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England's fast bowling poet from Sussex spearheaded the attack when
Raymond Illingworth regained the Ashes after twelve years in 1970-71.
Sparks would fly when Snow was bowling - sometimes literally, as on the
occasion at Edgbaston when groundsman Bert Flack used pure cement to
fill in the footholds and "The Snowman's" studs looked likely to burn
the ankles of umpire and non-striker as they made their own firework
display. Snow loped in off 15 paces, like a leopard with the first whiff
of prey. When he got a wicket he would just stand there looking over
his right shoulder at the departing batsman, almost at attention. With
his tight trousers and billowing shirt, his hair sometimes very closely
cropped, other times long, curly and unruly, Snow missed far too many
Tests in the mid 1970s through selectorial whim.
He made his debut
against New Zealand at Lord's in 1965, played one other Test against
South Africa that summer and then was dropped until the Third Test
against West Indies in 1966, when he returned with 4-82. England's only
win that summer, at the Oval, was mainly due to Snow's last wicket
partnership of 128 with Ken Higgs and his dismissal of Sobers for 0. In
West Indies in 1968 he missed the first Test, then came back with 7-49
in Jamaica to bowl West Indies out for 143. He followed with 5-86 and
3-29 in Barbados was 4-82 and 6-60 in Guyana. He took 4-70 in Dacca - in
the 1969 tour of Pakistan - and 5-114 against West Indies at Lord's
later that year. He was at his fastest - his wicked bouncer was his
deadliest ball - through a 1970-71 Ashes tour, taking eight wickets in
Brisbane, six in Perth and 7-40 to win the Sydney Test. In the 1972
Ashes series he took eight wickets at Old Trafford, 5-57 at Lord's and
eight wickets at Trent Bridge. He returned to the England side in the
1975 World Cup and took wickets against West Indies in 1976. (Bob Harragan)
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