Page 227 - Redditch People

Redditch People

Tom Graveny OBE

Cricketer & Shop Keeper

Tom was a cricketer for Worcestershire as well as a
Test Match palyer. He was a fine batsman and well
liked by all.

He later established a Sports Shop in Redditch, first
in Alcester Street and later in the Kingfisher Centre.

1927 - 2015

Tom Graveney in 1954 at the
height of his cricketing
career

Nominated By: G, Hemming

Life and Times of Tom Graveny OBE

Thomas William "Tom" Graveney OBE (16 June 1927 – 3 November 2015) was a leading
English cricketer, representing his country in 79 Test matches and scoring over 4,800
runs. In a career lasting from 1948 to 1972, he became the 15th player to score one
hundred first-class centuries; he was the first batsman beginning his career after the
Second World War to reach this milestone. He played for Gloucestershire and
Worcestershire, and helped Worcestershire win the county championship for the first
time in their history. His achievements for England after being recalled in 1966 have been
described as "the stuff of legend." Graveney was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1953,
captained England on one occasion and was awarded the OBE while still playing.

His international career ended at the age of 42 when he played in a benefit match on the
rest day of a Test match. He was banned for three matches, and was never selected for
England again. In later life he worked as a cricket commentator for BBC Television and
was the first former professional to be President of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He was
one of the first 55 players inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.

After retiring from cricket, he worked in various roles, including a squash club manager
in Essex and a pub landlord in Prestbury, Gloucestershire. His wife, Jackie, said that being
a publican was the first proper job Graveney had had in his life.[3] In 1979, he joined
the BBC as a television cricket commentator and became the first former professional
cricketer to be elected president of the MCC in 2004. He served as president of
Worcestershire from 1994 to 1998.

© RLHS 2015 Page: 227