CRICKET writer and commentator Henry “Blowers” Blofeld, 64, joined BBC radio’s Test Match Special in l972. He is a popular after-dinner speaker and has given more than 40 performances of his one-man show, An Evening with Blowers.

Henry’s 14th book, Cricket’s Great Entertainers, has just been published. He wrote his autobiography, A Thirst for Life, in 2000. Cricket And All That, a humorous look at the game’s history, became a bestseller in 2001.

Henry grew up with his brother and sister in Norfolk, where his family has lived for hundreds of years. He was educated at Eton and went on to read history at King’s College, Cambridge. After three years at a London merchant bank, Henry began writing about cricket for The Times in l962, and has since written for most of the national newspapers. In 2003 he was awarded an OBE.

He and his wife, Bitten, live in Chelsea, southwest London, and an Elizabethan farmhouse on his family’s estate in Norfolk. Henry has a daughter, Suki, 40, from his first marriage, and a stepson, Alexei, 24.

How much money do you have in your wallet?

I have about £300. One never knows what it will go on, probably the daily newspapers, and eating in the odd restaurant. I’ve just spent £180 cash on a painting. It’s a wedding anniversary present for Bitten.

Do you have any credit cards?

I try to use cash, but I have a mass of credit cards that are an evil necessity. I use them for petrol when I’m working because they keep your reclaimable expenses on a piece of paper.

They’re convenient to have abroad as you don’t have to go through the whole process of getting money to go away with.

Are you a saver or spender?

I am a big spender. I never save money. I collect rare books and things about cricket. I love the good life. I suppose I became a spender because my parents weren’t. My father was land-rich but money-poor and we were never allowed to spend much. My attitude was a natural antidote to that.

How much did you earn last year?

That is my affair. I would say enough money to live quite comfortably, but not enough to pay for all my extravagances.