Cyril Perkins
Encyclopedia
George Cyril Perkins is a former English
cricket
er. Perkins was a right-handed batsman who bowled both slow left-arm orthodox
and left-arm medium pace
. He was born in Wollaston
, Northamptonshire
. On 4 June 2011, he became the 12th former first-class
player to reach 100 years of age, and the 4th county cricketer to do so. Perkins now holds the distinction of being the oldest living first-class cricketer in the world.
Perkins made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire
against Middlesex
in the County Championship
. He played for Northamptonshire from 1934 to 1937, a period notable in Northamptonshire's history for their astonishing winless run: the county failed to register a win in 99 first-class matches between 1935 and 1939. Perkin's made 56 first-class appearances for Northamptonshire, without ever being on the winning side. Perkins performed well with the ball during his first-class career with the county, taking 93 wickets at an average
of 35.58, claiming a five wicket haul on 5 occasions, and taking best figures of 6/54. His best figures came against Worcestershire
in 1935, a season which was by far and away his best season with the ball, with Perkins taking 63 wickets at 26.46 a piece. As a tailender, Perkins scored 560 runs with the bat, coming at a batting average
of 7.88, with a high score of 29. A handy fielder, he took 30 catches in the field. Perkins left Northamptonshire at the end of the end of the 1937 season
, having played his final match against Lancashire
at Old Trafford.
Moving to Ipswich
, he joined Minor county Suffolk
in 1939, making his debut for the county in the Minor Counties Championship against Lincolnshire
. He played throughout 1939, before the Second World War ended county cricket until 1946. During the war, he served with the Royal Artillery corps
, spending time at the end of the war in Cairo
, Egypt
. Perkins returned to playing Minor counties cricket for Suffolk following the war, which he had to balance with his work commitments as cricket coach at Ipswich School
. In 1951 came his final first-class appearance, which came for the Minor Counties cricket team against Kent
. In his final first-class match, he scored 8 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings and an unbeaten
21 in their second-innings. However, he went wicket-less with the ball and Kent won by an innings. This meant he went winless in his 57 first-class appearances, a record for the number of first-class appearances without featuring in a win. Perkins continued to play for Suffolk in the Minor Counties Championship until 1967, having by then made 105 appearances for the county. By the time of his retirement at the age of 56, he had claimed a record 779 wickets for the county, some way ahead of Colin Rutterford
's 431. Such was Perkins' accuracy as a bowler, The Daily Telegraph
reporter Simon Parry-Crooke described watching him bowl as: "he had this incredible control: he could just drop the ball on a handkerchief." Indeed, he once took 10 wickets in an innings, when playing against Hertfordshire
in 1960. He still has the match ball to this day. Perkins also made a solitary List A appearance for Suffolk at the age of 55 in the 1966 Gillette Cup
against a powerful Kent side at Ipswich School. He bowled 12 wicket-less overs
for the cost of 31 runs, while he wasn't required to bat in the Suffolk innings as Kent ran out winners by 113 runs.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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. Perkins was a right-handed batsman who bowled both slow left-arm orthodox
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
and left-arm medium pace
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
. He was born in Wollaston
Wollaston, Northamptonshire
Wollaston is a large village in the borough of Wellingborough. in Eastern Northamptonshire, England. The name is derived from the Saxon "Wulfaf's Town" - named after a Saxon chief of that name.-Wollaston Today:...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. On 4 June 2011, he became the 12th former first-class
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...
player to reach 100 years of age, and the 4th county cricketer to do so. Perkins now holds the distinction of being the oldest living first-class cricketer in the world.
Perkins made his first-class debut 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...
against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. He played for Northamptonshire from 1934 to 1937, a period notable in Northamptonshire's history for their astonishing winless run: the county failed to register a win in 99 first-class matches between 1935 and 1939. Perkin's made 56 first-class appearances for Northamptonshire, without ever being on the winning side. Perkins performed well with the ball during his first-class career with the county, taking 93 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 35.58, claiming a five wicket haul on 5 occasions, and taking best figures of 6/54. His best figures came against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
in 1935, a season which was by far and away his best season with the ball, with Perkins taking 63 wickets at 26.46 a piece. As a tailender, Perkins scored 560 runs with the bat, coming at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 7.88, with a high score of 29. A handy fielder, he took 30 catches in the field. Perkins left Northamptonshire at the end of the end of the 1937 season
1937 English cricket season
-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - Lancashire II*Wisden - Tom Goddard, Joe Hardstaff, Leonard Hutton, Jim Parks senior, Eddie Paynter-Test series:England defeated New Zealand 1-0 with two matches drawn....
, having played his final match against 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...
at Old Trafford.
Moving to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, he joined Minor county Suffolk
Suffolk County Cricket Club
Suffolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Suffolk....
in 1939, making his debut for the county in the Minor Counties Championship against Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs, which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Lincolnshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. He played throughout 1939, before the Second World War ended county cricket until 1946. During the war, he served with the Royal Artillery corps
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, spending time at the end of the war in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government unilaterally ended its protectorate over Egypt, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
. Perkins returned to playing Minor counties cricket for Suffolk following the war, which he had to balance with his work commitments as cricket coach at Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
. In 1951 came his final first-class appearance, which came for the Minor Counties cricket team against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
. In his final first-class match, he scored 8 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings and an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
21 in their second-innings. However, he went wicket-less with the ball and Kent won by an innings. This meant he went winless in his 57 first-class appearances, a record for the number of first-class appearances without featuring in a win. Perkins continued to play for Suffolk in the Minor Counties Championship until 1967, having by then made 105 appearances for the county. By the time of his retirement at the age of 56, he had claimed a record 779 wickets for the county, some way ahead of Colin Rutterford
Colin Rutterford
Colin Rutterford is a former English cricketer. Rutterford was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Lakenheath, Suffolk....
's 431. Such was Perkins' accuracy as a bowler, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reporter Simon Parry-Crooke described watching him bowl as: "he had this incredible control: he could just drop the ball on a handkerchief." Indeed, he once took 10 wickets in an innings, when playing against Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 1960. He still has the match ball to this day. Perkins also made a solitary List A appearance for Suffolk at the age of 55 in the 1966 Gillette Cup
1966 Gillette Cup
The 1966 Gillette Cup was the fourth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 28 April and 3 September 1966 . The tournament was won by Warwickshire County Cricket Club in the final at Lord's.-Format:...
against a powerful Kent side at Ipswich School. He bowled 12 wicket-less overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
for the cost of 31 runs, while he wasn't required to bat in the Suffolk innings as Kent ran out winners by 113 runs.
External links
- Cyril Perkins at ESPNcricinfo
- Cyril Perkins at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...