The former England cricket captain gives some batting advice
THERE’S a copy of the Andrew Festing painting Conversation Piece in one of Ted Dexter’s upstairs rooms. The work depicts great English post-Second World War cricketers, including Denis Compton and Alec Bedser, in the Lord’s Long Room. Sadly, Mr Dexter is the last one of the halcyon ensemble still alive.
‘I was from a slightly younger generation than the others,’ he points out, reflecting on the sitting. ‘I was only asked when someone dropped out at the last minute. I said: “But I don’t have an MCC blazer.” They told me: “Don’t worry. Just get down here”.’
The handsome, hawk-like profile is unmistakeable. In the 1960s, often branded cricket’s grey decade, Milan-born Mr Dexter brought a dash of glamour. He was an attacking all-rounder who captained England 30 times and led Sussex to success in the first limited-overs county competitions in 1963 and 1964. He was last man to captain the Gentlemen against the Players before amateur status was officially abolished in 1963.
His appeal transcended cricket boundaries. Married to the model Susan Longfield, daughter of a Kent cricketer, even the French masterphotographer Henri CartierBresson took his picture, at Hove. ‘He spent three days with us, sitting on the floor of the flat, this tiny little man with his Leica. The only thing he said to me when I drove him to an away game was “Do you always drive so fast?”’
Once nicknamed Lord Ted, he’s been described as an aloof figure, although one suspects this is partly to do with the way strong characters who don’t trade in false modesty or knee-jerk bonhomie, put brains into gear before opening their mouths and retain a streak of individuality are often pigeonholed.
Denne historien er fra August 08, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 08, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning