David Hughes (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
David Paul Hughes is an English
former cricket
er. Though he never played for England
, he was a stalwart of the Lancashire
side for more than two decades, making 10,419 first-class
runs. Though he batted right-handed, he also took 655 wickets with his left-arm spin
.
Hughes was born in Newton-le-Willows
, St Helens
, Lancashire
. Making his debut in 1967, he was capped in 1970. During the 1971 Gillette Cup semi-final against Gloucestershire
on 28 July 1971, Hughes walked out to bat in with the time approaching a quarter to nine in the evening and 25 runs still needed from the five remaining overs. There was a suggestion that the umpires would have to abandon play for the day and finish the game the following morning - but Hughes hit 24 off a single over and set up a Lancashire win.
Hughes played for D. H. Robins' XI in South Africa
in 1971/72 and for Tasmania
in 1975/76 and 1976/77, and accompanied Lancashire on three overseas tours in the mid-1980s, but otherwise stayed at home; of his 447 first-class matches, only ten were not played on British soil. He was captain of Lancashire between 1987 and his retirement in 1991, and in the first of these years Lancashire finished second in the County Championship
; in 1988 Hughes was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He was given two benefit season
s, in 1981 and 1992, which raised a total of £145,000.
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...
former 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. Though he never played 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 a stalwart of the 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...
side for more than two decades, making 10,419 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...
runs. Though he batted right-handed, he also took 655 wickets with his left-arm spin
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...
.
Hughes was born in Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows is a small market town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of...
, St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, 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...
. Making his debut in 1967, he was capped in 1970. During the 1971 Gillette Cup semi-final against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
on 28 July 1971, Hughes walked out to bat in with the time approaching a quarter to nine in the evening and 25 runs still needed from the five remaining overs. There was a suggestion that the umpires would have to abandon play for the day and finish the game the following morning - but Hughes hit 24 off a single over and set up a Lancashire win.
Hughes played for D. H. Robins' XI in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1971/72 and for Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
in 1975/76 and 1976/77, and accompanied Lancashire on three overseas tours in the mid-1980s, but otherwise stayed at home; of his 447 first-class matches, only ten were not played on British soil. He was captain of Lancashire between 1987 and his retirement in 1991, and in the first of these years Lancashire finished second in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
; in 1988 Hughes was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He was given two benefit season
Benefit season
A benefit season is a method of financially rewarding professional cricketers that is used by English county cricket teams to compensate long serving players....
s, in 1981 and 1992, which raised a total of £145,000.