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{{Short description|English sportswriter}}
⚫ '''Sir Derek Birley''' (born ] ]; died ] ]) was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially ].
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
⚫ '''Sir Derek Sydney Birley '''(31 May 1926 – 14 May 2002) was a distinguished English educationalist and a prize-winning writer on the social ], particularly ].


==Life and career==
He was educated at ] in ], ], and at ] University.
{{Moresources|section|date=January 2023}}
Born in a mining community in ], Birley attended ], ], West Yorkshire. A fervent English patriot and anti-fascist, he enlisted in the ] from school in 1944, hoping to contribute to active service in the South-East Asian front. He was quickly transferred to the ] to be trained in Russian and Chinese, and sent to the ], where he served from 1944 to 1947 as a Russian interpreter.


On his return to England, he was awarded an ex-serviceman's scholarship to ], to read English. In 1951, he was joint winner with ] of a short story competition held by '']'', the Cambridge student newspaper.
He wrote two cricket books: ''The Willow Wand'' (]) and the classic ''A Social History of English Cricket'' (]), (which won the ]'s ] and the ] in 1999).


After university he joined the teaching staff of ], where he taught English between 1952 and 1955. He left the school to become an administrator in the Leeds Education Authority. He continued his career in education administration, rising to become deputy director of Education in ] in 1964. He wrote a number of books on management of education in this period. He became involved in ]'s consultations about higher education, from which the vision of ] emerged. In 1970, he moved to ] and took up the post of Rector of what became the first Ulster Polytechnic, and the first polytechnic in the UK – against determined opposition from the then Unionist government – and, following a government merger of higher education, became the founding Vice-Chancellor of the ].
He was the founding ] of ] (later ]), and later the founding ] of the ]. When he retired from education in ], he had overseen two decades of massive increases in provision of ] in ].


When he retired in 1991, he had overseen two decades of massive increases in provision of higher education in Northern Ireland, and equity of representation for Catholic and women students. He was knighted for services to education. His other passion was the social history of sport. In 1979, he wrote ''The Willow Wand'', 'a strikingly original and robustly demythologising book, criticising the pastoral nostalgia of the genre'.<ref name="DM">{{cite web |last1=McCloy |first1=Don |title=Sir Derek Birley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jun/14/guardianobituaries.northernireland |website=The Guardian |date=14 June 2002 |access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref>
⚫ ==External link==
*, ''The Guardian''
⚫ *, University of Ulster News Release
⚫ *, News Release


This was voted by a distinguished poll in '']'' in July 2010 as the best cricket book of all time.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 July 2010|last1=McKee |first1=Ross |title=Poll-topping cricket author was NI university boss |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10491825 |website=BBC |access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref> He wrote a three-volume history of sport in Britain in the 1990s which "is unlikely to be surpassed".<ref name="DM"/> The second volume won the Aberdare Literary prize in 1995. In 1999, ''A Social History of English Cricket'' was named ]'s ] and the ].
⚫ {{start box}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=]|before= ] |after=] |years=]}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=Rector of ]|before= – |after= – |years=]–]}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=Vice-Chancellor of the ]|before= – |after=Trevor A. Smith |years=]–]}}
⚫ {{end box}}


==Marriage==
⚫ ]
He married Professor ] in 1990. He had two sons from a previous marriage.<ref name="DM"/>
⚫ ]
]
⚫ ]
⚫ ]
]
]


==Books==
⚫ {{england-cricketbio-stub|Birley, Derek}}
* ''The Education Officer and His World''. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
{{academic-administrator-stub|Birley, Derek}}
* ''An Equal Chance: Equalities and Inequalities of Educational Opportunity'' (with Anne Dufton). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. New edition, London: Routledge, 2017.
{{NI-bio-stub|Birley, Derek}}
* ''Planning and Education''. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
{{England-nonfiction-writer-stub|Birley, Derek}}
* ''Opportunities at Sixteen''. Belfast: HMSO, 1978.
* ''The Willow Wand: Some Cricket Myths Explored''. London: Queen Anne Press, 1979. New edition, London: Aurum, 2000.
* ''Sport and the Making of Britain''. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993.
* ''Land of Sport and Glory: Sport and British Society, 1887–1910''. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
* ''Playing the Game: Sport and British Society, 1914–1945''. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
* ''A Social History of English Cricket''. London: Aurum, 1999.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

⚫ ==External links==
⚫ *, University of Ulster News Release
⚫ *, News Release

⚫ {{s-start}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=]|before= ] |after=] |years=1999}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=Rector of ]|before= – |after= – |years=1970–1984}}
⚫ {{succession box|title=Vice-Chancellor of the ]|before= – |after=] |years=1984–1991}}
⚫ {{s-end}}

* ''The Guardian'' 19/04/09, obit., ] – 'The other winner was DS Birley – later to become Sir Derek Birley, eminent educationalist and author of some classic cricket books.’

{{Authority control}}

⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Birley, Derek}}
⚫ ]
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Latest revision as of 13:26, 10 December 2024

English sportswriter

Sir Derek Sydney Birley (31 May 1926 – 14 May 2002) was a distinguished English educationalist and a prize-winning writer on the social history of sport, particularly cricket.

Life and career

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Born in a mining community in West Yorkshire, Birley attended Hemsworth Grammar School, Hemsworth, West Yorkshire. A fervent English patriot and anti-fascist, he enlisted in the Royal Artillery from school in 1944, hoping to contribute to active service in the South-East Asian front. He was quickly transferred to the Intelligence Corps to be trained in Russian and Chinese, and sent to the Russian sector in Berlin, where he served from 1944 to 1947 as a Russian interpreter.

On his return to England, he was awarded an ex-serviceman's scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, to read English. In 1951, he was joint winner with J. G. Ballard of a short story competition held by Varsity, the Cambridge student newspaper.

After university he joined the teaching staff of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, where he taught English between 1952 and 1955. He left the school to become an administrator in the Leeds Education Authority. He continued his career in education administration, rising to become deputy director of Education in Liverpool in 1964. He wrote a number of books on management of education in this period. He became involved in Anthony Crosland's consultations about higher education, from which the vision of polytechnics emerged. In 1970, he moved to Northern Ireland and took up the post of Rector of what became the first Ulster Polytechnic, and the first polytechnic in the UK – against determined opposition from the then Unionist government – and, following a government merger of higher education, became the founding Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster.

When he retired in 1991, he had overseen two decades of massive increases in provision of higher education in Northern Ireland, and equity of representation for Catholic and women students. He was knighted for services to education. His other passion was the social history of sport. In 1979, he wrote The Willow Wand, 'a strikingly original and robustly demythologising book, criticising the pastoral nostalgia of the genre'.

This was voted by a distinguished poll in Wisden Cricketer in July 2010 as the best cricket book of all time. He wrote a three-volume history of sport in Britain in the 1990s which "is unlikely to be surpassed". The second volume won the Aberdare Literary prize in 1995. In 1999, A Social History of English Cricket was named The Cricket Society's Book of the Year and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

Marriage

He married Professor Norma Reid in 1990. He had two sons from a previous marriage.

Books

  • The Education Officer and His World. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
  • An Equal Chance: Equalities and Inequalities of Educational Opportunity (with Anne Dufton). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. New edition, London: Routledge, 2017.
  • Planning and Education. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
  • Opportunities at Sixteen. Belfast: HMSO, 1978.
  • The Willow Wand: Some Cricket Myths Explored. London: Queen Anne Press, 1979. New edition, London: Aurum, 2000.
  • Sport and the Making of Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993.
  • Land of Sport and Glory: Sport and British Society, 1887–1910. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
  • Playing the Game: Sport and British Society, 1914–1945. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
  • A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum, 1999.

References

  1. ^ McCloy, Don (14 June 2002). "Sir Derek Birley". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. McKee, Ross (2 July 2010). "Poll-topping cricket author was NI university boss". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

External links

Preceded byRobert Twigger William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner
1999 		Succeeded byLance Armstrong
Preceded by– Rector of Ulster College
1970–1984 		Succeeded by–
Preceded by– Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster
1984–1991 		Succeeded byTrevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of Clifton
  • The Guardian 19/04/09, obit., J. G. Ballard – 'The other winner was DS Birley – later to become Sir Derek Birley, eminent educationalist and author of some classic cricket books.’
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