut wrote:Its a shame that we never got to see Graham Dilley bowl to the best of his abilities as a fast bowler in that 1981 ashes test series. With England's then premier fast bowler Willis charging down the hill at one end and a fully firing Dilley charging in from the other end, England could well have had as good a pair of fast bowlers back then since the days of Trueman and Statham or Tyson and Statham back in the 1950's.

completely agree. On his day, dilley could be very quick indeed, and would have been good to see him and botham bowling together

Played cricket against two of his lads, and had the opportunity for a quick chat with him. Being a bit younger and less knowledgable I only really knew that he had played for Worcs, and only because my Dad told me. From that little minute-long if that conversation, I can now see why he is so highly regarded as one of the gentleman of the game.

RIP Graham

must have been great that Mat......

Yeah, didn't really appreciate the significance of having a chat with him until I knew who he was and the sort of things he'd done. Then realised how nice a bloke he was to chat to me, and some of the rest of my team.

good man......i never had the opportunity to speak to him, but i know people that have, and they all said that he was a good bloke.

Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Mike Gatting led the tributes to Graham Dilley at a thanksgiving service this week in Worcester Cathedral, which overlooks the county ground where Dilley played for six years after leaving his native Kent.

Gatting praised Dilley's role in the Ashes victory in 1986-87. He said: ''He was a fine, fine bowler but I suppose we will always remember Dill for not wanting the limelight, being happy to sit somewhere and have a beer with the boys. He was a lovely man and probably too nice to be a fast bowler.''

As we all agreed shortly after his untimely death last month - ''A Very Fine Member of the Supporting Cast''.

Nice one, Guildford.

Very sad about Graham. A very good bowler, but immortalised by that innings at Leeds and by his terrific boundary catch in the last innings. Seems, by all accounts, to have been a very nice guy, as well.