'I don't believe we've met, the name's Colin Cowdrey.'That won't help you, fatsó.Now p**s off!"

IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS SINCE THE 'FAMOUS' AUSSIE WELCOME FOR ENGLAND'S BATSMAN IN THE 1974 ASHES

- MIKE WALTERS

MARCHING out to face the music with more padding than a divan mattress, the game show's oldest contestant was as impeccably mannered as ever.

Fifty years ago this week, three weeks before his 42nd birthday, Colin Cowdrey had been summoned as an emergency replacement to face Australian pace demons Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

England had been traumatised by Thomson's 99mph slingshots in the first Ashes Test at Brisbane, and now they were being peppered again on the trampoline bounce of Perth's sporting track.

The new batsman greeted Thomson: "Good morning, I don't believe we've met the name's Cowdrey. The assassin was having none of it. "That's not going to help you, Fatso," sneered Thommo.

"Now p**s off." Bravely getting into line where some of his team-mates poked fearfully at the missiles whistling past, Cowdrey's scores of 22 and 41 earned the respect of Aussie players and crowds alike.