Thread by @stock_delivery

When David Frith wished Don Bradman on his 84th birthday, The Don thanked him and added that there was no need to make him remember he was 84!
"It's better to have reached 84 than not", replied Frith who himself has now reached that age.
Thread on little-known facts about him.

It was Jack Pollard who advised him, around 1963, to seek a cricket-writing career over in England. His encouragement was a vital spur, though it took years before Frith managed the breakthrough - and that was through his 'substitute father' John Arlott.

Len Hutton and Ray Lindwall never knew that young Frith strove madly to bat and bowl exactly like them. He was only partially successful, though he treasures the reactions of Jim Laker and John Emburey after they'd seen him bowl in charity matches: they both murmured "Raymond!"

He was so obsessed with the game that, besides describing Laker's 19/90 in a 'love' letter to Debbie, he named his sons after cricketers.
Peter,named after the world's top batsman when he was born (P.B.H. May). His second son has Denis among his forenames.

He never writes a word until he feels satisfied that he has all the detail that he could ever find
Classic example is this book
He began by spending a full day in the Mitchell Library in Sydney,trawling through newspaper reports
22 years but nothing new has surfaced on that tour.

After the Jackson book came out he received a letter from Karl Schneider's brother. It was quite heated. He was indignant at the veiled suggestion that Archie may have caught TB from KS after the latter helped carry AJ down from the mountain in New Zealand after his collapse.

At Lord's he was once asked by a renowned film-maker( won Oscar nominations), "Which cricket books are worth reading?"
He gave him few titles and later sent him a copy of this book.
Might he see a film in it?
He didn't and even forgot to return the book!

At a club luncheon in Hambledon Frith did the unthinkable:"Guildford,rather than Hambledon,was the real "cradle of cricket""!
A claim based on all the"firsts"attaching to the area: earliest recorded reference to the game(as played by schoolboy John Derrick in 16th century)(contd)

(contd); introduction of middle stump; first use of phrase "test match"; first use of spikes and of leg pads; first organised women's match; first match rules/agreement. They took it well but it's always hard to alter established beliefs.

He knew Jim Swanton well.
When The Cricketer absorbed Playfair Cricket Monthly, and Gordon Ross wanted to turn The Cricketer into a born-again PCM, Swanton said to Frith: "We must stand shoulder to shoulder,David"
"Don't you mean shoulder-to-hip, Jim?"( he was well over 6 feet)

And Cardus:
Frith took his books for signature, and NC suspected DF had one of the books twice(leading him to suspect that he was going to flog the second one).DF explained that they were different editions.Serious book collectors do that sort of thing.
NC eventually signed them.

Becoming editor of Wisden Almanack: John Arlott once tested DF out on availability, and seemed to think he'd handle it all right, but WCM was a massive undertaking and DF would never have forsaken his 'baby' for the Big Brother.

This is quiz question material:
Two books which DF edited.
The Dickie Dodds book needed some tightening-up and shaping.
Did the same for this slim Frank Woolley book, put together loosely by his Canadian second wife Martha towards the end.

The boy who killed a dove:
Once Denis Compton and Keith Miller made a 'celebrity' visit to Lord's and a press conference was called. Then they all sailed down to the Nursery end, where DCS was given a miniature bat, and a sponsor's girl tried to toss a ball towards him.(contd)

(contd)All were dying to see that old sweep stroke once more - but she couldn't bowl that ball within reach!
After a minute of this DF said to the photographers that he'd take over and drop it on the spot.
His first underhand delivery went clean through poor old DCS's 'defence'.

Film history:
DF found film in private hands (many Test cricketers had movie cameras) and he looked at newsreel holdings. Eventually his researches left him with a huge pile of material - but nowhere to go with it, (contd)

(contd)despite overtures to several outfits in the hope of making the definitive film history of cricket("20 hours perhaps"). No-one had the vision to take it on. Youtube now provides a wonderful range of old newsreels and cricket programmes. And, for him, that is that then.

Bowen:
Just before he cut his foot off (just to show that it could be done), he was only a few miles from DF when the latter went all the way down to Cornwall to see bookseller Ted Brown. He stayed overnight, and at breakfast Ted suggested that while he was so close, (contd)

(contd) why didn't he pop in to see the Major? DF decided he wanted to get home as soon as he could - but he has regretted that opportunity ever since.
The only published photo of RB appears in his Pageant of Cricket.

He'd gone to some lengths to get books signed - and for a very long time.
When Don Bradman came over in 1974 he got him to sign over 20 books.
A high proportion of his library is signed, with the odd unconventional inscription (e.g. Merv Hughes: Get stuffed!).

The medium-pacers?
After 'The Fast Men' and 'The Slow Men' he used to joke about a third book: Medium-pacers. He even thought that Brian Crump of Northamptonshire might make the ideal cover illustration.

He bought the Stoddy Wisdens at auction; Jessop's from his son; Jeeves's came via his brother. And perhaps the only collector to have a letter from Trumper’s wife!
And from Ron Yeomans, the penny coin with which Ivo Bligh tossed during the first Ashes series (1882-83).

Finally, the birthdays:
He turned 40 in the middle of the Centenary Test.
The day began rather well with breakfast with Don and Jessie Bradman; then a chat at the MCG with Don; a gripping day's play; then oblivion in the evening, with Neil Hawke as his 'guardian'. (contd)

(contd)For the 50th it was a play in the local Guildford theatre,and a chat afterwards with Peter O'Toole. Then there was the wartime one when he woke about 5 am and found the fire engine his father (a fireman) had made for him. There was also a pair of boxing gloves....(contd)

(contd)1989 SA Test centenary celebration:
On that day he went to the ground for the Currie Cup match and there were 8 former Test captains on board. They toasted his birthday with a bottle of port in plastic cups:the Rowans,T.Goddard,P.van der Merwe,P.May, J. McGlew,....
*ends*