Boycott bats for Fred Trueman

I know from experience that cancer comes as a shock. So I have great sympathy for my friend Fred Trueman, who has been diagnosed with the disease. I have spoken to Fred a couple of times in the last few days, and it is good to hear him in an optimistic frame of mind. He is very positive about his chemotherapy, which he starts this week.


I know that Fred is mentally strong because I played cricket with him for seven years. When I started at Yorkshire as a 21-year-old I used to try to get to mid-off or mid-on so I could listen to his banter. He was never short of a word or two. Not sledging - he never abused anyone. He was just so funny.

It's hard to explain to kids today how good Fred actually was. For purposes of comparison, Matthew Hoggard - who is a very fine bowler for England - has taken just over 200 Test wickets at 28. Fred took 307 at 21, and his strike rate was a wicket every 49 balls. The only way I can explain it to the present crop of England players is to think of Waqar Younis bowling fast in-swingers and then reverse the direction of movement. Fred bowled fast out-swingers from the most perfect action you will ever see.

We drifted out of touch for a while, but when I had my own problems with cancer Fred would ring me up every Sunday morning, between coming back from church and eating his roast. I will do everything I can to support him through this battle.