Tom Cartwright (England allrounder) Unlike D’Oliveira, Cartwright had already been on an England tour of South Africa but missed a good deal of the 1968 season through injury.
Tom Cartwright had not fully recovered from shoulder trouble when he was chosen instead of D’Oliveira at the end of August, but on September 14 bowled 10 overs in a one-day match for Warwickshire without any apparent di culty. He was a medium-pace bowler who took over 1,600 wickets in his career.
Tom Cartwright began as an off-the-piece batter but eventually became more well known for his bowling skills than anything else he did at-bat or near it with the ball up close – taking seven hundred altogether including two doubles century ones!
This man could really hit hard and score heavily when needed too; you’ve seen him play if your know what I mean (a big grin) playing largely against Somerset & Warwickshire throughout most parts here in England–this guy ended up being good enough.
Over the weekend, however, he suffered a reaction and a subsequent consultation with an orthopedic surgeon resulted in a warning that further damage could end his career. “I had a wife and two kids, I didn’t have any other profession or trade or training, I didn’t think I should risk not being able to bowl again,” he said.
It was mooted that Cartwright, a socialist, did not wish to tour through his conscience, but he was to tell his biographer, Stephen Chalke: “I honestly don’t think there was a conspiracy. Doug Insole got a lot of the flak, people accused him of all sorts of skulduggery.
But I’ve always felt sorry for him. There was so much confusion, so much interference, and they were trying in the middle of it all to do what was best. I may be naïve but I never found Doug to be anything other than straight.”
Although Cowdrey wanted to replace him with Barry Knight, or with Don Wilson, if Cartwright broke down, the selectors bowed to pressure and selected D’Oliveira after all. Cartwright became a coach at Millfi eld School and of Somerset, mentoring, among others, Ian Botham, and died in 2007 aged 71.
