Bob Taylor (cricketer) - Style and Equipment

Style and Equipment

Taylor's wicket keeping abilities have been oft praised. In his citation for Cricketer of the Year for 1977, Wisden noted that "artistry - there is no other word for it - behind the stumps has long illumined even the darkest hours of Derbyshire cricket." He was known both for his acrobatic fielding behind the stumps, and his diligence and stamina, "he has been without peer in the world for some years and would clearly have graced the England team but for Alan Knott." He was noted for standing up to the stumps on nearly all occasions, stating that "Any decent slip catcher could do it standing back." By keeping his weight forwards and planted on his left foot, he was a skilled leg side stumper – considered a difficult skill in wicket keeping.

Taylor was careful with his fitness, following an ankle injury in 1964 kept him from the first seven games of the season. Taylor wore two pairs of thin Chamois inners and Mitre wicket-keeping gloves from which he cut away all the padding from inside the palms and removed the webbing. His reasoning for this was that he liked to feel the ball in his palm and if taking the ball correctly most of the time the bruising wasn't too troublesome. This can be contrasted with Knott who preferred plenty of padding on his palms.

Taylor was a popular member of the England and Derbyshire squads, his nickname "Chat" deriving from his willingness to talk to his team-mates and listen to their problems. Himself a mediocre batsmen but skilled keeper, Taylor has continued to advocate the picking of capable wicket-keepers over those with lesser ability behind the stumps but greater talent with the bat. He has been vocal over English selection policies since retirement, particularly those of Geraint Jones, Chris Read and Matt Prior.