Buddy Oldfield
Encyclopedia
Norman 'Buddy' Oldfield (30 April 1911, Dukinfield
, Cheshire
–19 April 1996, Cleveleys
, Lancashire
) was an English
cricket
er and umpire
who played in one Test
in 1939 and later umpired in two others. Between 1935 and 1939 he played first-class cricket
for Lancashire
, before the Second World War interrupted and ended a promising start to his Test career. Oldfield changed clubs and played for Northamptonshire
between 1948 and 1954.
, a cricket journalist, to compare Oldfield's strokeplay to that of Johnny Tyldesley
. Oldfield shared in a 271 run partnership with Eddie Paynter
when Paynter scored 322 in five hours in 1937 (the innings is the third highest individual score for Lancashire). Oldfield again successfully paired up with Paynter in 1938 when they set a record of 306 for the third wicket; this record stood until 1990 when it was bettered by Michael Atherton and Neil Fairbrother
.
On 19 August 1939, Oldfield made his Test debut, aged 28, against the West Indies. He made scores of 80 and 19 in what was his only Test match. A few days after the match ended, the Second World War broke out and he did not play first-class cricket until 1948, and curtailing what could have been a long Test career. He holds the record for most runs by an England player who has played only one Test.
.
Oldfield played for two seasons in the Lancashire League before joining Northamptonshire for the 1948 season. He enjoyed playing against the team that had spurned him, scoring three centuries against Lancashire. In only his second season with Northamptonshire, Oldfield scored 2,192 runs, a record for the team. Oldfield was never given his cap
by Lancashire, but was awarded one by Northamptonshire in 1948 for his productive summer. In 1949/50, Oldfield toured India
with the Commonwealth XI
. Northamptonshire held a benefit year for Oldfield in 1953 which raised 2,728.
Despite his regret about leaving Lancashire, he was more successful for Northamptonshire, scoring 9,321 runs at 38.51 in 159 matches. After retiring from first class cricket in 1954, Oldfield became an umpire. He umpired between 1954 and 1965 and stood in two Test matches, one in 1960 and one in 1962. He returned to Old Trafford in 1968 when he became Lancashire's coach, and held the position for five years. He died on 19 April 1996.
Dukinfield
Dukinfield is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in central Tameside on the south bank of the River Tame, opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, and is east of the city of Manchester...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
–19 April 1996, Cleveleys
Cleveleys
Cleveleys is a town on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire, England, about 4 miles north of Blackpool and 2 miles south of Fleetwood...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
) was an 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 and umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
who played in one Test
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...
in 1939 and later umpired in two others. Between 1935 and 1939 he 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 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...
, before the Second World War interrupted and ended a promising start to his Test career. Oldfield changed clubs and played for Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
between 1948 and 1954.
Lancashire
Oldfield joined the Lancashire staff in 1929, but had to wait until 1935 before he could make his debut. His performance prompted Neville CardusNeville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
, a cricket journalist, to compare Oldfield's strokeplay to that of Johnny Tyldesley
Johnny Tyldesley
Johnny Tyldesley was a Lancashire and England cricketer and for many years the finest professional batsman in county cricket.-Life and career:...
. Oldfield shared in a 271 run partnership with Eddie Paynter
Eddie Paynter
Edward "Eddie" Paynter was an English cricketer: an attacking batsman and excellent fielder. His Test batting average of 59.23 is the fifth highest of all time, and second only to Herbert Sutcliffe amongst Englishmen; against Australia alone Paynter averaged an extraordinary 84.42.Born in...
when Paynter scored 322 in five hours in 1937 (the innings is the third highest individual score for Lancashire). Oldfield again successfully paired up with Paynter in 1938 when they set a record of 306 for the third wicket; this record stood until 1990 when it was bettered by Michael Atherton and Neil Fairbrother
Neil Fairbrother
Neil Fairbrother is a former English cricket player, named by his mother after her favourite player, the Australian cricketer Neil Harvey. He was educated at Lymm High School....
.
On 19 August 1939, Oldfield made his Test debut, aged 28, against the West Indies. He made scores of 80 and 19 in what was his only Test match. A few days after the match ended, the Second World War broke out and he did not play first-class cricket until 1948, and curtailing what could have been a long Test career. He holds the record for most runs by an England player who has played only one Test.
Northamptonshire
After the war ended and first-class cricket resumed, the 35-year-old Oldfield could not agree terms with Lancashire and left. In later years, he reflected that it had been a mistake to leave Lancashire. In the 151 first-class matches he played for Lancashire, Oldfield scored 7,002 runs at an average of 35.72 with 12 centuriesCentury (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
.
Oldfield played for two seasons in the Lancashire League before joining Northamptonshire for the 1948 season. He enjoyed playing against the team that had spurned him, scoring three centuries against Lancashire. In only his second season with Northamptonshire, Oldfield scored 2,192 runs, a record for the team. Oldfield was never given his cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
by Lancashire, but was awarded one by Northamptonshire in 1948 for his productive summer. In 1949/50, Oldfield toured India
Commonwealth XI cricket team in India in 1949-50
A Commonwealth XI cricket team toured India and Pakistan in the 1949-50 season and played 17 first-class matches, including five against an All-India XI....
with the Commonwealth XI
Commonwealth XI cricket team
The Commonwealth XI cricket team played over 100 first-class cricket matches from 1949 to 1968. The team started out as a side made up of mostly English, Australian and West Indian cricketers, that toured the subcontinent but later on played first-class fixtures in England...
. Northamptonshire held a benefit year for Oldfield in 1953 which raised 2,728.
Despite his regret about leaving Lancashire, he was more successful for Northamptonshire, scoring 9,321 runs at 38.51 in 159 matches. After retiring from first class cricket in 1954, Oldfield became an umpire. He umpired between 1954 and 1965 and stood in two Test matches, one in 1960 and one in 1962. He returned to Old Trafford in 1968 when he became Lancashire's coach, and held the position for five years. He died on 19 April 1996.