There is a reason that, during the 1970s, Gloucestershire were referred to as Proctershire. Mike Procter was one of the most influential cricketers of his age, and a figure who represented not only Gloucestershire, but also cricket’s fight against apartheid South Africa.
It seems extraordinary that a county that produced W. G. Grace could have any cricketer anywhere near as impactful or iconic as Gilbert himself, but Procter was a genuine challenge to the great man’s crown.
During the greatest era of county cricket, when each team could boast at least one top class test match cricketer, Procter represented Gloucestershire as finely as anyone could. I urge anyone to watch his spell against Hampshire from 1977, when against a batting line-up boasting Barry Richards and Gordon Greenidge, Procter took four wickets in five balls.
This was an era when the Championship boasted names such as Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, David Gower, Michael Holding, Gordon Greenidge, Ian Botham, Clive Rice, Graham Gooch, Richard Hadlee, Joel Garner and Imran Khan, and yet among all of this, Procter stood out. Overall, he could boast an absurdly good record as an all-rounder. In First Class cricket, he averaged 36 with the bat, and 19.53 with the ball. These are numbers to compete with Miller, Khan, and even Botham’s peak years.
But Procter also stood proudly against apartheid in his homeland of South Africa. His international career was cut short by the ban against cricket in his homeland, but Procter always said that his own career was a price worth paying for the freedom of so many in his country, an honourable and progressive position to take, and one Procter should be fondly remembered for.
Mike Procter’s death will leave a huge hole in the world of cricket. He was one of the greatest cricketers the world will ever see, and he will be missed.
“Cricket in WG Grace’s birthplace – Howzat!” by Robert Cutts is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.