Graham Dilley was once described as the fastest white bowler in the world by Clive Lloyd. Yet his Test career was one of frustration and fits and starts. His Wisden obituary in 2012 recalled his ups and downs.
Dilley, Graham Roy died of cancer on October 5, 2011, aged 52.
In the days immediately after the death of Graham Dilley, it was possible to survey the media coverage and lose sight of the fact that he had been – when form and fitness coalesced – a fast bowler blessed with immense talent. Instead, what dominated the reports and reminiscences was his batting on a Monday afternoon in Leeds 30 years earlier. Yet Dilley was much more than the raucous bit-part who spent an hour and 20 minutes throwing the bat with Ian Botham amid the drama of Headingley ‘81.
Financially, he had long regretted a decision not to join Geoff Boycott’s rebel tour in 1982 and, keen not to miss another payday, had helped Gatting’s recruitment drive. Discontent with his salary at Kent had been instrumental in his move to Worcestershire and, although it was the acquisition of Botham that dominated the headlines, Dilley proved a key component in the county’s run of success. In 1988, when they won the title for the first time in 14 years, he took 34 wickets in nine Championship games and, when the pennant was retained the following summer, he contributed 55. Captain Phil Neale remembered Dilley approaching him to discuss the key fixtures for the remainder of the season. “He was always reading the game and working out when I might need him to bowl,” Neale said.
Dilley retired in 1992 and, before going to Loughborough, held a number of coaching appointments, including a brief spell as England fast-bowling coach, when he worked profitably with Andrew Flintoff – one of a large number of former colleagues who attended a memorial service at Worcester Cathedral. His coaching career was also recognised by a posthumous lifetime-achievement honour at the UK Coaching Awards, two months after his death.
