Bill Frindall (1939-2009)

What terribly sad news. Farewell Bearders.

My sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.

RIP Bearders, you have brought a lot of happiness to cricket-loving pedants everywhere.

A sad day for cricket. Bill will be missed.

RIP.

R.I.P

Remember hearing all his stats and it helped me learn and understand the game!

RIP, Bill. TMS will not be the same

What a shock - irreplaceable - a genius and a drier sense of humour would be hard to find.

A sad day for cricket and his family - shall be greatly missed

RIP

A key cog in the TMS machine.

He will be sorely missed.

What a shock! Cricket on the Radio will never be the same again.

R.I.P. Bearers

Terrible news. My thoughts are with Bill's Family, Friends and Colleagues.
Having grown up with TMS I feel indebted to Bill for so much wondrous wisdom through the years and having met him a couple of years back at the PCA awards he lived up to all my expectations. Rest in peace, although the great scorer in the sky has now got some very tough competition on his hands...

You will be greatly missed, and very sorry you didn't make your own century score.

Summer just wont be quite the same without you on the radio, you where a part of many many peoples lives.

I hope your family and friends will be at least in a small way consoled by the very large contribution you have made to radio broadcasting during your life.

RIP bearders. What sad news. TMS wont be the same

Thank you Bill for all your years of enhancing our enjoyment of the game we love.

R.I.P.

TMS will never be the same again. Thanks for all the stats and fun. What will the beard world do without him?

Black armband time, man this test series will be bitter sweet. He was the pounding heart of TMS. I shall regrow my beard in tribute.

It's a sad day and totally unexpected, he was working only a short time ago, I remember hearing him on TMS during the India series.

He will never be replaced, his knowledge and fervour for scoring and statistics was unparallelled.

With Johnners gone and now Bearders, the TMS commentary box will feel a lot emptier.

I hope the BBC give him a good tribute, he deserves a programme on TV.

not a cricket fan as such, (scottish you see.) but used to read through all the Ask Bearders, lots of info not just on stats but on wee quirky rules etc. Will miss that, sad news

As a devotee of Playfair and listener to TMS for 35 years this is very sad news. My condolences to all who knew him.

Words fail me. Bill was in many ways TMS, the constant character throughout the years.

My thoughts are with his family

RIP Bearders

Really gutted to hear the news as i was all those years ago when Johnners passed on.

Perhaps the two of them can reunite for Heaven FM and bring home the 2009 Ashes

Gutted. He'll be sorely missed. Literally - who can possibly take over?

My first cricket related book was a Playfair Cricket Annual, RIP Bill

You have been part of my cricket listening 'life' for as long as I can remember.
Thanks for being such a fount of knowledge.
Let us hope your service to Cricket is recognised with a minute's applause or silence at the start of the Ashes series, so we may all show are appreciation for the enrichment you brought to our lives.
RIP & heart felt condolences to your family

Very sad to hear the news...true legend of Cricket. Thanks Bill

When Brian Johnston died, John Major was quoted as saying "Summers will never be the same".

I think that applies equally to The Bearded Wonder. He and the rest of the TMS team have always been more than just commentators - rather, a group of warm, generous, witty friends, who include the listeners in that friendship in the shared enjoyment of the true 'beautiful game'. Bill - like Brian - will live on in the memories of every TMS listener.

I echo nick750 above in offering my deepest sympathies to Bill's family, colleagues and close friends.

I remember loooking for a football equivalent to Bearders. There wasn't anyone. Farewell, and thank you.

Such sad news. Long before ever seeing a picture of Bill, be it TV or newspapers, I had a mental image of him. This was formed by the excellent work of people like Brian Johnstone, John Arlott and other old TMS broadcasters. They conjured up all the pictures you needed.

Bill had a wealth of cricket knowledge and will be a very hard act to follow.

Rest in Peace Bill Frindall.

all you can say is legend.

R.I.P

An absolute Legend on the radio and totally irreplacable.

I hope the current England team on tour show their respects in the 1st Test Match and the BBC make a suitable tribute for him.

He's back with Jonners now, RIP Bearders.

Sympathies to all his family and friends around the world.

Bearders has been a fixture of cricket all my life. Part of my childhood gone.

Farewell, Bearders.

Very sad news. Bill was such a part of TMS.

He always came across as a nice guy with an amazing knowledge and love for the game.

He will be missed by many fans of TMS

Very sad news indeed, a true legend of the game, it'll be very strange listening to TMS without Bill's input

R.I.P.

Irreplaceable! I had the pleasure of playing against him a few years back, when he turned out for the Salisbury Diocese team -- real gentleman. Go in peace, old man....

As a Cricket-loving statistician myself, I always thought he had the best job in the world. My deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.

Farewell, Bearders!

A sad, sad day for true cricket lovers everywhere. I remember seeing him speak once and opening the floor to questions - truly a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the greatest game.

Deepest sympathy to his family and close friends - there's another member in The Lord's enclosure today!

Test Matches wont be the same without Bill. He will be sadly missed.

RIP

Very sad... Bill was my link to the TMS of the past - Brian Johnson, Trevor Bailey, John Arlott - an irreplaceable part of the sound of a British summer...

I loved Bill.

Myth, legend, enigma, oracle. Gutted. Adios

Poor Bill. RIP and many condolences to his family and huge number of friends around the world.

Let's hope there is a suitable black armband response from the chaps in the West Indies, for once this is someone who deserves a sign of respect at a game.

A sad, sad loss. A true legend of broadcasting, and one who brought many happy hours of listening. RIP Bearders and sincere condolences to all close to him.

I've listened to TMS all my life... I just cannot imagine you not being there.

Thinking of you and your family.

stephanie G

Very sad news for fans of TMS.
Bill gave great balance and poise to TMS, and could always be relied upon for a dry quip when needed. He was exacting in his scoring with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game.
We, as listeners, shall miss him dearly.

What a great man - he will be sadly missed.

His obvious love of his craft made me want to be a cricket scorer too, and I was always pleased to read his insights on the game.

RIP Bill.

From all at Haslemere Cricket Club, particularly the more elderly members!, thank you so much.

I used the Frindall scoring system for several years at Bishopsteignton CC in the 70s and intend to start using it again in the Fullers Surrey League this year.

Jo Morley
Scorer
Haslemere CC

What hugely saddening news, a huge loss of a man who contributed so immeasurably to the TMS team, and gave so much to the listening thousands. An absolute marvel, who will be sorely missed, i'm sure by both family and public alike.

RIP, and thank you

Bearders, a true hero. TMS and cricket has lost a great man, and great character.

A sparkling innings sadly cut short. A very sad loss, and sincere condolences to his family.

Bill Frindall turned a niche and nerdy pursuit into a human, appealing and amusing hobby that is integral to properly understanding the game.

He will be remembered with great fondness and sorely missed by those who, like me, try to convince junior cricketers of the importance of scoring. Best wishes to his family.

Thanks for some fantastic memories of England both on tour and here at home, Bearders.

My condolences to his family and friends.

RIP 'The Bearder Wonder'

what a great man. i still can't believe it. RIP bill u are a true legend of cricket.

Terribly sad news, thoughts are with Bill's friends and family. He'll be missed so much
Mick G

A truely wonderful man and my heartfelt condonlences to his family. Like Jonners, Blowers and Aggers he was one of the powerhouses of TMS and even though I never met him I somehow felt I knew him.

His most lasting impact and one which will always make me smile when I think of it is the fact that because of Bill I stopped using this phrase - departed without troubling the scorers.

Rest in Peace

The Batsman Holding the bowlers willey

There is a smile and a laugh waiting for you at the pearly gates

RIP Bill

I remember spending the afternoon of the abandoned Test between England & Pakistan with Bearders on top of the new debentures stand at The Oval by the press box.

He was so flustered he couldn't find any records of the kind of nonsense that was going on. It was a Bearders probably never seen before then nor since.

Very fond memories of a true gentleman who found time to talk to the drunken "Dutch Bird" from Yorkshire. Completely gutted. TMS will never be the same.

So now it's farewell dear Bearded Wonder! However will they replace you on TMS? Since the passing of Howard Marshall, Norman Yardley, Arthur Wrigley, Arlott, Johnners, and Fred and the old order is now almost complete. Please, hang in there CMJ, Aggers, you are our last link with a second Golden Age!

Bearders was a legendary part of all cricket lovers' lives for so long. He brought the sometimes "boring" bit of cricket into our lives and made it interesting. He'll be sadly missed by us all. Our deepest condolances to his family and friends, of which there are many. RIP Bill :(

Both TMs and the sport of cricket has lost another great character and hw will be missed by one and All
Rest in peace Bearders

A very sad day for cricket worlwide you were much loved and tms will not be same without you.

Yourself and Jonners are re-united.

RIP.

So now it's farewell dear Bearded Wonder! However will they replace you on TMS? Since the passing of Howard Marshall, Norman Yardley, Arthur Wrigley, Arlott, Johnners, and Fred, the old order is now almost complete. Please, hang in there CMJ, Aggers, you are our last link with a second Golden Age!

I never met you Bill but I feel like I've lost a friend, RIP.
-Marc

R.I.P. dear Bearders.

You brought so much fun to scoring and in the TMS box in particular. Saturday afternoons sitting with the radio and TMS, will never be the same again.

My thoughts and condolences are with your family and the multitude of friends and colleagues who will all miss you.

John

I am sure that I along with Test Match Special fans the world over and all Cricket fans in general will be shocked to hear this afternoons very sad news of the "Bearded Wonder" and this will lead us all to conclude that we have all lost someone who's interjections where always accurate, well at least 99.99% of the time !
However ours and Tms's loss will of course be nothing to the loss felt by his family, all our thought's and best wishes of course go to them .
Bill will be sadly missed and with the Ashes this summer his loss will be even more evident, however we can only hope that from the "best seat in the House" Bill won't miss a ball.
I am sure that you will recieve a huge amount of similar blog entries and at some time in the future a selection of them might be nice for the family to recieve as a sign of just how much "The Bearded Wonder" will be missed.
Kind regards to the rest of you.
Ian Bedwell

A real 'oh no' moment when I heard the news. Such a shame.

In these days of info at the touch of the button, Bill's recall of events and stats was unrivalled. TMS and its listeners will miss him.

Bill Frindall was as essential to English cricket as the village green, and he knew all the answers. Gone at a tragically early age - rest in peace.

Good grief, this is such a shock.

Bill had such an encyclopaedic cricket knowledge, and could be very funny at times too.

TMS (and therefore cricket) will never be the same again. Thanks for all of it Bill.

Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Absolutely devasted to hear this news, another piece of my childhood disappears.

Men like Bill are why (test) cricket remains the ultimate test of both mind and body.

My thoughts are with his family, I hope they can find some solace in the fact that he was so clearly universally admired.

A very sad loss to TMS and Cricket RIP Bill

Farewell Bearders, you will be sorely missed.

That said, I am sure he and Johnners will be having a good chuckle at him ending his innings on 69.

This is such sad news. Ever since my interest in cricket first came through in the prolific 1990 season, I read as much as I could on the game.

This included many of Bill's scoring works, a job I continue to enjoy to this day for my own team when I'm not playing. I've been an avid read of Stump Bearders since it first appeared.

Cricket has lost a true soul who lived through the game, and the BBC Cricket webpages won't ever be the same again.

Godspeed, Bearded Wonder.

Bill - you will never be just a statistic - RIP
JN, Findon

I became a Test match listener late in life when Brian Johnston was commentating and Bill Frindall was scoring. With Bill's demise my early cricket radio has gone. R.I.P.

Tony

Another of the good guys cut off in his prime.

Such a shame.

Condolences to the family, and thanks for the memories Bill.

RIP

Irreplaceable.

How sad, as others have said, TMS won't be the same and Bill's great knowledge and calm voice will be sadly missed - where do we send the chocolate cake !

As a fellow television statistician, Bill was the man to which we are always compared. He was the doyen of his commentary box and an extremely popular man with forthright views on many issues. He also invited his own scoring system, used the world over. He was not just the BBC's well known cricket statistician - he was the world reknowned cricket statistician and will be sadly missed.

Rest in Peace Bill

That is terribly sad news. I grew up listening to the Bearded Wonder on TMS and it was his insight and knowledge that gave me a love of cricket, just as much as the magnificent commentaries of John Arlott and Johnners.

Totally irreplacible. Bill, you'll be very sadly missed.

Bill 'Bearders' Frindall will be missed - he will never be replaced (along with Jonners, Fred Trueman, John Arlott). When test cricket was on BBC (oh happy days) I bet I wasn't the only one to turn the sound down on TV and listen to the TMS radio commentary whilst watching! Bearders was always there as the TMS team changed over the years.

So now the First XI in the celestial TMS box for the first Ashes test this summer is properly in place:

John Arlott
Brian Johnston
Alan McGilvray
Fred Trueman

And now alas much too soon, Bill Frindall.

What unhappy news.

The ultimate umpire's finger has been raised to bring to a close one of cricket's finest innings.

It was a privilege to correspond with Bill in the late 60s & early 70s whilst a scorer at school, and then be photographed with him for his personal website at Lords in 2006 at a book signing.

Listening to TMS will never be the same again.

So sad, your presence will be sorely missed

A South African in the UK

Very sad day indeed. He was a stalwort of TMS and i have listed to him and his dry comments for ever it seems. See you in the long room Bill.
R.I.P

He was an irreplaceable part of the great days of TMS and he will be greatly missed. The irony that Bill leaves us at a time when TMS is being steered so incompetently and unnecessarily into turbulent waters will not go unmarked I expect.

Oh no! Another piece of the world that has been the backdrop to my personal life over 40 years has gone.

Bill was part of the heritage of any English cricket lover along with Johnners, the Alderman, Arlott and Fred.

Known to so few personally, much loved by millions.

Thank you, Bill, for all your brilliance and graceful humour. RIP, old friend.

My condolences to his family and friends.

A lovely man, my condolences to his family who will be proud of the good work he did for the benefit of all cricketers.

Very sad news indeed, I have my spent so many happy hours listening to Bill and the team. He was the corner stone of the commentary box. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

A sad sad day for all who love cricket!

And of course even more so for Bill's family and close friends.

Very sad. Recall meeting him at Worcester in 1974 for a Gillette match v Notts. I was there unashamedly on the tail coat of a friend who was doing commentary for local media. During a rain break Bill F came inthe box and did an interview. He also took the rip (mercilessly) out of my scrap-paper score sheets that I had been prevailled upon to improvise by my friend. After close of play we wandered into the bar. On seeing us Bill immediately called us over and introduced us to his companion at the bar: Garfield Sobers. That gesture could only come from one with a generous nature. He has been on TMS since my mid-teens. A big chunk of my life. Well played Bill. Straight bat to the end.

Cricket just isn't going to be the same again. Will be greatly missed.

Sad day, sad news.
Many a glass will be raised in your memory.
Farewell Bill

So so so sad. As all TMS regulars will know, it's like losing one of the family. My sincere condolences to his family. RIP Bearders, we will miss you.

Very sad news, Bill will be sorely missed but he leaves many fond memories.

I always loved the repartee and his barely audible jokes and puns just off-mike, and remembered being so chuffed when he answered one of my questions on his blog.

For me even funnier than the Johnners "leg over" incident was the loving commentary box mirth that ensued when Fred Trueman knocked a cup of coffee over Bill's scoring book.

RIP, Bill, and I'm sure he'll still be looking over every cricket scorer's shoulder.

Bearders,
thank you.

Sad, sad news. Bill was an inspiration to all of us who took both pleasure in, and saw the relevance of the minute statistics of the game. A true servant of cricket. Thank you.

Bill was one of the joys of TMS. I often wondered how he ever managed to pull out his facts before the internet made "Statto-ing" easy for the masses. He will be sorely missed and I am sad to say that I doubt he will never be able to be succeeded, let alone replaced. Cricket will be worse off for the loss of our Bearders. That's one and the match...

I haven't felt this bereft since John Peel died. What an unhappy day.

RIP Bill.

Rest in peace Beardersl, my thoughts are with your friends and family.

This really is a sad day for all cricket lovers. His vast knowledge of the game brought so much enjoyment to me while listening to TMS. You will be greatly missed Bill.

I cannot believe we will no longer hear Bearders on TMS. It will never be the same.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues.

RIP Bill. A massive loss to cricket.

words cannot explain the loss, so i'll leave just one:

THANKYOU