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Andy Peebles: Interviewing Bob Willis and meeting Peter May

During my 13 years at Radio One I presented a music and sport show, previewing that weekend's action, on a Friday evening. It was an era full of great characters with Ian Botham, Bill Beaumont and Kevin Keegan very much to the fore.

Bob Willis was captain of the England cricket team when I booked him to appear on the show unaware of the fact that he was due to attend an England selection meeting at New Road, Worcester, where Worcestershire and Warwickshire were playing.

I've never been sure whether Bob had told the then Chairman Of Selectors, PBH May, about the interview.

Halfway through the meeting Bob asked permission to leave the room at the point where the team for the next Test at the Oval had just been decided. "Where are you going?" asked Peter May. "I've got to do an interview for BBC Radio One," said Bob. "Radio One – what's that?" said the Chairman! Bob explained about the show and the doyen of Surrey batting asked if I would be asking for the team selection which was embargoed until Sunday.

The interview went very well with Bob on good form and Bob Dylan, unsurprisingly, got a mention. I asked for the team and Bob refused to tell me the details!

A week later I'm at the Oval, thanks to the kindness of Graeme Fowler, when, to my horror, I sense three people moving into the  seats behind me. They were Peter Barker Howard May, his wife Virginia and one of his four daughters, who said to her mother, "I think that's Andy Peebles – I listen to his show on Radio One!"

Her father and I introduced ourselves and there followed a treasured conversation with the greatest cricketing product of Charterhouse School. He actually thanked me for helping to promote the game and I thanked him for so many great performances.

Sometimes your heroes turn out to be even better than expected!

Memory added on February 2, 2021

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