Robin Marlar

Robin Geoffrey Marlar (born 2 January 1931 in Eastbourne, Sussex) was an English cricketer and cricket journalist. He was educated at Harrow School and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[1]

Marlar played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, winning a blue in 1951, 1952 and 1953 (when he captained Cambridge to victory over Oxford),[2] and for Sussex between 1951 and 1968. An innovative off-break bowler, he took 970 wickets in 289 matches at an average of 25.22, with a personal best of 9/46 against Lancashire at Hove in 1955. He was a "shrewd and skilful" captain of Sussex between 1955 and 1959.[3] He remains one of only five native-born cricketers to hold this post.

He had a successful journalistic career as an outspoken cricket correspondent of The Sunday Times, and wrote the illustrated history The Story of Cricket (1979).[4]

Marlar stood as a Conservative candidate for Bolsover in the 1959 General Election, and in a 1962 by-election at Leicester North East. Decades later he was a candidate at the 1993 Newbury by-election.[5] He was appointed as the President of Sussex County Cricket Club for 2005 and President of MCC for 2005-06. During this time he told the Sunday Telegraph:

"Did you know that Brighton College are playing girls in their First XI? Girls. It's absolutely outrageous. If there's an 18-year-old who can bowl at 80 mph and he's been brought up properly then he shouldn't want to hurt a lady at any cost. And if he saw a girl bowling at that speed he would question whether she had undergone a sex change."

The girls he was referring to were Holly Colvin and Sarah Taylor, who both played for England.[6]