BEARDERS IS OUT FOR 69.. AFTER GLORIOUS INNINGS; Legendary cricket scorer mourned.

Byline: BY DEAN WILSON

HE was as much a part of Test Match Special as Aggers, Blowers and the discussions about chocolate cake.

And last night the world of cricket was in mourning as legendary radio scorer Bill Frindall died at the age of 69. Frindall - affectionately known as The Bearded Wonder or Bearders - passed away after getting Legionnaires' disease on a trip to Dubai.

His death will be a sad loss to countless cricket fans all over the world who were astounded by his ability to recall the most obscure snippets of trivia about the sport.

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew - a colleague in the commentary box for many years - said last night: "The weird world of cricket scoring to many people is incredibly dull but Bill made it interesting and lively."

Head of BBC Radio Sport Gordon Turnbull said: "Bill will be hugely missed and impossible to replace."

Frindall - who lived in Wiltshire with his wife and daughter - started on TMS in 1966. He covered 377 Test matches and was christened The Bearded Wonder by late commentator Brian Johnson. He was awarded the MBE in 2004.

Fittingly, the last entry on his BBC website blog involved Test players who had taken a wicket, scored a century and made a stumping.

CAPTION(S):

ALL OVER Frindall records score