Ray Robinson (cricket writer)

Born in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, Robinson attended Brighton State School and joined the Melbourne Herald as a copy boy. Given a cadetship with the paper, he reported on Australian rules football and cricket from 1925. In 1925, he wrote to Plum Warner, the editor of The Cricketer magazine, complaining about its poor coverage of Australian cricket. Warner invited him to become the periodical's Australian correspondent, and Robinson continued contributing to it until the early 1980s. Invited to join the staff of The Daily Telegraph by Sir Frank Packer, Robinson relocated to Sydney in 1939. He published his first cricket book, Between Wickets, in 1946 after the manuscript was recommended to the William Collins publishing house by Neville Cardus. On 6 October 1928 Robinson married Ellen Jessie Gilbert (d 1973), and they had two children, both born while Robinson was away on Ashes tours: Brian (b 1930) and Audrey (1934–1968). ==Appraisal==

According to Gideon Haigh, "Robinson’s books were distinguished by meticulous accuracy and painstakingly well-turned phrases" Don Bradman called him "one of the very finest and most respected authors on cricket that Australia has produced." Lindsay Hassett called him "not only one of the best cricket writers in the world but honest and trustworthy." "The most highly respected writer of my time," wrote Bob Simpson. "Pound for pound we reckoned he was the best cricket writer in the world," said Alan Davidson. "His books were masterpieces; the research incredible. He was not just a writer, he was a friend of cricket." ==Bibliography==