Christopher Bazalgette

Christopher David Evelyn Bazalgette (24 November 1938 – 5 January 2023) was an English amateur cricketer and writer who was the founder of European Cricketer Cup.[1]

Early life and education

Bazalgette was born in Birmingham and was a great-grandson of Victorian engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and a relative of television executive Sir Peter Bazalgette.[2][3] He attended Allhallows School and served for four years in the Royal Horse Guards.[2][4]

Career

In 1972, Bazalgette joined The Cricketer magazine, where he worked for 35 years as an advertisement manager.[2][3]

Bazalgette was deeply involved in cricket promotion. He managed West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge for three years, organized a single-wicket competition at The Oval in 1979, and assisted in the management of Ian Botham during the 1980s.[2] In 2006, he coached actor Sacha Baron Cohen's comedic character Borat Sagdiyev in a televised cricket segment filmed at Hambledon.[2][1]

As a cricketer, Bazalgette was a slow-medium bowler. He is the leading wicket-taker for the Hampshire Hogs, with 1,405 wickets.[2] Famously holding his trousers up with a club tie, he claimed to have taken over 2,500 wickets in his entire amateur career.[2] His method involved flighting the ball above the batsman's eyeline to induce errors.[2]

Later in life, after losing his position at The Cricketer, he faced financial hardship.[2] The cricket community supported him through a fundraising dinner, considered the first "benefit" for an amateur cricketer since W. G. Grace.[2] He authored several books, including Think Cricket.[1]

Personal life

Bazalgette was married to June Bitten from 1965 until her death in 2018, and they had one daughter.[2][3] Bazalgette died of heart and kidney failure at the age of 84.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Hampshire grassroots cricketing legend Christopher Bazalgette – the man who taught Ali G to play the sport". The News. 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Christopher Bazalgette obituary". The Times. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  3. ^ a b c Obituaries, Telegraph (2023-01-19). "Christopher Bazalgette, colourful cricket writer and club player who worked with Ian Botham and once bowled Gordon Greenidge – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  4. ^ "Christopher Bazalgette | The Old Honitonians Club". www.oldhonitonians.com. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
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