Waring takes a late bath

Press, 13 May 1981, Page 28

Waring takes a late bath

By

David

May in the “Observer.”

Ten days ago was a sad occasion for the Liverpool and. Manchester. Eddie Waring Appreciation Societies. It was their hero’s 28th and last Rugby League Challenge Cup finals. For millions of television viewers, it is also the end of an era.

The appreciation societies were formed after Waring had been heavily criticised for making too much fun of rugby league in his commentaries. The Waringisms which attracted the television public did not endear him to many northern supporters.

“’E’s takin’ an early bath, then,” as a player is sent off. “They’ve got to keep their hands warm somehow,” as one player thumps another. “He'll be all right, I saw his eyelids flutter,” as another lay prostrate after a particularly bone-crushing tackle. And then, for connoisseurs, the classic observation: “I don’t know if that is the ball or his head. We’ll know if it stands up.”

Members of the appreciation societies — at Liverpool University and Manchester Polytechnic — do not copy their idol in wearing brown trilby hats and camel hair overcoats, but they do

practise the voice, at “Up and Under” and “Early Bath” parties. Waring himself says of the affectionate, mimickry of his flat-West Riding vowels: “Of course, they are not imitating me — they are doing an imitation of Mike Yarwood imitating me.” In the 30 years Waring has been broadcasting he has propelled rugby league from a grim and barely understood northern ritual into a television spectacular attracting audiences of up to 10 million viewers for 8.8. C. Grandstand. Since he announced his retirement — his final commentary is on Saturday at the Premiership final — he has received thousands of letters wishing him well. His successor will ■be chosen after Waring and 8.8. C. executives have judged “dummy commentaries” recorded during last week’s match.

Waring was born at Dewsbury nearly 75 years ago. His father, an insurance superintendent, was a congregationalist lay preacher. He himself is a methodist and, according to Stuart Hall, his

colleague on It’s a Knockout, still a keen hymn singer.

! After school and secretarial college, Waring joined his local newspaper as a sports reporter before becoming, at 23, the manager of Dewsbury rugby league club — which he turned from a bunch of failures into one of the most successful teams in the league. Waring’s laconic wit was not much in evidence during the early days of televised rugby league. He recalls that, on one occasion, a producer said to him before a game: “Now, Eddie, you’ll not give us another lecture, will you?” For, despite his well-honed north country act, Waring is a serious and private man. Indeed, the jokes started to flow only when he realised during one dire match that the crowd were starting to leave. “I suddenly had, visions of millions of people turning their sets off, so I decided to try and liven things up a little.” But he is still just as serious when it comes to preparing for a game, giving no interviews in the davs before and preferring to be

separate from players and other journalists. “Some people think he is difficult,” says Stuart Hall, “but he is a big jelly baby, really, and a very kind person.” Waring is also “as strong as an ox,” according to Hall. In his mid-60s, he played football during filming of It’s a Knockout and scored six times. Unfortunately, there was no film of the event — nor anyone like Waring to commentate on it.