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Sir: I feel rather like a batsman who has faced a ferocious over while lolling about at the non-striker's end. Frank Keating bowled some fast balls at me (Sport, 22 May) but it was pretty wayward stuff.
By substituting an 'is' for a 'was' in the quotation from my Oldie article, he was able to misrepresent its historic nature. I was not whingeing about the current state of sportswriting but, using the past tense, I was poking fun at some of its former practi- tioners. Any reasonable umpire would call that a wide.
Then came a couple of other no balls. I confined my article purposely to tabloid journalists, yet he chose to misconstrue my argument by suggesting I had dealt with broadsheet writers.
He also hinted, not without a dash of condescension, that I might be unaware of new talent on the spbrts pages. I happen to be a fan of Peter Roebuck and I too have
quoted Paul Weaver's Botham imagery approvingly.
There was one truly straight ball, though, which had me leg — well, arms, legs, torso, the lot — before wicket. Yes, I did edit the Daily Mirror under Robert Maxwell and my sports pages were awful. I'll walk on that without consulting the umpire.
Safely back in the pavilion, may I add that Mr Keating's bodyline attack will not prevent me from partaking of my weekly joy of reading him.
Roy Greenslade
224 Cromwell Road, London SW5
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