Bob Barber
Encyclopedia
Robert William Barber (born 26 September 1935, Withington
, Manchester
) is a former English
cricket
er who played first-class cricket
for Cambridge University
, Lancashire
and Warwickshire
from 1954
to 1969
. He also played 28 Test match
es for England
. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1967
.
An outstanding schoolboy cricketer, Barber initially struggled to gain a place whilst at Cambridge after making his debut in 1955. Scoring 1000 runs for the first time in 1959, Barber was made captain of Lancashire.
Hampered by an intrusive committee and hostile crowd, Barber was perceived as not making the best of his own abilities, particularly as a leg spinner. However in a team boasting Test leg spinner Tommy Greenhough
and useful allrounders in Grieves and Booth, both of whom were wrist spinners, Barber found it difficult to earn a place. He was replaced by Joe Blackledge
in 1962, who met with no greater success as the county fell apart and endured a difficult season. Joining Warwickshire Barber was encouraged to play his shots and began to play regularly for England as an opening batsman. His greatest innings, and his only Test century, was made in the Third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground
in 1965-66. He made 185 off 255 balls and added 234 in even time with Geoff Boycott for the first wicket. It remains the highest score by an Englishman on the opening day of an Ashes Test. E.W. Swanton wrote;
In 1969 he retired from county cricket although he appeared in the John Player League until 1971. Prominent in the early years of the Gillette Cup, he made little impression in the 40 over game. After retiring from cricket, Barber went into business and lives in Switzerland
.
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) is a former English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
from 1954
1954 English cricket season
Pakistan toured England for the first time in the 1954 English cricket season and drew the series of four Test matches.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey*Minor Counties Championship - Surrey II...
to 1969
1969 English cricket season
The 1969 English cricket season saw the inauguration of the Sunday League , sponsored by the John Player tobacco company. All matches were played on Sundays with each of the 17 first-class counties playing each other once. They were of 40 overs a side...
. He also played 28 Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
es for England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
. He was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1967
1967 English cricket season
The 1967 English cricket season saw a double England triumph as they won both of two home series.-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Gillette Cup - Kent*Minor Counties Championship - Cheshire...
.
An outstanding schoolboy cricketer, Barber initially struggled to gain a place whilst at Cambridge after making his debut in 1955. Scoring 1000 runs for the first time in 1959, Barber was made captain of Lancashire.
Hampered by an intrusive committee and hostile crowd, Barber was perceived as not making the best of his own abilities, particularly as a leg spinner. However in a team boasting Test leg spinner Tommy Greenhough
Tommy Greenhough
Thomas "Tommy" Greenhough was an English cricketer, who represented Lancashire during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as playing four Tests for England....
and useful allrounders in Grieves and Booth, both of whom were wrist spinners, Barber found it difficult to earn a place. He was replaced by Joe Blackledge
Joe Blackledge
Joe Blackledge was a first class cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club . He played for just one season -1962- captaining the team as an amateur in the year before the players and gentlemen distinction was formally abolished.A fine all-round spotsman at Repton, he joined the Army...
in 1962, who met with no greater success as the county fell apart and endured a difficult season. Joining Warwickshire Barber was encouraged to play his shots and began to play regularly for England as an opening batsman. His greatest innings, and his only Test century, was made in the Third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
in 1965-66. He made 185 off 255 balls and added 234 in even time with Geoff Boycott for the first wicket. It remains the highest score by an Englishman on the opening day of an Ashes Test. E.W. Swanton wrote;
Often in bleak moments do I cast back to Bob Barber's 185 in front of 40,000 on that sunny Friday in January 66. He batted without chance for five hours, starting decorously enough and then hitting the ball progressively harder and with a superb distain to every corner of the field. One recalls the exceptional vigour of his driving and how he brought his wrists into the cut, making room for the stroke. It made blissful watching to English eyes – to one pair in particular, for by a wonderful chance father Barber had flown in from home that very day.
In 1969 he retired from county cricket although he appeared in the John Player League until 1971. Prominent in the early years of the Gillette Cup, he made little impression in the 40 over game. After retiring from cricket, Barber went into business and lives in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
External links
- Player Profile: Bob Barber from Cricket Archive