E. W. Swanton
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ernest William Swanton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
11 February 1907 Forest Hill, London, England |
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| Died | 22 January 2000 (aged 92) Canterbury, Kent, England |
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| Nickname | Jim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right arm leg spin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Commentator, journalist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Reymond de Montmorency (father-in-law) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1937–1938 | Middlesex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo, 22 January 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ernest William (Jim) Swanton CBE (11 February 1907 – 22 January 2000) was a British journalist and author, chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised by his distinctive "fruity" voice. After "retiring" in the 1970s, he continued to write occasional articles and columns, virtually until his death.
Swanton was born in Forest Hill in south London, the eldest child of a . He was a large baby and known as Jim, a diminutive of "Jumbo", from his earliest years. His father was treasurer of Forest Hill cricket club, and Swanton claimed that, whilst still a baby in his pram, he attended a cricket match at which W. G. Grace, then aged 59, scored a century for London County against Forest Hill.
He was educated at Brightlands prep school (later part of Dulwich College Preparatory School) and Cranleigh School. He did not excel at school academically or in sport, and decided to become a journalist on leaving school.
Swanton started at the Amalgamated Press in Fleet Street in 1924. He became a correspondent for the London Evening Standard in 1927, writing on cricket in the summer and rugby in the winter. He wrote about Test cricket for nearly 70 years, from the 2nd Test against Australia at Lord's in 1930 to the 4th Test against New Zealand at the Oval in 1999. He started a parallel career as a broadcaster for the British Empire Service in 1934, and commentated on the MCC tour to South Africa in 1938–39, the first overseas tour to receive live BBC coverage.
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