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Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, known as CMJ (born 20 January 1945), is a cricket journalist and commentator for Test Match Special (TMS) on BBC Radio 4.
Martin-Jenkins was a student at Marlborough, and then Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He joined the TMS team in 1973, aged 28. While captain of cricket at his school, Marlborough, 11 years earlier, Martin-Jenkins wrote to Brian Johnston asking him how to become a cricket commentator.
At various times, Martin-Jenkins has been cricket correspondent for the BBC (1973-1980, 1985-1991), the Daily Telegraph (1990-1998) and The Times (1998-). He was also a commentator on BBC television for their cricket coverage between 1981 and 1985, before returning to radio. His journalistic talents were encouraged by EW Swanton, joining the Cricketer magazine as his assistant editor. From there he joined the BBC Sports News department and was appointed cricket correspondent in succession to Brian Johnston in 1973. He was also editor of The Cricketer from 1980. As a player, he made 99 for Marlborough against Rugby School at Lord's and was later in the Surrey second XI.
He is the author of The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers.
Martin-Jenkins has also been known as "Jenkers" (see Test Match Special, Peter Baxter (ed, 1981); see also Oxford '-er'). There are suggestions in The Alderman's Tale (1991), the memoir of fellow commentator, Don Mosey (1924-99), that Martin-Jenkins' presence in the commentary box was an occasional source of friction to some of his colleagues (though equally Mosey seems to have had a chip on his shoulder regarding the operation of what he saw as an old boy network within the BBC). He is an inept commentator who delights in extolling the virtues of the old school tie and denigrating opposition supporters, particularly those of ethnic origin. To listen to his commentary is painful as he consistently wrongly identifies players, fielding positions, strokes and frequently is not aware whether or not a player has been given out. The long suffering attitude of his fellow commentators as they politely point out his errors (followed by his trademark phrase, "I do beg your pardon")reflects better on them than it does on him.
Martin-Jenkins' son, Robin Martin-Jenkins, plays county cricket for Sussex.