Back in the day when I ran my own website - thecricketragics - this following post attracted many thousands of hits, a revelation for an unknown writer trying to make his way. Its probably one of my favourite pieces, partially because I made a good fist of it and probably because it goes to the source of my adult style as a writer. Sports or otherwise, Peter Roebuck was my absolute idol as a writer. I have read many others who have influenced me such as Richard Flanaghan, Douglas Adams, Peter Fitzsimons, John le Carre, William McInnes, Les Murray, Sylvia Plath, CJ Dennis, Clive James - yes I know. A regular Christmas stocking of style and form and genre and sadly lacking, I realise too late, in gender equity.
Roebuck had something else. Intellect perhaps. Integrity, certainly. Courage, without doubt. I just loved the way he constructed a sentence and never treated me, as a reader, like an idiot. He expected me to do some work.
