The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast · Cookie Jar Golf

347 - Golf & Cricket w/ James Woods

·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

England captain Ted Dexter once declared a Sussex innings remotely from a Brighton racecourse.

This episode explores the historical and personal connections between golf and cricket, hosted by Sam Williams with guest James "Woody" Woods, a collector of club memorabilia and enthusiast for both sports. Woods shares anecdotes and trivia about figures who excelled in both games, framing the conversation around their shared culture. Woods recounts seeing a photograph of cricketer W.G. Grace with golfer J.H. Taylor at Royal North Devon Golf Club, noting Grace was credited with a two handicap. He describes the remarkable feat of Raymond de Mort Mornacy, who allegedly scored 18 fours in a golf round and made 72 runs with 18 boundaries in a cricket match on the same day at Rye. The discussion highlights West Indian cricketer Garfield Sobers, who took up golf after retirement and played to a one handicap right-handed and an eight left-handed. England cricket captain Ted Dexter is presented as a supremely talented golfer who shot 63 on the Old Course and once declared a cricket innings from a racecourse. Dexter reportedly qualified for the Open Championship and was offered a professional golf career in America but refused. Another dual-sport figure, Leonard Crawley, turned down an Ashes cricket selection to play in the Walker Cup, where he was the only British point-scorer. Sir Donald Bradman shot a 76 at age 79 on championship tees, attributing his golf slice to his cricket batting technique. The guest shares a story about Laddy Lucas, a left-handed golfer and Spitfire pilot, who used his knowledge of Prince's Golf Club to crash-land safely during the war. Herbert Fowler, a course architect, once hit a cricket ball 134 yards out of Lord's ground and also recorded a hole-in-one at Hoylake. The conversation touches on the architectural "Fowler bunker" on St. Andrews' 15th hole and Fowler's prize-winning Guernsey bull named Westward Ho! Woods and Williams compare the challenges of both sports, with Dexter believing golf is tougher mentally because momentum can shift instantly. The episode closes with remarks on the complexity of cricket's rules versus golf's simplicity and the shared clubhouse atmospheres of venues like the MCC and the R&A. The tone is conversational and anecdotal, filled with friendly banter and a deep appreciation for sporting history. Listeners who enjoy niche sports history, club culture, and cross-sport trivia will find this episode engaging. Those seeking instructional golf content or modern athletic analysis might find the historical deep dive less appealing.

As heard by us

Golf and cricket meet through club life, memorabilia, and a dry, anecdote-led conversation.

The episode pairs golf and cricket through club life, memorabilia, and Woody's easygoing tour of old sporting lore. It works best in the rooms themselves: the wall of club colours, the Long Room, and the Royal and Ancient clubhouse, where paintings and ritual do most of the…

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Why you'd press play

You want golf and cricket talk that wanders through club life, memorabilia, and atmospheric old rooms.

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