1 cassette: 2 sides, total time 60 minutes 56 seconds

Cassette recording, John Woodcock, cricket writer, interviewed by David Rayvern Allen. The recording consists of two sides of a cassette. Side A: [0:00-0:20] Allen sets up the recording, [0:20-2:10] Woodcock talks about the future of MCC, its increased commercialisation and needing to remain a cricket club, [2:10-4:00] Woodcock talks about the right Committee appointments needing to be made and concern at increased emphasis on marketing, [4:00-5:50] Woodcock talks about the business side of the chief executive and needing to find right balance with cricket, [5:50-7:10] Woodcock talks about who he would get involved to write a history of Lord's including Doug Insole, Colin Maynard and Stephanie Lawrence, [7:10-10:30] Woodcock talks about MCC Presidents and the geographical background of past MCC Presidents, and suggesting that M J K Smith would make a good MCC President, [10:30-11:35] Woodcock talks about Tony Lewis being the first journalist president and a shame E W Swanton wasn't made president, [11:35-12:15] Woodcock talks about Lord Bramall, [12:15-14:55] Woodcock talks about the first group of cricket journalists including Jim Swanton, Neville Cardus, Raymond Robertson-Glasgow and Alan Ross, [14:55-17:10] Woodcock talks about column spaces cricket journalists got and how he was the first cricket journalist with a bye-line, [17:10-20:15] Woodcock talks about contemporary writing highlighting Mike Atherton, ex-players getting more journalist and broadcasting jobs, the style of contemporary cricket writing and readers having more opportunity to watch the game on television, [20:15-21:20] Woodcock talks about not listening to commentary and Test Match Special, [21:20-22:50] Woodcock talks about radio commentary being more conversational, [22:50-24:20] Woodcock talks about overseas writers including Bill O'Reilly, Jack Fingleton, Gideon Haigh and Ray Robinson from Australia, [24:20-24:50] Woodcock talks about West Indian, South African and Indian cricket writers, [24:50-26:00] Woodcock talks about C L R James, [26:00-26:25] Woodcock talks about Learie Constantine, [26:25-27:00] Woodcock talks about Tony Cozier and not knowing Hilary Beckles, [27:00-27:40] Woodcock mentions K N Prabhu and forgets the name of a New Zealand writer, [27:40-31:40] Woodcock talks about knowing Don Bradman and believing he would struggle in the modern game and bemoaning the introduction of the helmet,[31:40-34:40] Woodcock talks about the game being tougher then it used to be and players generally being physically bigger, comparing Ricky Ponting with Don Bradman, and talks about believing Sachin Tendulkar being a better player than Don Bradman, [34:40-40:40] Woodcock talks about cricket being more scientific and analytical and use of technology and also talks about modern cricket bats, [40:40-42:25] Woodcock talks about the possibility of multiple fielding substitutions, [42:25-44:55] Woodcock talks about changes to cricket including overarm bowling and potential and the importance of county cricket, [44:55-46:24] Woodcock talks about the possibility of merging between counties and scoring rates in one-day cricket. Side B: [0:00-1:50] Woodcock talks about the importance of Test cricket above all forms, [1:50-3:40] Woodcock responds to Allen talking about one-day cricket tactics and style coming into Test cricket and Don Bradman's concentration, [3:40-9:50] Woodcock talks about watching D G Bradman, and talking about the great batsman he watched including D C S Compton, P B H May, Ken Barrington, M C Cowdrey, I V A Richards, B A Richards and Rahul Dravid, and Woodcock talks about the English climate and England not having produced a top-class leg-spin bowler and all-out fast bowler, [9:50-11:00] Woodcock and Allen end the interview, [11:00-13:00] Woodcock talks about cricket being a global game and compares it to football, [13:00-14:32] Woodcock talks about cricket being a commonwealth sport and cricket in the United States and the introduction of reverse-swing.

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English