  william howard "bill" frindall, mbe (3 march 1939 â 29 january 2009) was an english cricket scorer and statistician. he was familiar to cricket followers as a member of the test match special commentary team on bbc radio. nicknamed the bearded wonder (shortened to bearders) by brian johnston for his ability to research the most obscure cricketing facts in moments, while continuing to keep perfect scorecards and because he had a beard. angus fraser described frindall as "the doyen of cricket scorers" in his obituary in the independent.obituary, the independent, 3 february 2009 ==early life== frindall was born in epsom, surrey and named after victorian journalist william howard russell. his father was a laboratory assistant and later a research chemist.rob steen, âfrindall, william howard [bill] (1939â2009)â, oxford dictionary of national biography, oxford university press, jan 2013 accessed 8 jan 2013 he was educated at tadworth county primary school and reigate grammar school and studied architecture at the kingston school of art. a schoolmaster introduced frindall to cricket scoring one rainy sports afternoon when he was a boy. after joining the raf as a national serviceman in 1958 (he called it "training in advanced shirking"), and rising to the rank of corporal, he was commissioned as an accountant officer in the secretarial branch in november 1963. two of his six years' service were spent at nato headquarters at fontainebleau, outside paris, and on leaving the raf in 1965 he developed his handlebar moustache into a full beard. ==cricket player== frindall was an enthusiastic cricketer from his early years and played cricket for the raf. he later played one match for the hampshire 
1939_births 2009_deaths British_radio_personalities Cricket_historians_and_writers Cricket_scorers English_cricket_commentators Infectious_disease_deaths_in_England Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire People_educated_at_Reigate_Grammar_School People_from_Epsom