John Snow (cricketer)

John Augustine Snow (born 13 October 1941) is a retired English international cricketer who played for Sussex from 1961 to 1977 and represented England in 49 Test matches.

A right-arm fast bowler, Snow led the England attack from 1965 to 1976 and bridged the gap between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis; he played with both of them at either end of his career.

He was considered difficult to handle, had definite ideas on how and when he should bowl and was disciplined by both Sussex and England, but he fitted the public image of a fiery fast bowler.

[1] He gained a place at the Teachers' Training College in Culham, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, taking a three-year course studying geography and physical education.

During the winter of 1965-1966, at age 24 and having already played for England, Snow changed his action towards the classic sideways-on style used by Fred Trueman and other top bowlers.

[6] His new style also pleased the purists who referred to his "graceful, yet deadly, action",[7] and "beautifully easy and controlled bowling method, slanting the ball into the batsman but also cutting it sharply off the pitch".

[9] On 30 August, Snow made his home debut at the Manor Sports Ground in Worthing against Leicestershire, who won by 62 runs after Maurice Hallam scored 203* and 143*.

[citation needed] In 1966, Gary Sobers' powerful West Indies team toured England and Snow was recalled after taking 7/29 and 4/18 against them at Hove, Sussex winning by 9 wickets.

Snow was initially dropped for the match, but was recalled due to an injury sustained by John Price, then considered the fastest bowler in England.

[citation needed] Snow took 7/49 in Jamaica, his victims including Gary Sobers, who was out lbw for another first ball duck, and Basil Butcher, as West Indies were dismissed for 143.

Illingworth saved the English innings with a century to cement his place as captain and the Test ended in a thrilling draw when England needed just 37 runs with three wickets in hand.

In 1998, 88-year old Trevor Guy told The Sydney Morning Herald that he was the man who had grabbed Snow in order to tell him what he thought about him hitting Jenner.

[31] To avoid injury to his team, Illingworth took his men back to the dressing room without the permission of the umpires, an unprecedented move in Test cricket.

[32] The England manager Clark tried to push Illingworth back onto the field and Alan Barnes of the ACB demanded that they return immediately or they would forfeit the match and the Ashes.

[citation needed] England's spinners did the job, dismissing Australia for 160 to win by 62 runs and regain the Ashes while Snow was on the operating table.

[36] After Snow had bowled more than 50 eight-ball overs in the first Test he was rested for the state match against Western Australia, but Clark insisted that he practice in the nets with the others.

[37] Illingworth smoothed things over but, after the second Test, Clark criticised both captains for cautious play, Snow for his short-pitched bowling and indicated that he would prefer to see Australia win 3–1 than see four more draws.

Snow had the opener Ashok Mankad caught by Knott for 8 and India were 21–2 when Sunil Gavaskar was called for a quick single after hitting the ball to mid-wicket.

[46] From afar, the incident had looked much worse and was replayed repeatedly on slow-motion television followed by a media furore and the press demanding disciplinary action.

[citation needed] Snow returned for the third Test at The Oval and tore off Gavaskar's chain and medallion with a bouncer that zipped under his chin and made him fall over.

[53] Along with Illingworth, Geoff Boycott and John Edrich, Snow declined to tour India in 1972–73, wanting to rest his back for the summer and concerned about the dysentery he had caught in Pakistan in 1968–69.

England were due to tour the Caribbean in 1973–74, but Illingworth was sacked within minutes of losing the disastrous third Test at Lord's by an innings and 226 runs and Mike Denness was appointed instead.

[56] Denness lost heavily to the hostile pace of Lillee and Jeff Thomson and despite numerous injuries to batsmen and bowlers alike, Snow was not sent as a replacement.

Snow was punished in the first innings at Trent Bridge (1/123), but fought back in the second (4/53) with the wickets of Roy Fredericks, Richards, Lloyd and Bernard Julien.

[citation needed] Snow still had a formidable reputation in Australia and was recruited by Tony Greig for World Series Cricket, which was about to be launched by Kerry Packer.

[59] Snow did not play in any of the "Supertests", but was a regular for the World XI and WSC Cavaliers in the one-day games, hitting 42 and taking 3/30 to help win the final against Australia at Canberra in 1977–78.

[citation needed] After World Series, at the age of 38, Snow returned to English cricket in 1980 and played in one Gillette Cup and six Sunday League matches for Warwickshire, taking a total of eight wickets (29.62) and scoring 57 runs (57.00).

Besides Lever, he teamed up with David Brown, Jeff Jones, Alan Ward, Chris Old, Ken Shuttleworth, Bob Willis, Geoff Arnold and others.

[62] Snow himself usually bowled only fast-medium in run-of-the-mill county and tour games, saving his fastest pace for Test Matches and whenever the mood took him on the quick wickets at Hove.

He coached Imran Khan, who was his team mate at Sussex, and remodelled his action so that he could bowl fast (a similar change to the one Snow had himself undergone).