Christopher Martin-Jenkins R.I.P.

Dear God - the Grim Reaper has been having a busy time of it. CMJ finally succumbed to cancer. Ironic that his last piece of writing should have been about Greigy in yesterday's Times - he described the late stage of cancer as "hell on earth".

R.I.P.

OMG this is terrible

Jeez, bad times. RIP Christopher Martin Jenkins

Sad news. I always enjoyed his comments on TMS.

just saw that earlier on the twitwaffle. RIP

RIP

Genuinely choked, just another part of getting older I guess seeing lot of familiar voices that have been part of your life for ever passing away.

Terribly sad news. RIP CMJ.

I liked his voice on the radio and his writing.

R.I.P.

Basil wrote:Dear God - the Grim Reaper has been having a busy time of it. CMJ finally succumbed to cancer. Ironic that his last piece of writing should have been about Greigy in yesterday's Times - he described the late stage of cancer as "hell on earth".

R.I.P.

RIP - Greig probably got off easier...

More sad news to start this year, as ended the last.

I hated the deference of the "CMJ" treatment that other commentators gave him. Too much deference in that, too much fake-military saluting.

But he always had a cheery, clear voice, and an ever-optimistic-sounding, elegantly humoristic outlook on cricket, which will be missed.

Apart from that, I agree with Lever. Each death also a more evident sign of your own mortality.

It is fairly meaningless I know to offer sympathies here to the nearest and dearest, who will never read them here, or hear of them. But I offer them in any case.

R.I.P.

It is also very quiet on the Jackers front.

R.I.P CMJ one of the increasingly rarer breed of incisive reporters on the game.

There aren't many like CMJ left, i.e. a well known and respected cricket journalist / broadcaster who did not play the game at first class level.

RIP.

Basil wrote:There aren't many like CMJ left, i.e. a well known and respected cricket journalist / broadcaster who did not play the game at first class level.

True, I can only recollect Cozier and Bryan Waddle active now.

And Jim Maxwell, of course.

Simon Mann is not that bad with the mike, despite very unpromising beginnings. Ali Mitchell will be all right once she calms down and stops flapping.

The three Davids (Foot, Frith and Hopps), John Woodcock and Martin Johnson, sometimes Scyld Berry and Matthew Engel are decent to great writers on cricket. All I think still with us, and none AFAIK former cricketers.

F*ck's sake.

Stop killing off people I like.

PeterCS wrote:Simon Mann is not that bad with the mike, despite very unpromising beginnings. Ali Mitchell will be all right once she calms down and stops flapping.

The three Davids (Foot, Frith and Hopps), John Woodcock and Martin Johnson, sometimes Scyld Berry and Matthew Engel are decent to great writers on cricket. All I think still with us, and none AFAIK former cricketers.

Mann are Mitchell are broadcast journalists first and the others are primarily print journalists. CMJ was one of a vanishingly small number who were equally adept at both.

PeterCS wrote:Simon Mann is not that bad with the mike, despite very unpromising beginnings. Ali Mitchell will be all right once she calms down and stops flapping.

The three Davids (Foot, Frith and Hopps), John Woodcock and Martin Johnson, sometimes Scyld Berry and Matthew Engel are decent to great writers on cricket. All I think still with us, and none AFAIK former cricketers.

Haven't heard Mitchell live, and Mann was okay when I last heard TMS (long time ago now).

As for prose, think there'll always be scope for that. Apart from them named, Haigh is another and Simon Wilde's books are also a decent read.

Ah I getcha, Baz.

I understood an "either / or" option, where you meant strictly "both / and".

Sad news.

what dello said...CMJ spiels were always music to my ears..RIP

my two favourite pomgolian commentators/writers gawn in a little over a year (the ever querelous Roebuck, I count as a wonderful Pomgolian despite his clear diffidence about national Identity)

Goodness, that's a shock. RIP CMJ.

Jeez... I've only just caught this - deeply saddened that CMJ has departed. RIP man.

Can't believe I've been so out of touch with TMS recently that I hadn't even realised he was ill, that's what comes of having Sky and not having DAB/LW in the car I suppose. Another of the legends of cricket commentary (and journalism of course) departs and they're getting thin on the ground now, not sure where the next generation of great radio commentators is going to come from. Guess they'll have to try and get a few more years out of Blowers, after that Aggers will be on his own in fighting the unstoppable force of Five Live Generic Sports Reporters Do Cricket, as it will no doubt be renamed...

RIP CMJ, one of the voices of cricket for all who have tuned in since the 70s.