.gif)
Eddie Hemmings (rugby league)
Encyclopedia
Eddie Leslie Bruce Hemmings presents Sky Sports
rugby league
coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington
, Cheshire
, England
, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson
.
, where he became sports editor, proceeding to become a sports reporter/commentator on BBC Radio 2
in the 1980s. Hemmings and Stephenson actually first met up for commentary duties at the station; Stephenson was invited to be Hemmings' summariser during Great Britain's tour of Australia
in 1988.
as the anchorman/commentator for its rugby league coverage at the network's launch in 1990. Stephenson was brought in to be Hemmings' regular sidekick. The pairing were kept together when BSB and Sky Television
merged to form BSkyB; the combined satellite TV network inherited BSB's rugby league TV contract.
Hemmings is still the main caller for nearly all live Super League matches broadcast on Sky Sports; he commentates on the two matches broadcast live each week, plus all the play-offs and Grand Final matches. He also commentates on all the international matches involving the Great Britain
or England
team.
area (St Helens, Warrington
and Salford
) (especially against Hull FC
) in his commentaries on matches involving one of those teams, due to his links to the region. However, most sports commentators around the world are accused of showing commentary bias towards a particular team. Though his loyalties are unashamedly British when it comes to the international game, regardless where in the United Kingdom
a team or player is from
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
.
Early career
Hemmings began his career on the now defunct Liverpool Weekly News, before moving to BBC Radio MerseysideBBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of Merseyside and north Cheshire. It was the third BBC local radio station to launch on 22 November 1967 initially serving the south west of historic Lancashire....
, where he became sports editor, proceeding to become a sports reporter/commentator on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in the 1980s. Hemmings and Stephenson actually first met up for commentary duties at the station; Stephenson was invited to be Hemmings' summariser during Great Britain's tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1988.
Television career
Hemmings joined satellite broadcaster BSBBritish Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
as the anchorman/commentator for its rugby league coverage at the network's launch in 1990. Stephenson was brought in to be Hemmings' regular sidekick. The pairing were kept together when BSB and Sky Television
Sky Television plc
Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
merged to form BSkyB; the combined satellite TV network inherited BSB's rugby league TV contract.
Hemmings is still the main caller for nearly all live Super League matches broadcast on Sky Sports; he commentates on the two matches broadcast live each week, plus all the play-offs and Grand Final matches. He also commentates on all the international matches involving the Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
or England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
team.
Criticism
Hemmings has been accused through the years of being biased towards Super League teams from the LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
area (St Helens, Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
and Salford
Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
) (especially against Hull FC
Hull FC
Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull FC, is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition...
) in his commentaries on matches involving one of those teams, due to his links to the region. However, most sports commentators around the world are accused of showing commentary bias towards a particular team. Though his loyalties are unashamedly British when it comes to the international game, regardless where in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
a team or player is from