On This Day (2)

In view of the sad departure of the immediate post-war Surrey wicketkeeper (as well as part of the great championship side of the '50s), Arthur Macintyre, I think we also ought to remember that today would have been the 90th birthday of another, along with Billy Griffith, Don Brennan and Keith Andrew, who stood in Godfrey Evans' long shadow as England first-choice wicketkeeper between 1946-59 (only Alan Knott has challenged Evans' longevity in that role and not even then if you discount Knott's 3-year Test ban for participating in the Packer circus), the Warwickshire 'keeper, Dick Spooner, who played in 7 Tests between November 1951 and August 1955. In his last Test against South Africa at The Oval he achieved the unusual feat of making a pair but not conceding a bye in either of the South African innings.

He was one of several North-Easterners, along with Olly Milburn and Peter Willey, to play Test cricket before Durham was accorded first-class status. After his playing career was over he became groundsman for Devon and so would have seen, in his early days, another wicketkeeper, overshadowed by Evan's successor at Kent, who ironically played 4 Tests without ever keeping wicket, Roger Tolchard.

Dick Spooner

On a lighter note happy 27th today to this Vancouver, BC lass who I know is popular with several FB forummers:

This day marks the 80th anniversary of one of the icons of English cricket, especially during the 1950s, whose career was cut short by illness but still epitomises all that was, and is, best about the game. Although imbued with a fierce competitive spirit and a will to win, both for Surrey and England, he might be memorialised as "The Last Great Amateur" (before the distinction between amateur and pro was dropped in 1962):

Happy 45th to the 3rd Antiguan (I think!), after Andy Roberts and Viv Richards to break into the West Indian Test side - Winston Benjamin (no relation to Kenny). Lacking the star quality of his two compatriots his 21 Tests were spread over 8 years between 1987 and 1995 in one of the strongest test sides ever to have taken the field.

Unusually for a fast bowler playing that number of Tests he never got a '5-fer' nor did he ever open the bowling but that was more of an indication of the quality of players he played alongside. His finest moments came with the bat - a run-a ball 85 against New Zealand towards the end of his career and, above all, an unbroken series-winning partnership of 61 for the 9th wicket with Jeff Dujon at the Kensington Oval against Pakistan in May 1988 of which he contributed 40 batting at 10 in only his fourth Test:

Allan D wrote:On a lighter note happy 27th today to this Vancouver, BC lass who I know is popular with several FB forummers:

Hehe, noice, AD.

A picture tells a thousand words.

Baptiste & Richardson would have debuted before Winston Benjamin.

Indeed they did, Wal. Both Antiguans, Eldine Baptiste made his debut in the 1st Test against India at Kanpur in October 1983 whilst Richie Richardson appeared in the 4th Test of that series a month later at Mumbai. Many thanks for the correction. Benjamin is therefore the 5th Antiguan to appear for the West Indies (unless I've missed some others in between!).

Firstly, let me add my New Year greetings to the others on this forum and wish everyone, wherever you are, as happy, healthy and prosperous a year as you can make it. The least you can do is stay off the Celebrity Death List!

I am not sure I can keep this feature up for the next 365 days (assuming that FB survives) but I will do my best. There are no notable births today of cricketers but two notable departures. On New Year's Day 1944 at the age of 81 Charlie Turner, the first Australian to take 100 Test wickets in 17 Tests between 1887 and 1895 passed away. The Glenn McGrath of his day, "The Terror" was a worthy successor to "The Demon" with whom his career overlapped.

A phenomenal wicket-taker, he took 314 wickets in all matches on his first tour of England in 1888 and 215 on his second in 1890. He erupted onto the Test arena in January 1887 when he took 6-15 against England at the SCG bowling them out for 45, still England's record loweest score, with only George Lohmann at 9 making double figures, in a devastating partnershiip with J.J.Ferris, who took 4-27, with Spofforth, who was in the side, not even being called upon to bowl.

Curiously however, it did not prove to be a match-winning effort as England made a much better fist of batting in their second innings setting Australia a target of 111 and then bowling them out for 97 with Billy Barnes taking 6-28. That was one occasion when "nelson" proved fortunate for England, at least!



The second departure was in 1967 of a stalwart of the middle-order batting of both Yorkshire and England during the inter-war period, Maurice Leyland. A proud Tyke, he nevertheless had a higher Test average than he did for his native county, averaging just over 46 in 41 matches between 1928 and 1938. His finest hour came in what proved to be his last Test at The Oval against Australia in August 1938 when he scored 187 in England's record total of 903-7d, adding 382 for the 2nd wicket with his fellow Yorkshireman, Len Hutton, the record for an England Test partnership for players from the same county.

(Just noticed how today links England's record lowest and highest scores).

When he got to the bar after the match he ordered two bottles of champagne, one for Hutton and one, more immodestly, for himself. Here he is going out to bat with Sir Leonard in that match (he's the one on the right):



On a lighter, or maybe darker, note today's birthday is a kind of departure of sorts, or one in the offing at least. Happy 30th to Elin Nordegren, aka Mrs T.Woods, who has shown that Tiger isn't the only one in the family who can make millions by swinging a 9 iron (at least once the divorce settlement comes through). I wonder what charming little gift Tiger has come up with to give to the missus? A nice set of ladies' golf clubs? A state-of-the-art mobile phone to put all your Facebook contacts on? An Autoglass voucher? I don't think so, somehow.

Happy Birthday, Mrs Woods, anyway or should I say Ms Nordegren? Here you are in happier days, before Tiger went on the prowl and he only had eyes for you:

There's a bloke with a test batting average of 54. Another who was a member of one of Pakistan's best fast bowling partnerships. A one-eyed "Norwegian" who destroyed the England batting line-up on matting in 1930/31. Someone who has taken a hat-trick in a test match. Also the former test cricketer who originated the Melbourne Centenary Test Match celebrations in March 1977.

Not to mention the greatest Welsh-born fast bowler & "Son of Sam" who had such a distinguished ODI career.

Absolutely right again, Wally. Charlie Davis from Trinidad, a rather dour but effective batsman iin the West Indian middle order in the late 60s and early 70s, made 1301 runs@54.21 in 15 matches. He also entered the world on the same day that Charlie Turner left it - New Year's Day 1944.

Khan Mohammed who died in London last summer bowled the first ball and took the first wicket, that of Pankaj Roy, in Pakistan's inaugural Test Match at Delhi in October 1952. His "partner-in-crime" was of course (although they didn't open together in that match) Fazal Mahmood. The one-eyed Norwegian (as both his parents were) was Eiulf Nupen, born on New Year's Day 1902, who destroyed England on a matting wicket at The Old Wanderers ground in Johannesburg in the Christmas Test of 1930 when he took 11-150 in the match.

Although he was hailed as the greatest bowler of all on matting pitches he was only selected for the Test because the regular Saffie captain, Hubert Deane, was unavailable and Nupen was brought in to captain (it was his only Test as captain). Nupen also holds an unusual record, along with several others such as Wilfred Rhodes and Pat Pocock and unique for a South African, I think, in playing in the same Test side with both a father and son. Although his Test career stretched for only 14 years it was long enough to enable him to play alongside both Arthur and Dudley Nourse.

The man credited with the Centenary Test is, of course, Hans Ebeling, born on New Year's Day 1905 who was one of the 1934 Australian tourists to England. I am rather flummoxed by the hat-trick achiever as the closest one I can come up with is Matthew Hoggard who was born on New Year's Eve 1976. I am also rather mystified by the Welsh fast bowler but I'm sure it's someone totally obvious.

You could also have had one of the best wicketkeepers India has produced who, like Wilfred Rhodes, both opened and closed the innings in separate Test Matches (although in his case he opened in his first Test and went in last in his last two). The only England player I could find born on this date was described by Bill Frindall as "the prototype for Denis Compton" who joint topscored in the then record most successful fourth innings run chase in fc cricket (which has only been beaten once but never in England) and, as a Cambridge undergraduate, became the first player to score a double-century at Fenner's.

Son of Sam ...is Glenn Trimble

Alok Kapali is the Test hat-trick taker

DD Hindlekar is the south asian stumper

Norman Druce was the Cambridge chap.

The Welshman didn't play tests & played his first class cricket for Yorkshire. There could be a touch of hyperbole about my claims of his ability.

I could have also mentioned Mushfiqur Rahman but I couldn't think of anything impressive to say about him.

embee wrote:Son of Sam ...is Glenn Trimble

Thanks, Embee, it is obvious. Born New Year's Day 1963. One 4 and no wickets in 2 ODIs against the Kiwis in January 1986. I came across Trimble but I didn't appreciate Wally's talent for irony. See above.