Bowled over

Hampshire Now meets the legendary cricketer and broadcaster, David Gower, and finds out what makes Hampshire special for him.

What’s your greatest sporting moment? No doubt about this one – captaining England to an Ashes win in 1985. The fact I had my most successful series with the bat as well, 700 odd runs including three hundreds, made it all doubly satisfying. It was a proud moment to be standing on the balcony at the end of it all holding that iconic – but small! – trophy.

Who is your sporting hero? As a child I admired Garry Sobers and Graeme Pollock, two of the greatest left-handed batsmen of all time. I was also a great fan of John McEnroe, for his sublime tennis rather than his tantrums. I also like the way in which he has become a fine commentator on tennis, always fulfilling the true commentator’s job, to add something worthwhile to the pictures.

If you hadn’t been a cricketer, what would you have done? Who knows? I was technically present at University College London for the first part of a law degree, but was never destined to be the new John Mortimer and we parted company by mutual consent after the first year. Since then I have only ever been involved with cricket, apart from the odd peripheral venture into the wine trade.

You played cricket for Hampshire for three years; why did you decide to stay? It was actually four years, although you could argue that one of those hardly counted. My move to Hampshire was very much a combination of a desire both to settle in the county and to finish off my county career with a new challenge after 15 years with Leicestershire. I came to the club to play alongside the likes of Malcolm Marshall and Robin Smith and much enjoyed those four years at Northlands Road. I married my wife Thorunn in Winchester Cathedral in 1992, an experience that was as special as playing an Ashes test at Lord’s, and we have brought up our two daughters very happily in the same house that we bought the year before. That in itself suggests that the plan was a good one!

What do you most like about Hampshire and what is special about the county for you? Travelling around the country with professional cricket you get a pretty good idea of what the country looks like and the regional differences. I had to make a choice and always liked the feel of Hampshire. It’s been a good choice and we’ve enjoyed learning about Hampshire’s own diversity, with the coast, the New Forest, the charm of Winchester and our nearest town, Romsey, being just some of the very different elements of the overall picture.

What would be your perfect day out in Hampshire? I think it is hard to beat the beauty of the New Forest and a long walk with the family, the dog, and a pub lunch. I reckon it’s more fun on one of those cold but clear winter days when you can wrap up in your coat and scarf and watch the dog get thoroughly drenched in the pools along the way. The hard work is cleaning him up again at the end of it!

How do you feel being away from home for so long when you are away working? It’s part of the job and we all have to live with it. The good news is that we go to some great destinations and the girls will come out when they can, so they’ve had some great experiences through it all as well. South Africa is where we’ll be next Christmas, and I am taking them to Leopard Hills to have another go at one of my great loves – safari.

Who do you think will win the Ashes this year? At this stage I have a nasty feeling that the Australians are looking the better side again. But England have enough players of quality that if they can get on a roll as they did in 2005 they could easily prove me wrong.