Frankenstein s Monster Thinks Surrey Will Win County Title

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29841, 6 June 1962, Page 11

Frankenstein s Monster Thinks Surrey Will Win County Title

(Specially written for "The Press" by

BARRY HOLLAND]

(')NE of the most ardent of ' 7 Surrey s supporters at the Oval this summer has been Frankenstein's monster. His presence among the spectators is not a publicity stunt and it is not pan of the M.C.C.'s plan for brighter cricket. The reason is simple—the original movie monster and father of horror films. Boris Karloff, is a cricket fanatic. A resident of the United S.ates for most of the year. Mr Karloff cornea home to E.tgland every summer specifically for the cricket season. Although he is almost 75. Mr Karloff still turns out films and television programmes. mostly in the United States. Sitting in the Members' S and at the Oval. Mr Karloff looks like any other cricket-loving Englishman. He wears a Saville row check suit, smokes an English briar, and speaks with a soft, impeccable English accent. The only foreign characteristics of this otherwise very English person are a deep American suntan and a dislike of the English weather. “It was too cold for Lord’s the other day,” he told me. with feeling. Cricket has always been Mr Karloff - s main recreation, although he claims to be a "rabbit" at it. He has been a spectator at Lord’s since he was a schoolboy in short trousers before the turn of the century.

In more recent years he has become a member of Surrev and also of Middlesex. He is a friend of the Bedser twins and has umpired several friendly games for them.

'l've played in California with Aubrey Smith tor years,'' said Mr Karloff. “We played on matting out there, and it used to be very good. Unfortunately the standard has fallen off lately, since some of the better players have left the State. “I can see why these chaps like Laker over here get too much cricket through having to play summer and winter year after year. With the long summer in California. you tend to get rather tired towards the end of the season. ’’And we don’t play cricket as these full-timers know it.” He believed T. W. Graveney had greatly benefited from his season out of the game. Mr Karloff is a great admirer of Graveney. believing him to be one of the most entertaining batsmen in the game. He soon told me what he thought about “brighter cricket. "It's all nonsense, you know.” said Mr Karloff. ‘‘You don’t want it turned into a slugging match and you don’t want to muck about with a good game. There's poetry in it, and it shouldn't be interfered with. “I think it should be left to the captains to say how the game should be played.” he added. He missed the PakistanMC.C. match recently because of the cold weather—although he saw it on television—but he is determined not to miss the test series. And Boris Karloff’s tip for the county championship? “Surrey. Naturally I want them to win. being a Surrey man, but I also thing they are good enough to pull it off this season.” Mr Karloff has one other

recreation. Rugby football. He is a keen follower of the present fortunes of the Lions in South Africa and is also an admirer of the All Blacks. Mrs Karloff is interested in tennis and yachting, especially yachting, but does not accompany her husband to cricket matches. “I let him go along to the games on his own,” she said. “I think it is better for him, as he can then mix more freely with the players and

.the people he knows there.” She has been very keen on sailing, formerly owning an 18-ton yawl, but she had to give it up when they moved to California because the sailing conditions were poor. They have since moved back to New York but Mrs Karloff does not expect to buy another yacht. Why New York?

“It makes commuting for the cricket easier,” she explained.