Graham Roope

Who was Graham Roope?

Graham Richard James Roope was an English cricketer, who appeared in twenty one Tests and eight ODIs for England between 1973 and 1978.

He also played for Surrey, Berkshire and Griqualand West in a career spanning 1964 to 1988. He later played for Farsley Cricket Club and coached at Ampleforth College and Woodhouse Grove School, and was head groundsman at the latter when he died, aged 60, in 2006.

The cricket correspondent, Colin Bateman, remarked, "Graham Roope was one of those cricketers who thrilled spectators and frustrated selectors. Tall and stylish, there was a touch of class about his middle-order batting. He could make the ball swing at medium pace and his slip fielding was what you would expect from a Corinthian Casuals goalkeeper". Bateman added "as a former selector said: 'He looked the part – but never played it'".