17 Facts About Graham Roope

Graham Richard James Roope was an English cricketer, who appeared in twenty-one Tests and eight ODIs for England between 1973 and 1978.

Graham Roope played for Surrey, Berkshire and Griqualand West in a career spanning 1964 to 1988.

Graham Roope later played for Farsley Cricket Club and coached at Ampleforth College and Woodhouse Grove School, and was head groundsman at the latter when he died, aged 60, in 2006.

Graham Roope played Minor Counties cricket for Berkshire in 1963, before making his county cricket debut for Surrey in 1964.

Graham Roope was tall and wiry, with distinctive curly hair.

Graham Roope was an all-rounder: an outstanding slip fielder, often said to be one of the best of his generation, he was an attacking middle-order batsman and a medium-pace bowler.

Graham Roope retired from full-time first-class cricket after the 1982 season, and played his last first-class match in 1986.

Graham Roope scored over 1,000 runs in a season on eight occasions.

Graham Roope played at home against New Zealand and West Indies in 1973, making two Test half-centuries, but was not then selected until the fourth and final Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval in 1975.

Graham Roope then fell out of favour again, before returning for the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests in 1977.

Graham Roope played Non-League football as goalkeeper for a number of clubs including Corinthian Casuals, Ashford Town, Wimbledon, Hayes, Guildford City, Ramsgate, Margate, Kingstonian and Woking.

Graham Roope played as an amateur in the Mid Sussex League for Ardingly and Cuckfield and in the Mid Sussex League Representative side in 1984 and 1985.

Graham Roope played again for Berkshire from 1983 to 1988, after retiring from Surrey.

Graham Roope moved to Yorkshire, where he became a coach at Ampleforth College and Woodhouse Grove School, and played for Hall Park in the Airedale and Wharfedale League.

Graham Roope was a cricket commentator for BBC Radio Leeds.

Graham Roope died suddenly of a heart attack in St George's, Grenada, while on a charity cricket tour.

Graham Roope was married three times, with a son and two daughters.