There was more to Terry Jenner than just being Shane Warne's coach and mentor. Captain Ian Chappell pays tribute to a friend and teammate, who passed away in Adelaide yesterday
There was more to Terry Jenner than just being Shane Warne's coach and mentor. Captain Ian Chappell pays tribute to a friend and teammate, who passed away in Adelaide yesterday
There are very few guys who walk away from jail and say, "I'm a better man for having been inside". Terry Jenner is one.
Shane Warne with mentor Terry Jenner during a training session at
Bellerive Oval in Hobart on November 15, 2005 pic/Getty Images
Maybe one of the reasons of TJ "prospering" in jail is because of the way he accepted his punishment. (for embezzlement) When the term was published in the Sydney papers, a QC who is a member of the tennis club where I play, told me, "The sentence let him know that an appeal would almost certainly get it reduced".
I immediately got in touch with TJ and passed on the comment. He responded by saying he knew that it was harsh, but he didn't want to get his hopes up and have them dashed so he wasn't going to appeal. He went on to explain that he needed to be put away and he'd just do his time and then get on with life. It was this acceptance of his punishment as a necessary part of his rehabilitation that probably helped TJ to get through a tough period in his life and come out a better man.
When he was sentenced, I wrote a column which said in part, "I don't consider Terry Jenner to be a criminal. Never have, never will. In fact, I've always classed TJ as a very honest cricketer, so honest at times he made life difficult for a captain".
There was never anything behind the back with TJ. If he had a problem that related to my captaincy I'd know about it, usually less than five minutes after stumps. The good thing was once we'd discussed the problem, the matter was closed and it didn't have any bearing on what occurred the next day. I can still hear the sound of that beer bottle thumping down on the wooden table in the middle of the Adelaide Oval dressing room. It was a very definite signal that TJ had a problem and he wanted to talk it out over a beer. The sound still occasionally wakes me in the middle of the night.
Why did I support TJ when he was going through a rough time? Because of the belief that he wasn't a crook and didn't deserve to go to jail, especially when criminals like Alan Bond and Christopher Skase were roaming free. This offended my sense of fair play. Also, because I felt he needed help, rather than incarceration. And finally I guess because once you're captain, you're their skipper for all time. It was my job to be there to help and to listen when a player had a problem and in return I expected them to play hard for me on the field. If you expect 100 per cent you have to give 100 per cent. It was always one of my rules as captain.
TJ always tried for me when I was captain of South Australia and Australia and he made some monumental contributions. We'd played in three Shield winning sides together (two under my captaincy) and he took more than 250 wickets for SA. He took four wickets in the first innings of the Test we won in Trinidad (1972-73) and five in a drawn game at the same ground. He made a match-turning 74 on a damp wicket at Adelaide Oval on partnership with Doug Walters against England in 1974-75.
TJ didn't shirk responsibility and when I was having a running battle with the South Australian Cricket Association in 1975-76, it was Terry who organised a meeting of the players, which resulted in a show of support for the captain. These things are not easily forgotten. And should never be forgotten.
Off the field, TJ could be excellent company, humourous, observant and full of ideas and always able to express himself; some of the reasons why I wrote in 1988, "He'd make a damn good coach". I'd had a lot of good times with TJ and a few disappointments along the way and we'd survived it all.
Terry Jenner has helped a hell of a lot more people than he's hindered.
Courtesy: Excerpts from TJ Over the Top ufffd Cricket, Prison & Warnie by Terry Jenner with Ken Piesse. Published by Information Australia
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