Just who are the ‘doyens’ of sports commentary?

 
The Crowd Roar Pro

By For and Against, 6 Feb 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro

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Commentators. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, good or bad, they’re a big part of our lives and all are striving for the ultimate accolade…to be known as The Doyen of their field.

Like sportsmen and women themselves, few commentators reach the big time. It is THE untold story of sport; the poor, heart-broken wannabe commentator once a bright eyed kid with big dreams now left by the wayside, stranded in rural ABC outposts or perhaps sentenced to a sporting Siberia, the lawn bowls, the women’s featherweight weight lifting, the pistol rage or the terrifying dressage paddock.

For those few that make the grade, fame and a little fortune, not to mention admiration and admonishment, come raining down.

Some will come and go, some will flit from sport to sport never quite finding a home, while others manage to master the black art of knowing enough about each sport to become an anchor. Then there are the true masters. The ones who, effortlessly, rise to the creme de la crème of their chosen sport – the ones we call “doyens”.

They are few, they are revered and they are both humble and imperious, a colossus and verbal artiste. At one with the microphone, the sages of their chosen creed, their gentlest whisper can render the most inebriated fan a whimpering disciple. It may never possible to define or bottle a doyen, so we chose to parade a few by way of illustration. These illustrations, appropriately enough, speak for themselves.

Richie Benaud
The doyens’ doyen. Universally liked and admired and still in possession of a keen eye and a sharp mind. Richie completed a journalists course at the BBC shortly after retiring and many a new (and indeed old) commentator would be wise to adopt the salient advice Richie received back then: “Don’t talk unless you can add something to the picture” (or words to that effect). There will undoubtedly be a state funeral when this man is dismissed for the final time. The greatest Australian?

Phil Liggett
Who here follows cycling? No I mean really follows it. Can’t see too many hands up! But you know Phil, don’t you. The unique, mellifluous voice, the unbridled genuine enthusiasm and the pleasant bed-side manner you wish your doctor had. You might only hear his voice during the Olympic Games or when you inadvertently stumble on the Le Tour highlights one night on SBS, but there’s no mistaking Phil. The words flow like the finest French Moet.

Dennis Cometti
That voice….that voice! A resonant baritone seducing the nation with its gentle caress…“Reece-Jones to the forward pocket!” The unassuming character, the sharp wit and a passion for football of the southern variety that runs deep.

Murray Walker
The man who proves that you don’t need to get everything right every time to make the grade. Mind you, Murray spent many years getting it exactly right, but not unlike many sporting champions he may have stuck around one or two seasons too long. Yet despite that, Murray’s overt passion, his friendly demeanour and his ability to get access to anyone, anywhere in the Formula One paddock made him THE voice of F1.

Jim Courier
Now see here’s where it starts getting a bit grey. Some have already proposed that he is, if not a fully fledged doyen, a doyen-in-waiting. It raises questions. Does a doyen have to be an ex-player? If so, do they need to have excelled? Is there a short-cut to being a doyen or do you need to spend years earning your stripes and building your cred? Do you have to be the best commentator in your sport or merely meet a certain, albeit high, grade? Can anchors be doyens, like Bruce or Kenny or maybe Rabs?

Of course the doyens mentioned do not comprise an exhaustive list. What about Frank Hyde…. Johnny Tapp…Gordon Bray? And those are just the Aussie nominees. There is also a catalogue of exotic foreign doyens, artists we rarely see or hear? The Canadian, Don Cherry, the voice of ice hockey, Britain’s Brian “It’s in There!” Moore and Martin Tyler, the über-cool Michael Holding and perhaps even India’s Ravi Shastri.

What’s your criteria and who makes the grade?

The team at For & Against naturally have their opinions on the matter and much else besides.

We review the cricket (should Punter resign), the tennis (should the blabbing Roger transfer to the WTP) and much else besides. Tune in to their latest podcast (see link below) for the usual lively discussion of all the big issues in Aussie sport.

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