John Motson, Betty Boothroyd

There has been a large outpouring of appreciation for former football commentator John Motson, who died last week.

Noted for his meticulous preparation, with a multitude of facts and statistics to hand, he was a mainstay of BBC TV’s Match of the Day for decades. His retirement was much regretted by viewers.

I remember reading about one player for a lower league team whose match Motson was covering relating his pre-match experience with the man. Motson had asked the team to line up for him and went along the line scrutinising each one. This particular player, it seemed, received a more intense scrutiny than the others. In the aftermath he said wonderingly to his teammates, “I’ve just been eyeballed by Motty!”

John Walker Motson: 10/7/1945 – 23/2/2023. So it goes.

The position in history of Betty Boothroyd, whose death was announced today, as first woman Speaker of the House of Commons, cannot be surpassed. Her career trajectory was unusual. There aren’t many former Tiller girls who became MPs, let alone Speaker. And unlike most politicians she presented a human face to the world.

Betty Boothroyd: 8/10/1929 – 26/2/2023. So it goes.

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