A pathological gambler, Jenner took to betting with the money of the car dealership for which he was working. In 1986 he was convicted of embezzlement, but initially spared incarceration.
A repetition of the same offence — eventually he had “borrowed” 10,000 Australian dollars — meant that in 1988 he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, with a minimum of three years without parole. In the event, due to good behaviour, he served only 18 months .
It was the shock of prison, Jenner insisted, which enabled him to reconstruct his life. Voluble, sociable and devil-may-care in his prime, he was still, in his disgrace, a man whom people wanted to help. Not only did he succeed in creating a new life for himself after coming out of prison; he also became a mentor to the young Shane Warne, whom he helped establish as one of the giants of cricket.
Terrence James Jenner was born on September 8 1944 in Mount Lawley, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Soon afterwards his parents moved to Corrigin, 140 miles east of Perth, where they kept a store and quarrelled copiously before divorcing when Terry was 13. After that he moved back to Mount Lawley with his mother. His education ended at 14; by 15 he was an office boy at a clothing wholesalers.
From an early age Jenner had shown a talent for cricket. As a batsman and wicketkeeper he did sufficiently well to be offered coaching by Western Australia. One of the instructors, seeing him bowling in the nets, discerned a natural leg-break bowler.
“Boy, could he bowl wrist spin,” remembered John Rutherford, the first Western Australian ever to play for his country. “He ripped a big leg break, his wrong ’un turned, and his toppie rushed off the wicket.”
By 18, Jenner had been taken on by Western Australia. But when he began playing for the side in 1963-64 he made little impression, ending the season with bowling figures of seven for 600. The problem was that, with the former Surrey and England player Tony Lock in the side, there was little opportunity for another spinner to settle. Nor, when Lock became captain of Western Australia, did he encourage rivals.
Jenner made his mark against MCC in 1965, claiming the wickets of Bob Barber, John Edrich, Peter Parfitt, Colin Cowdrey and Mike Smith. For all his obvious potential, however, in four seasons with Western Australia he took only 27 wickets at 67.11 apiece.
His performances greatly improved, however, after he moved to South Australia in 1967. Finding in Les Favell and Ian Chappell captains who believed in him, he soon became a consistent wicket-taker, and in 1970 was selected for an Australia “B” tour to New Zealand, taking seven for 84 in a match between an Australian XI and a New Zealand XI.
Keith Miller and Richie Benaud both became advocates in his cause , and at the end of 1970 Jenner made his Test debut against England, picking up the wickets of John Edrich and Geoffrey Boycott .
He reached his cricketing zenith on Australia’s tour of West Indies in 1973. When he took five for 90 in West Indies’ first innings in the final Test in Trinidad, it seemed that he had firmly established himself as a Test player.
Even by Australian standards, though, Jenner was a rumbustious character, and he was deemed — unjustly, some believed — to be the guilty party when, at the end of that tour of the West Indies, a woman complained of bottom-pinching.
By 1974-75 he seemed to have been forgiven; at least, he was selected for two Tests against England. He was, however, bitterly disappointed to be left out of Australia’s tour of England in 1975, and made no attempt to disguise his feelings. He did, in fact, have some valuable experience of English conditions, having played for Rawtenstall in the Lancashire League in 1971, and for Cambridgeshire in 1971-72.
A good bowling performance for South Australia against the West Indians earned him a recall to the Australian side for a Test in October 1975. That season he was for the third time in a South Australia side that won the Sheffield Shield. Yet it was now that the downhill slide began.
His bowling became more expensive, and as his performances dwindled, so his aggression on the field, always high-octane, blazed. When he was passed over for the state captaincy in 1976, he exploded and left first-class cricket in a huff.
This was, as he later recognised, a singularly ill-timed decision. In 1977 Kerry Packer ran the first World Series in opposition to the cricketing establishment. Even if Jenner had not been offered a contract by Packer, he would at least have had a good chance of returning to Australia’s Test side, which had been much weakened by the defections.
As it was, over the next 10 years Jenner descended into debt and bankruptcy . His job with Coca-Cola disappeared, and he scraped by on casual labour until landing what seemed like a more promising post with a car dealership. The temptations offered, however, proved fatal.
Jenner’s marriage did not survive his crime and punishment. His saving grace, however, was that he faced up to his own wrongdoing. Freed on parole, he undertook rehabilitation work with the Adelaide City Mission. A local businessman found him a house.
Soon he was coaching young cricketers, at first for local Adelaide teams, and then. He was still on parole when he met Shane Warne; and perhaps his disreputable past helped him to strike up a friendship with a young man who showed little respect for the cricket establishment.
Technically, Jenner helped Warne with his googly and “flipper”, while at the same time persuading the podgy youth to lose some weight. Above all, he helped to keep up Warne’s morale in adversity. Later, in the glory days, he was always on hand to give advice and encouragement during dips in form or fitness.
Jenner also became an excellent radio commentator and after-dinner speaker, and prospered by organising groups to accompany cricket tours.
He played in 131 first-class matches, scoring 3,580 runs at an average of 22.23, and taking 389 wickets at 32.18. His most noteworthy match, for South Australia against his old team Western Australia in 1974, featured bowling figures of four for 43 and seven for 127, along with innings of 59 and 47. In his nine Tests he took 24 wickets at 31.20 apiece, and scored 208 runs at an average of 23.11.
His autobiography, T.J. Over the Top: Cricket, Prison & Warnie, written with Ken Piesse, was published in 1999.
Terry Jenner had a daughter with his wife, Jackie, whom he married in 1984. He is survived by his second wife, Anne.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/sport-obituaries/8553121/Terry-Jenner.html
By 18, Jenner had been taken on by Western Australia. But when he began playing for the side in 1963-64 he made little impression, ending the season with bowling figures of seven for 600. The problem was that, with the former Surrey and England player Tony Lock in the side, there was little opportunity for another spinner to settle. Nor, when Lock became captain of Western Australia, did he encourage rivals.
Jenner made his mark against MCC in 1965, claiming the wickets of Bob Barber, John Edrich, Peter Parfitt, Colin Cowdrey and Mike Smith. For all his obvious potential, however, in four seasons with Western Australia he took only 27 wickets at 67.11 apiece.
His performances greatly improved, however, after he moved to South Australia in 1967. Finding in Les Favell and Ian Chappell captains who believed in him, he soon became a consistent wicket-taker, and in 1970 was selected for an Australia “B” tour to New Zealand, taking seven for 84 in a match between an Australian XI and a New Zealand XI.
Keith Miller and Richie Benaud both became advocates in his cause , and at the end of 1970 Jenner made his Test debut against England, picking up the wickets of John Edrich and Geoffrey Boycott .
He reached his cricketing zenith on Australia’s tour of West Indies in 1973. When he took five for 90 in West Indies’ first innings in the final Test in Trinidad, it seemed that he had firmly established himself as a Test player.
Even by Australian standards, though, Jenner was a rumbustious character, and he was deemed — unjustly, some believed — to be the guilty party when, at the end of that tour of the West Indies, a woman complained of bottom-pinching.
By 1974-75 he seemed to have been forgiven; at least, he was selected for two Tests against England. He was, however, bitterly disappointed to be left out of Australia’s tour of England in 1975, and made no attempt to disguise his feelings. He did, in fact, have some valuable experience of English conditions, having played for Rawtenstall in the Lancashire League in 1971, and for Cambridgeshire in 1971-72.
A good bowling performance for South Australia against the West Indians earned him a recall to the Australian side for a Test in October 1975. That season he was for the third time in a South Australia side that won the Sheffield Shield. Yet it was now that the downhill slide began.
His bowling became more expensive, and as his performances dwindled, so his aggression on the field, always high-octane, blazed. When he was passed over for the state captaincy in 1976, he exploded and left first-class cricket in a huff.
This was, as he later recognised, a singularly ill-timed decision. In 1977 Kerry Packer ran the first World Series in opposition to the cricketing establishment. Even if Jenner had not been offered a contract by Packer, he would at least have had a good chance of returning to Australia’s Test side, which had been much weakened by the defections.
As it was, over the next 10 years Jenner descended into debt and bankruptcy . His job with Coca-Cola disappeared, and he scraped by on casual labour until landing what seemed like a more promising post with a car dealership. The temptations offered, however, proved fatal.
Jenner’s marriage did not survive his crime and punishment. His saving grace, however, was that he faced up to his own wrongdoing. Freed on parole, he undertook rehabilitation work with the Adelaide City Mission. A local businessman found him a house.
Soon he was coaching young cricketers, at first for local Adelaide teams, and then. He was still on parole when he met Shane Warne; and perhaps his disreputable past helped him to strike up a friendship with a young man who showed little respect for the cricket establishment.
Technically, Jenner helped Warne with his googly and “flipper”, while at the same time persuading the podgy youth to lose some weight. Above all, he helped to keep up Warne’s morale in adversity. Later, in the glory days, he was always on hand to give advice and encouragement during dips in form or fitness.
Jenner also became an excellent radio commentator and after-dinner speaker, and prospered by organising groups to accompany cricket tours.
He played in 131 first-class matches, scoring 3,580 runs at an average of 22.23, and taking 389 wickets at 32.18. His most noteworthy match, for South Australia against his old team Western Australia in 1974, featured bowling figures of four for 43 and seven for 127, along with innings of 59 and 47. In his nine Tests he took 24 wickets at 31.20 apiece, and scored 208 runs at an average of 23.11.
His autobiography, T.J. Over the Top: Cricket, Prison & Warnie, written with Ken Piesse, was published in 1999.
Terry Jenner had a daughter with his wife, Jackie, whom he married in 1984. He is survived by his second wife, Anne.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/sport-obituaries/8553121/Terry-Jenner.html
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