Rex Alston
Encyclopedia
Arthur Rex Alston was a leading sports commentator for BBC radio
on cricket
, rugby union
, athletics
and tennis
from the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s.
Rex Alston was a considerable sportsman in his own right, obtaining a Cambridge Blue for athletics in 1923, captaining Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
in 1932, and playing on the wing for Bedford
and Rosslyn Park
rugby clubs. He was a pupil at Trent College
, Nottingham. He was a schoolmaster at Bedford School
from 1924 to 1941, before joining the BBC. He was originally a billeting officer, but it was soon realised that his voice - a clear, light baritone - was too good for him to remain in an administrative role. He remained on the BBC staff until 1961, and continued broadcasting for a few years after that as a free-lance. He wrote on cricket and rugby for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
, continuing to report on county cricket
for the former until 1987. He also had a column in Playfair Cricket Monthly
.
His first major cricket commentary was on the Old Trafford "Victory Test"
in 1945, as a deputy for Howard Marshall
. He quickly became an ever-present in a Test Match
commentary team which included John Arlott
and E W Swanton, and also was the producer. He commented on about a hundred Tests in all, many of them after the launch of Test Match Special
in 1957 expanded the coverage to include the full day's play rather than only portions of it. His last Test was in 1964.
He had the unsettling experience of reading his own obituary
in The Times
in 1985. A misunderstanding led to his obituary being published, instead of merely updated for the files. By an unfortunate coincidence, Alston had collapsed the previous evening at a dinner, and was a patient at the Westminster Hospital
at the time. Next year he remarried, and so became almost certainly the only man to have his death and marriage reported in The Times in that order.
He wrote a number of books, including:
His father was Arthur Fawssett Alston
, the third Bishop of Middleton.
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
on cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
from the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s.
Rex Alston was a considerable sportsman in his own right, obtaining a Cambridge Blue for athletics in 1923, captaining Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
in 1932, and playing on the wing for Bedford
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
and Rosslyn Park
Rosslyn Park F.C.
Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union team. Founded in 1879, the club became the first club based in England to play rugby internationally when it faced Stade Francais in Paris on 18 April 1892. In 1912, the club played in Prague, Budapest and Vienna in the first rugby matches ever played in...
rugby clubs. He was a pupil at Trent College
Trent College
Trent College is a co-educational, HMC independent day and boarding school. There are 760 pupils in the Senior School and 330 pupils in the Junior School, The Elms School...
, Nottingham. He was a schoolmaster at Bedford School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
from 1924 to 1941, before joining the BBC. He was originally a billeting officer, but it was soon realised that his voice - a clear, light baritone - was too good for him to remain in an administrative role. He remained on the BBC staff until 1961, and continued broadcasting for a few years after that as a free-lance. He wrote on cricket and rugby for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
, continuing to report on county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
for the former until 1987. He also had a column in Playfair Cricket Monthly
Playfair Cricket Monthly
Playfair Cricket Monthly was a monthly British cricket magazine that ran from May, 1960 to April, 1973, when it was absorbed by The Cricketer. Its comprehensive statistical content was taken on by The Cricketer Quarterly. It was edited by Gordon Ross and - until his death in 1962 - Roy Webber...
.
His first major cricket commentary was on the Old Trafford "Victory Test"
Victory Tests
The Victory Tests were a series of cricket matches played in England from 19 May to 22 August 1945, between a combined Australian Services XI and an English national side...
in 1945, as a deputy for Howard Marshall
Howard Marshall (broadcaster)
Howard Percival Marshall achieved distinction in several fields, but is best remembered as a pioneering commentator for live broadcasts of state occasions and sporting events — in particular cricket Test matches — for BBC radio during the 1930s.He went to Oriel College, Oxford, winning a rugby...
. He quickly became an ever-present in a Test Match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
commentary team which included John Arlott
John Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
and E W Swanton, and also was the producer. He commented on about a hundred Tests in all, many of them after the launch of Test Match Special
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
in 1957 expanded the coverage to include the full day's play rather than only portions of it. His last Test was in 1964.
He had the unsettling experience of reading his own obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1985. A misunderstanding led to his obituary being published, instead of merely updated for the files. By an unfortunate coincidence, Alston had collapsed the previous evening at a dinner, and was a patient at the Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a public hospital located on Fulham Road, in the Chelsea area of London, England. It is managed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and opened in May 1993.-History:...
at the time. Next year he remarried, and so became almost certainly the only man to have his death and marriage reported in The Times in that order.
He wrote a number of books, including:
- Taking the Air, Stanley Paul, 1951.
- Over to Rex Alston. A commentary on the 1953 Australian tour, Frederick Muller Ltd, 1953.
- Test Commentary: An Account of the Australian Tour of 1956, Stanley Paul, 1956.
- Watching cricket: An aid to the appreciation of first-class cricket, and a guide to the laws (Sports books), Phoenix House, 1962.
- Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1973-74, The Queen Anne Press Ltd, 1974.
- One Hundred Years of Rugby Football; a History of Rosslyn Park Football Club 1879-1979 (Editor), 1979.
His father was Arthur Fawssett Alston
Arthur Fawssett Alston
Arthur Fawssett Alston was an Anglican bishop, the third Bishop of Middleton from 1938 until 1943.Educated at Clare College, Cambridge and Ridley Hall, he was ordained priest in 1896. A curacy at St Simon’s Southsea was followed with Yorkshire incumbencies...
, the third Bishop of Middleton.