Wilf Wooller could have been talking about Jofra Archer, had he not been discussing a cricketing elbow injury over a quarter of a century before Archer’s birth. “Cricketers have had this before and got over it, but for a fast bowler it is different,” Wooller said. “Even a medium-pacer might get away with it but with anyone who bowls really quickly the joint has to take tremendous strain.”
What Wooller didn’t know about sport wasn’t worth knowing – one of the great athletic polymaths, he played rugby union and squash for Wales, turned out at centre-forward for Cardiff City, and was Glamorgan’s opening bowler and captain for 13 years, their secretary for 30 and their president for another six – and the particular elbow he was vexed by belonged to Jeff Jones.
