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Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Graham Thorpe's father says he watches son's footage: ‘I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it's a nice feeling'
In an emotional interview to The Telegraph, Graham Thorpe's father Geoff says often watches footage of his son's knocks. 'I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it's a nice feeling,' he said. In a century of Tests and 82 ODIs, the left-handed middle order batsman, who took his life last year after prolonged bouts with depression, was England's Mr Dependable during a rocky phase for English cricket 'I've got one video where he got a hundred in the Benson & Hedges Cup. David Lloyd was commentating and he said, 'Watch his eyes – he's looking at the gaps'. You watch and think, 'Yes, that's where the ball went',' he remembered 'I have a lot of pride in what he did. You can't take it away. It's just a shame that he couldn't cope with his mental health. When he died, I received a lot of letters. This suicide… this mental health… it's a big, big problem. It smothers you if you don't talk,' he said. He sometimes visits his son's grave. 'I go to his grave occasionally. You have your moments of grief. But you try to find something to do very quickly. We all grieve differently. Sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho. We think we can cope. In fact we can't,' reflected. Recollecting his son's childhood, he said how he became a left-handed batsman, 'Initially he picked it up right-handed – the same as he used to bowl and write – but then he found that he could score easier in the garden left-handed,' said Geoff. 'You scored more runs that way than the flowers in the other direction. The garden was on a slope – and the rhododendron basically was the bowling crease. We played to win. No one went easy on Graham because he was the youngest brother,' he said. Thorpe was such a natural athlete that he was an international schoolboy footballer, and county-level long-jumper. He quit football after he was sent off during a match he was horribly tackled. Thorpe would have turned 56 this Friday. On that day, the Oval, his home-ground, would commemorate him with 'A Day for Thorpey'. Headbands sold to raise funds for the charity Mind. His eldest daughter Kitty remembers her best friend and soulmate. 'He was just a joy – he lived life but he got very ill. He was kind, caring, fun and taught me how to treat people with kindness and respect'. 'He made sure we were humble and grounded, and would tell us stories of the things he'd see and people he'd meet on tour. He'd see various ways of living and always remind us to be grateful for what we had. He taught me that life can have its challenges. He told me to never lose perspective: Zoom out and look at the bigger picture and will it matter in five years' time? He taught me to make the most of every opportunity. I love and miss him so much but I'm so grateful to have grown up with him and will take his wisdom advice with me forever,' she added. Emma chimed in: 'My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his and our experience is important to help other people who have gone through similar things – to start a conversation, to reduce the shame and stigma there are.'
News18
31-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
'I Watch The Drives, The Pulls...': Graham Thorpe's Father Reminisces Over Son's Abilities With Willow
Geoff Thorpe, Graham's father, opened up on coping with the untimely loss of his son and reminisced about his impeccable ability to pick the gaps on the cricket field. English cricketing great Graham Thorpe stunned the world when he decided to step in front of a train and end his life in a culmination of his struggles with mental health. The 55-year-old former English batter, who has amassed over 6000 runs and averages over 44 in Test cricket, serves as a cautionary tale for future generations to keep a check on their mental well-being. Graham's father, Geoff Thorpe, opened up on coping with the untimely loss of his son and reminisced about Graham's impeccable ability to pick the gaps on the cricket field irrespective of the geographical location of the venue. 'I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it's a nice feeling," Geoff told the Telegraph. 'I've got one video where he got a hundred in the Benson & Hedges Cup. David Lloyd was commentating and he said, 'Watch his eyes – he's looking at the gaps'. You watch and think, 'Yes, that's where the ball went'," he revealed. 'I have a lot of pride in what he did. You can't take it away. It's just a shame that he couldn't cope with his mental health," Thorpe senior said. Geoff opened up on the support he received following the demise of the celebrated batter and opined that the more one tries to suppress the struggle, the more flagrant it becomes. 'When he died, I received a lot of letters. This suicide, this mental health, it's a big, big problem. It smothers you if you don't talk." Geoff also touched up on the trait of 'masculinity' retraining men from processing emotions and feeling as they are meant to be inferred. 'I go to his grave occasionally. You have your moments of grief. But you try to find something to do very quickly. We all grieve differently. Sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho. We think we can cope. In fact we can't," Geoff said. Graham's world came crashing down when he lost his job as the assistant coach of the English side following the 2021-22 Ashes tour, which marked the beginning of an unfortunate close to the life of the classy batter. England begin their fifth and final Test of the series against India on Thursday at The Oval, where Thorpe spent nearly two decades plying his trade for Surrey and the national side, and headbands commemorating the fabled batter will be sold with the proceeds going towards charity. Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
