Geoffrey Boycott should not have received knighthood because of his repugnant stance on apartheid

Should Sir Geoffrey Boycott have been awarded a knighthood?

IRRESPECTVE of any assault allegations, Geoffrey Boycott should not have been awarded a knighthood, purely on the grounds of him having displayed proven support of apartheid by partaking in that 1972 rebel cricket tour of South Africa.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott’s mistakes do not invalidate his achievements – David Behrens

This event helping to keep the apartheid cauldron festering at a time when much of the rest of the sporting world had been pressuring the immoral apartheid regime in that country to end its racial discrimination policy.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott(right) with England's batting coach,. Gragham Thorpe, during the final Test.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott bowled over by knighthood in Theresa May’s resignation honours

Indeed if the same kind of discriminatory practice had occurred against South Yorkshire white people, then Geoffrey Boycott would not  have emerged to any kind of cricketing prominence in the first place!

I don’t give a toss about criticism of my knighthood, says Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Political favours, religion and choice of favourite sporting team, we can change, but the colour of a person’s skin will remain the same whatever.

Sir Geoffrey Boycott with TV pundit Mark Nicholas during the final Ashes Test - but should the batting legend have been awarded a knighthood?

Dismayed and disgusted, but I, personally will endeavour to stick to the ethos of kicking racism out of sport, unlike Mr Boycott!

From: B Phillipson, Burn, Selby.

MY late husband in his youth practiced cricket at the nets at Headingley with the others – Fred Trueman, Geoff Boycott, Brian Close etc.

He always said that Sir Geoff was a true Yorkshireman who, with Yorkshire grit, called a spade a spade.

He would not let any error pass by without putting it right, be it batting or bowling, being truthful about everything. He had a very dry sense of humour.

What he did for cricket, and for charity since, is truly amazing. He certainly deserves his knighthood and congratulations to him.

Why do people creep out of the woodwork to throw dirt at the award? Long may he have a long time to enjoy it, and from my late husband “Good on you, Sir Geoff”.

From: Peter Rickaby, Selby.

TO be awarded a knighthood for “services to cricket” when one’s career has been surrounded in controversy and division, continued in the media by criticising modern players for never being as good as he, was seems be a very baffling reason for giving Sir Geoffrey Boyccott such an accolade (The Yorkshire Post, September 10).

Geoffrey Boycott should not have received knighthood because of his repugnant stance on apartheid – Yorkshire Post Letters