John Augustine Snow (born 13 October 1941) is a retired English international cricketer who played for Sussex from 1961 to 1977 and represented England in 49 Test matches. He was born in Peopleton, Worcestershire.
A right-arm fast bowler, Snow led the England attack from 1965 to 1976 and bridged the gap between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis; he played with both of them at either end of his career. His main achievements were bowling England to victory against West Indies in 1967–68, and against Australia in 1970–71. Snow batted right-handed as a useful tail-ender who scored eleven first-class half-centuries. He was considered a good outfielder with a strong throw. He was selected by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (Wisden) as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in its 1973 edition. In 1974, his Sussex benefit season realised £18,000 (£ in 2021 terms).
Snow was involved in several on-field incidents stemming from his aggressive, short-pitched bowling. He was considered difficult to handle, had definite ideas on how and when he should bowl and was disciplined by both Sussex and England, but he fitted the public image of a fiery fast bowler. His disdain for the cricketing authorities at Sussex and Lord's was aptly summed up in the title of his 1976 autobiography, Cricket Rebel, as was his decision to join World Series Cricket in 1977.
Early life
John Snow was born on 13 October 1941 in Peopleton, Worcestershire. His father, the Reverend William Snow, was a Scottish vicar who had taken up his living in the village of Elmley Castle, part of the Worcester Diocese. The Reverend Snow was a keen cricketer who wanted his son to become a first-class player. From the age of four, coached by his father, Snow learned how to play in the vicarage garden. His mother and three sisters joined in, mainly as fielders. As remarked in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the scenario recalled the Grace family in the 1850s. In April 1948, when Snow was six, his father took him to New Road, Worcester where Don Bradman was playing for the Australian tourists against Worcestershire. The Australians won the match by innings and 17 runs.
In the 1950s, the family left Worcestershire and moved to Sussex after the Reverend Snow was appointed to a ministry in Bognor Regis. Snow went to school at Christ's Hospital, near Horsham. He played cricket there and was coached by the former Warwickshire player Len Bates, who encouraged him to become a fast bowler. Snow played for the school's first XI as an all-rounder in his last two years there (1957–1958). When he was sixteen, his future team mate Ken Suttle recommended him to Sussex County Cricket Club as a promising batsman. Suttle held out little hope for Snow as a bowler, though, telling Sussex that "he sprays it around like a garden hose". Snow recalled that he decided to take Bates' advice because "more boys wanted to bat than bowl".
He joined the Bognor Colts club, whose former players included Peter May and David Sheppard. Snow played for the Colts against a team from the Antilles and was bowled out by Frank Worrell. At Sussex, he began playing in matches for their Junior Marlets team and, in 1960, the Sussex Young Amateurs. Snow also played rugby throughout his teens, as a full-back, but he gave up the game in 1961 to concentrate on cricket and education.
After he left Christ's Hospital, he was at the Chichester High School for Boys for a year. He gained a place at the Teachers' Training College in Culham, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, taking a three-year course studying geography and physical education. As part of his training, he taught at Woodingdean County Primary School in what is now East Sussex to qualify as a teacher. During that time, he was only available for cricket in July and August, during the summer holidays.