: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:14 pm
LEEDSLEADS. wrote:
I to was a kid at the height of Ellery's stardom, and I had an autograph, but I had to work for it!!
He used to come out of the players tunnel on the cricket side, and "power walk" to his Mitsubishi Shogun, where as every other player would sign autographs for the kids and be friendly enough he was the opposite.
I met Ellery as a kid numerous times, hanging around the players entrance for hours after a match if needs be, and he always signed aotographs and chatted to kids. He was often a bit 'odd' - not quite straightforward - saying cliche stuff like 'stay in school' and 'be good for your mum'. Sounds funny now but I always thought there was something about him that meant if you didn't do what he said, he'd come and get you! - As far as I was concerned at the time, Hanley was the closest thing to a megastar I could imagine and I made sure I did what he said. He might have his faults but I bumped into Andy Greg a few years ago and let's just say, all the respect I had for him as a kid (as much as we grew up knowing what he was like) was shattered in an instant.
If nothing else, it'll make it bearable gettin to see Hanley make a tit of himself when you're inevitably forced to watch the dross by the missus anyway!