Derbyshire great and Club President, John Wright, has paid a fitting tribute to his former teammate, Mike Hendrick, who passed away earlier this week.
Wright, who arrived in Derbyshire as a fresh-faced left-handed opening batsman with his first contract as an overseas professional in 1977, describes the encouragement, quick wit and grounded attitude with which Hendrick welcomed him to Derbyshire.
The pair roomed together in Wright’s first full year – a season in which he scored 1,080 first-class runs and Hendrick claimed 41 wickets – and it was an introduction which started Wright’s love of the Club.
“When I came to Derbyshire, I roomed with Hendo and he showed me the ropes,” said Wright. “He was great company and very encouraging.
“He didn’t stand any nonsense. He was a very genuine man and often the barometer or moral compass for the team. He conveyed his feelings honestly and coupled with a dry sense of humour. He’d do it in a couple of words and give you a gentle prod or a reminder if you needed it.
“For me, that was a big thing. I was very inexperienced in my first year with Derbyshire and he was quietly encouraging, but if you got ahead of yourself he’d let you know!
“Coming in as an outsider, Hendo was Derbyshire.”
Born in Darley Dale and with family connections to the North East, Hendrick was widely regarded as a no-nonsense character within the game, frugal with the ball in hand, while quick-witted and obdurate off the field – a combination which Wright believes made for one of the greatest bowlers of his generation.
The pair took to the field as opponents as well as teammates, on the greatest platform of them all as England faced New Zealand in Test cricket during the late 1970s. Hendrick was part of an English seam bowling unit which included the likes of a youthful Ian Botham and Bob Willis in his prime, an attack which was revered by the Black Caps.
“In my first Test series, Michael was in an attack which included Ian Botham, Chris Old and Bob Willis among others. It was quite possibly the most accurate attack I faced in my career.
“He [Hendrick] was a beautiful bowler and his control of line and length was impeccable.
“And as a bowler, he gave you nothing – absolutely nothing. He didn’t like giving runs away and if you look at his record, in many ways he applied so much pressure from one end that he got wickets for the bowler at the other.
“He was international class and an intense competitor. He put everything into it mentally and expected a lot of himself; he found the intensity of trying to perform in Test cricket difficult and I can relate to that. He was an old fashioned thinker of the game and his understanding and knowledge was exceptional.”
Above: Hendrick (left), pictured with Wright, Geoff Miller and Bob Taylor in 1978 as England faced New Zealand. (Derbyshire CCC Heritage Archive)
Hendrick’s 719 all-formats wickets for Derbyshire mark him as undoubtedly one of the Club’s finest fast bowlers, while his dry sense of humour and close relationships on and off-the-field will be forever remembered by his colleagues.
“It was clear in my first season and also when playing international cricket that he had a tremendous rapport with Bob Taylor,” recounted Wright.
“Together, you just knew you were watching the very best. At times, on a slow wicket, Bob would even stand up to Hendo and that combination was unbelievable.
“Another combination, this one of Fred Swarbrook and Mike Hendrick, was also formidable – equally on and off the field! They were a hilarious pair and these were great times, cricket played hard and to win, but also with a great sense of humour off the field.
“There was one occasion when he was late for a Sunday League game and Barry Wood was captain. Woody enquired where he’d been and Hendo simply replied ‘church, Woody… church’ and nothing more was mentioned!”
In his post-playing days, Hendrick maintained a close connection with the game, enjoying coaching spells at Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Ireland, as well as a brief period as umpire and also serving on the Derbyshire committee.
Although restrictions on travel have so far prevented Wright from returning to Derbyshire this summer, he was pleased to see photos of a recent get together including Hendrick’s former England and Derbyshire teammates.
“He was a very good technical coach of bowling. When you’ve played at the top level and then your playing career comes to an end you’ve got to find something else” said Wright. “He wanted to stay in cricket and had so much to offer. He loved the game and couldn’t keep away. For many of us, it’s our lives.
“Bob [Taylor] sent me photos of the get together in Derbyshire recently and those are the things you miss when you’re unable to travel over at the moment, but I think that was a wonderful moment of respect and shows how popular and loved Hendo was by his teammates.”
