Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin. Once upon a time, most sports had a calendar. Some existed in the autumn and winter, others were played in the summer, and there was a brief crossover in the spring.
This meant that it was possible for some sporting polymaths to build a reputation in two games at once. You might remember the likes of Jim Cumbes for instance, a First Division goalkeeper for West Brom and Aston Villa in the winter before he’d spend the summer opening the bowling for Worcestershire.
Rugby union had its share of the doubly gifted too, including Alastair Hignell, good enough to win 14 caps at full-back for England with the oval ball, score 11 first-class centuries for Gloucestershire, becoming only the second man to captain Cambridge University at both cricket and rugby union.
When he sat down with Rugby World’s Stephen Jones in October 1979, he was an outstandingly articulate interviewee, as you’d expect from somebody who later went to enjoy a career in broadcasting. His thoughts on staying fit and ready to compete in both games might have today’s strength and conditioning coaches reaching for a string drink mind you.
“I’ve tried to keep in trim [for the coming rugby season] mainly by running around the boundary. The circumference of a boundary is a good length – you can run around about six or seven times and bring in some sprinting and exercises on the way…most of my training was done at cricket grounds about 9.30 in the morning.”
There’s much more from Hignell’s excellent interview here.
