An Hour with BAGS
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Between 2014 and 2019 I had the privilege of appearing on “The Big Fat Chew” Friday show with Daniel McHardy on what was then Radio Sport. This was an hour long chat (minus ads) with a sporting legend and me to fill in the gaps with occasional pithy gags.
Of all those enjoyable sessions there was one BFC that remains in the memory. BAGS Murray.
The show was just after New Zealand had beaten Pakistan in the UAE in 2018, so it was time to reflect on New Zeala’d’s first ever away series win; against Pakistan in 1969. Murray delivered.
On that 1969 tour he told of the time in Dhaka where he had bananas thrown at him. He picked one up to present to the umpires when the ball came down his way. Banana in one hand he caught the ball in the other hand. Fittingly, given its strangeness, it was called a no ball.
On that tour Dick Motz brought up 500 First Class wickets so his team mates penned a song to the tune of The Grand Old Duke of York. Murray recited it beautifully.
500 wickets Dick
You’ve really made the mark
400 lbs
At Lancaster Park
The stories of that famed tour of Pakistan were told with a wonderfully dry humour apart from the acknowledgments of those who had subsequently passed. There was the account of a provincial game when the hosts lost their tenth wicket the umpire just put the bails back on and kept on playing
But what brought the tears to the eye was talking about his granddaughters, then pretty new to the White Ferns setup. Such pride, and such emotion.
As you would expect he was a man for detail. Before he agreed to appear on the show he sought assurance from McHardy that Radio Sport was not owned by Murdoch. And following the show Daniel had to voice over an ad (Wet and forget?) and rightly complained about how poorly it was written.
Again, BAGS had clearly done his research. He fixed an eye on me and said “Probably written by a Wellington College Old Boy”
He was humorous, charismatic, sharp and engaging.
That hour left an impression on me.
RIP BAGS.