A View From the Boundary England v South Africa, Headingley, 23 August 2003

I was a grafter - I think that's the polite term Rod Eddington

Rod Eddington may spend much of his business life with his head in the clouds, but his view of his prowess as a cricketer is distinctly down to earth.

The chief executive of British Airways learned some tough lessons in grade cricket in his native Australia before heading for England where he made his first-class debut for Oxford University in the mid-70s.

He was a team-mate of Pakistan's Imran Khan and future England Test players Chris Tavare and Vic Marks at The Parks - the latter now a regular member of the Test Match Special commentary team.

Eddington and Marks made their debuts together against a Sussex side, containing the likes of John Snow and Tony Greig, in 1975.

"It was April and everyone in the Sussex squad was keen to get a work-out before the season proper started, so they put out their strongest side," he recalled.

"I remember coming on to bowl - Tony Greig was in and about 10 [not out] at the time. The first ball, he took a long forward step down the wicket and chipped it to short mid-wicket on the full where Vic Marks was fielding.

"I thought 'Terrific - a wicket first ball in first-class cricket', but he dropped it and threw it back to me.

"I did bowl him leg stump a bit later but he'd scored 100 in the meantime."

The man who in recent years has been in charge of Concorde, continued to have a nose for cricketing talent when he began his airline career with Cathay Pacific in the Far East.

"I played with Dermot Reeve in Hong Kong for several years. I remember playing with Dermot when he was a 15/16-year-old boy at one of the secondary schools there.

"He always had some energy and ability about him and I wasn't surprised that he went on to be a very successful captain and to play a bit of Test cricket for England," said Eddington.

EDDINGTON'S CRICKET CAREER First-class appearances: 8 Runs: 130 (average 13.00) highest score: 24 Wickets: 8 (average 41.12) best bowling 3-48

"John Hollioake - Adam and Ben's father - and I opened the batting together at Hong Kong cricket club for a couple of years in the early 80s.

"John was a terrific player and I remember Adam and Ben as young boys coming to watch their father with real enthusiasm. So Ben's tragic death was something I felt quite acutely."

Although his own first-class career lasted only eight matches, Eddington has strong views about the importance of university cricket in England.

"I always thought sport was a fundamental and critical part of my development and my education.

"To diminish sport at school level or university level and to relegate it as an also-ran is a step backwards, not a step forwards," he said.