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“Still makes me very sad to think of the final years of Graham Thorpe’s life,” emails Phil Harrison. “I was at Trent Bridge for his debut ton – I was there with my dad and I moved to London the following day. Which, in my head at least, kind of marked the beginning of my adult life. It felt like me and Graham Thorpe were setting out on our journeys at the same time so I was always quite invested in his career. It’s silly how we let our lives become intertwined with the fates of professional sports people who will never know we exist. But it’s meaningful and potent in its own way too. Anyway, what a player and what a guy. I hope on some level he understood how loved and respected he was.”
It’s not silly at all – seeking meaning and being moved is part of what makes us human. I don’t need Michael Stipe’s recognition, say, to feel changed by him; as Dave said, we’re all alone in this together, and however we experience that together is worth everything.
In case you missed it at the time and even if you didn’t, check out or remind yourself of Jim Wallace’s piece remembering Thorpey.
Email! “When I think of Graham Thorpe,” writes Elliot Brooks, “I think about watching cricket with my mum as a kid, when we’d been sequestered to the television in her room because other members of the family wanted a de-cricketed zone in the living room for at least an hour at some point in the summer. I just have a lovely warm memory of sitting on her bed, watching Thorpe stroll out to bat with his zinced lips during some batting collapse or other, and my mum inevitably muttering ‘he’s always worth a few runs’.
I think that’s worth quite a lot. To be a small part of a nice memory. What joy he brought us. It’s a shame he had those struggles, and he couldn’t see what the rest of us could see. His legacy speaks for itself, rugged enduring open-heartedness, and we should all be so lucky to be defined in those terms.
Thanks for the donation links, throwing something in and thinking of Graham.”
It’s so easy to enumerate Thorpey’s qualities, isn’t it? Once upon a time, I’d have said they inspire us to aspire to them, but these days, I think the lesson is to remember that the same is already so of all of us.
I don’t suppose any of us are surprised by that news – it looked grim at the time – so let’s hope for a swift recovery. At Woakes’ age, every match means more and every injury lasts longer, but whatever happens from here, his legacy is secure, as a very fine cricketer and an even finer human being.
ECB: Woakes will play no further part in this Test
England seamer Chris Woakes will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the Rothesay Fifth Test at The Kia Oval, following a left shoulder injury sustained on day one of the match against India.
“At this stage, the injury has ruled him out of any further participation in the Test.
“A further assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the series.”
Preamble
We’re just about to begin day two of Test five, one of the great recent serieseseseses still in the balance. England, having revolutionised the game with their love of it, have since stepped off to step up, learning how to win and becoming a serious team in the process, while India, shorn of generational champions and under new leadership, remain a thrilling meld of attitude and aptitude. We’ll be talking about this contest for a very long time.
But sometimes, it’s not about the contest at all – even though it is – and A Day for Thorpey reminds us why we’re here in the first place. Cricket is competitive and cricket is tough, sure – few understood that better than the man we’re gathered to remember and celebrate – but also, cricket is company and cricket is community. When we say we’ll be talking about this contest for a very long time, that’s because its sporting and dramatic merits command us to, but it’s also because we’re social beings who need to talk – and to listen, and to be listened to, and to share, and to feel alive, and to feel loved.
Which is to say that it’s our job here to communicate to you what’s happening out in the middle, but if that was all we did, we’d not be doing our job. We’re also here to chat about anything that’s on anyone’s heart, and there’s an email address at the top of the page for a reason: so anyone reading can get in touch. We’re all equal parts of this beautiful thing of ours, and just as Thorpey famously made himself available to help those around him, no one reading this need ever suffer alone. Today, we’re raising money for Mind, and specifically Thorpey’s Bat and Chat – please do support them if you can, here or here – but in the meantime, if you need an inexpert ear, conversation or mate, you know exactly where we are and that it’s our privilege to hear from you. It gets dark sometimes, but it was dark in Karachi too.
Play: 11am BST
