JOHN BARCLAY

John Barclay was born in 1954 in Bonn, West Germany, the son of a diplomat. A highly successful schoolboy cricketer at Eton, he first played for Sussex at the age of 16.

Two years later he joined the Sussex staff as a promising all-rounder, going on to captain the county from 1981 to 1986 when he retired.

Since then, he has remained in the game as Director of Cricket and Coaching for the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation, encouraging young people from less advantaged backgrounds to play and enjoy the game. To date, more than 150,000 youngsters have benefited from the scheme.

He has written two books: The Appeal of the Championship – Sussex in the Summer of 1981 and Life Beyond The Airing Cupboard. The latter won the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year award.

He still plays cricket several times each year. In his first game of 2008, playing for his son Theo's Brasenose College side, he began his bowling spell with a triple-wicket maiden. At his next meeting with his publisher, the story of the over was told ball by ball with great relish.

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