Geoff Pullar
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Pullar was an English
cricket
er, who played for Lancashire
, Gloucestershire
and in twenty eight Tests
for England.
His affectionate nickname
was 'Noddy', after the Enid Blyton
character his team-mates once spied him viewing on the television.
He was, however, a skilled batsman, rarely lifting the ball off the surface while driving elegantly and adept at accumulating by flicking the ball off his toes towards fine leg. Preferring to play off the front foot, Pullar was also a good puller of the ball and could crack a square cut. In his younger days he had been compared to Charlie Hallows
and Eddie Paynter
, two of Lancashire's crowd pleasing greats - he had the artistry of the former and the pugnacious aggression and watchful determination of the latter. Unlike most left-handers, Pullar was rarely guilty of flashing outside the off stump and showed excellent judgement.
Cricket Club, which was close to where he went to school in Oldham
, and while there he showed equal talent as a leg break bowler as well as with his batting - but with Tommy Greenhough
, Bob Barber
and Sonny Ramadhin
variously based at Old Trafford, Pullar's bowling was rarely called upon in first-class cricket
.
Originally a middle order
batsman, the left-handed Pullar was tried as an opener
in Test matches
against India in 1959, and was an instant success, scoring 75 at Headingley
, and 131 at Old Trafford, the first ever Test century by a Lancastrian at the ground. He then became a fixture in the England side for four years, making four centuries in all and averaging more than 43. Pullar did well against South Africa at home series of 1960, following a solid winter tour of the West Indies
where he played in all five tests against a bowling attack including Wes Hall
, Garfield Sobers
and Charlie Griffith
who had his debut in the fifth test. He had a good tour to India
and Pakistan
in 1961-62, and topped the batting averages despite bagging a pair in the first Test in Pakistan. His highest Test score was 175 against the South Africans at The Oval
in 1960, when he put on 290 for the first wicket with Colin Cowdrey
. He had modest success against the Australians in 1961, when Davidson snared him five times, and Pullar only played twice against Pakistan in England in 1962, scoring only 27 runs in two knocks while others, notably Peter Parfitt
, scored freely against a moderate attack. After the tour to Australia in 1962-63, during which he fell ill with pleurisy
, Pullar lost his England place and never regained it.
After some years of declining success for Lancashire, he joined Gloucestershire in 1969, and topped the county's batting averages in his first season. But arthritis
in his knees forced his retirement after just six matches the following year.
Pullar was elected Young Cricketer of the Year in 1959 by the Cricket Writers' Association (a year in which he scored three tons against the champions, Yorkshire
) and he was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1960. He also won a junior England cap for table tennis
.
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, who played 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...
, 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....
and in twenty eight Tests
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...
for England.
His affectionate nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
was 'Noddy', after the Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
character his team-mates once spied him viewing on the television.
He was, however, a skilled batsman, rarely lifting the ball off the surface while driving elegantly and adept at accumulating by flicking the ball off his toes towards fine leg. Preferring to play off the front foot, Pullar was also a good puller of the ball and could crack a square cut. In his younger days he had been compared to Charlie Hallows
Charlie Hallows
Charles Hallows was a cricketer who played for Lancashire and England....
and 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...
, two of Lancashire's crowd pleasing greats - he had the artistry of the former and the pugnacious aggression and watchful determination of the latter. Unlike most left-handers, Pullar was rarely guilty of flashing outside the off stump and showed excellent judgement.
Life and career
He was a product of WernethWerneth, Greater Manchester
Werneth is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-southwest of Oldham's commercial centre and one of Oldham's most ancient localities.-History:...
Cricket Club, which was close to where he went to school in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, and while there he showed equal talent as a leg break bowler as well as with his batting - but with 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....
, Bob Barber
Bob Barber
Robert William Barber is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, Lancashire and Warwickshire from 1954 to 1969. He also played 28 Test matches for England...
and Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
variously based at Old Trafford, Pullar's bowling was rarely called upon in 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...
.
Originally a middle order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
batsman, the left-handed Pullar was tried as an opener
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
in Test matches
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...
against India in 1959, and was an instant success, scoring 75 at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, and 131 at Old Trafford, the first ever Test century by a Lancastrian at the ground. He then became a fixture in the England side for four years, making four centuries in all and averaging more than 43. Pullar did well against South Africa at home series of 1960, following a solid winter tour of the West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
where he played in all five tests against a bowling attack including Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
, Garfield Sobers
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO, OCC is a former cricketer who captained West Indies. His first name of Garfield is variously abbreviated as Gary or Garry. He is widely regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever all-rounders, having excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and...
and Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
who had his debut in the fifth test. He had a good tour to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1961-62, and topped the batting averages despite bagging a pair in the first Test in Pakistan. His highest Test score was 175 against the South Africans at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in 1960, when he put on 290 for the first wicket with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
. He had modest success against the Australians in 1961, when Davidson snared him five times, and Pullar only played twice against Pakistan in England in 1962, scoring only 27 runs in two knocks while others, notably Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt is an English former cricketer. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk....
, scored freely against a moderate attack. After the tour to Australia in 1962-63, during which he fell ill with pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
, Pullar lost his England place and never regained it.
After some years of declining success for Lancashire, he joined Gloucestershire in 1969, and topped the county's batting averages in his first season. But arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
in his knees forced his retirement after just six matches the following year.
Pullar was elected Young Cricketer of the Year in 1959 by the Cricket Writers' Association (a year in which he scored three tons against the champions, Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
) and he was one of the 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 1960. He also won a junior England cap for table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
.