Christopher Martin-Jenkins
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Christopher Martin-Jenkins MBE |
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Martin-Jenkins at the Adelaide Oval, during the England tour of Australia in 2006–07
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| Born |
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins 20 January 1945 Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 1 January 2013 (aged 67) Rudgwick, West Sussex, England |
| Cause of death | Lymphoma |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names |
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| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Cricket journalist and broadcaster |
| Years active | 1967-2012 |
| Known for |
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Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 January 2013), also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of the MCC. He was also the longest serving commentator for Test Match Special (TMS) on BBC Radio, from 1973 until diagnosed with terminal cancer in January 2012.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins was born at his grandmother's house in Peterborough, the second of three boys. His father, a Lieutenant Colonel in the army at the time, relocated the family to Glasgow where he was stationed. After demobilisation he returned to his job at the shipping firm Ellerman Lines where he subsequently became Chairman. His mother was a surgeon.
He went to St Bede's prep school in Eastbourne and then to Marlborough. He first played for the school team in 1962 under the captaincy of future Sussex Captain (1968-1972) and chairman of the MCC (2012–2013), Mike Griffith. The following year, after becoming captain of the school cricket XI, Martin-Jenkins wrote to Brian Johnston asking him how to become a cricket commentator. Johnston invited him to Broadcasting House, took him out to lunch and told him to develop his ability and review his performance by practising his commentating skills by using a tape recorder. That year he also scored a valiant 99 in Marlborough's second innings in the annual fixture against Rugby School at Lord's, but despite this they still lost by 22 runs.
He went up to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he read modern history and graduated with a 2.1 in 1967. During his time at Cambridge he won two half-blues for rugby fives but he was very disappointed not to win a cricket blue. In 1965 he was co-opted into making up the numbers for the alumni Quidnuncs side, in their annual May fixture against the University first XI at Fenners, skippered by Mike Griffith. One of his Quidnuncs team mates was also future TMS colleague Henry Blofeld. Batting at number six, Martin-Jenkins was clean bowled for a duck by former Marlborough school team mate Jonathan Harvey and then he conceded 31 runs without taking a wicket in 5 overs while Blofeld, a 1959 blue, opened the batting and scored 15 runs in the drawn match. Martin-Jenkins never played for the University first XI although he narrowly missed out on gaining his blue after he was surprisingly named 12th man for the 1967 Varsity match at Lord's. Nevertheless, he skippered the Crusaders (the University 2nd XI) during 1966 and 1967 and was also a successful captain of his college XI.
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