Graham Thorpe was a redoubtable left-handed batsman, of unquestioned skill as a middle order batsman, who could cut and pull the fastest of fast-paced deliveries.

At his local village club of Wrecclesham, his father Geoff was skipper and his mother Toni a scorer, whilst older brothers Ian and Alan were all-rounders. Graham was a natural right-hander but decided to switch to left-handed as he considered it harder for his brothers and others to dismiss him. Thorpe signed up with Farnham CC (where Rhino also played) and he broke many batting records there.

In 1988, at the age of 18 Thorpe, was selected for Surrey County Cricket Club. In his 18 seasons with Surrey he scored almost 20,000 runs, from 567 first class innings, at an average of 45.04. After being selected for England in 1993, he scored a century on debut against Australia at Trent Bridge.

Graham was a beloved member of the cricket family, especially good mates with his contemporary batsmen such as Mark Ramprakash, Nasser Hussein, Mike Atherton as well as two legendary international bowlers in Wasim Akram and the late Shane Warne. Atherton said Thorpe was “a worrier and fiddler before each innings, but once out in the middle he was calm in any crisis.”

A cricketer’s life is often tough, and it can be psychologically brutal as well as intensively and physically demanding, with many months away from family and friends. In 2002, after the breakdown of his first marriage, Graham withdrew from cricket for a season, and resorted to alcohol to dull the pain. However, recovery did come, and with it a great return of form, making five hundreds from his last 23 tests.

From his 100 test caps, Graham scored 16 hundreds with 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66.

After retiring from playing, Thorpe went on to become a batting coach in New South Wales, for Surrey and with England. However, in recent years, he suffered from severe depression and anxiety. In May 2022 he was admitted to intensive care after a suicide attempt. Since then his mental health condition made him progressively worse, although there were some periods of improvement. Tragically, on 4th August 2024 Graham could take no more and took his own life.

His eldest daughter Kitty said: “We are not ashamed of talking about it – there is nothing to hide, and it is not a stigma.”

Mental health issues can hit anyone, in any sport, and it is up to all of us to help those who suffer with it. All of us at Barnes Rugby Club extend our love and support to the Thorpe family and those in the cricket community who are affected by the loss of a brilliant man and a brilliant cricketer.

RIP Graham

Compiled by Martin S Conway
VP Barnes Rugby Club
VP London New Zealand CC
Umpire for Wimbledon CC
Member of Surrey CCC