Jack Birkenshaw
Encyclopedia
Jack Birkenshaw, MBE
(born 13 November 1940, Rothwell
, near Leeds
, Yorkshire
) was an English
cricket
er, who later stood as an umpire
and worked as a coach
. Cricket commentator, Colin Bateman, stated "Jack Birkenshaw was the epitome of a good all-round county cricketer: a probing off-spinner
who used flight and guile, a handy batsman who could grind it out or go for the slog, a dependable fielder and great competitor".
Birkenshaw played a single County Championship
match for Yorkshire
at the age of 17 in 1958, taking the wicket of Jim Parks
in both innings, but did not make another first-class
appearance until 1959. That year he took 40 wickets at an average
of 27.39, and also played for Minor Counties against the touring Indians
; he made a second and final Minor Counties appearance against the South Africans
the following year. In all, he played thirty games for Yorkshire, but failed to win his county cap, and in 1961 he moved on to Leicestershire
.
For a long while Birkenshaw's performances for Leicestershire were rather disappointing. In his first six years at the club he never took more than 27 wickets in a season, and he had to rely on some useful lower-order contributions with the bat to keep his place in the side. He earned a place in the history books by playing (exclusively as a batsman) in the pioneering Midlands Knock-Out Cup limited-overs
tournament in 1962. However, he was capped by the county in 1965, and greater success was lying ahead.
, and gained selection for the International XI that toured Pakistan
in the winter. 1968 proved another good season for Birkenshaw, as he again took 100 wickets, and punished Sussex again: this time with the bat as he made 101 not out. He made two more centuries the following year, but surprisingly for a man who passed fifty on 57 occasions in first-class cricket, he was to reach three figures just once more in his career. The years between 1969 and 1972 saw Birkenshaw record solid statistics, taking 69, 63, 89 and 90 wickets in successive seasons, and in 1972 he achieved his career-best bowling of 8-94 against Somerset
.
Such performances attracted the interest of the England
selectors, who had previously stuck by Ray Illingworth
as their first-choice off-spinner, and Birkenshaw was picked to go to India
and Pakistan
in 1972/73. He made 64 on debut in the fourth Test
against India
at Kanpur, and also claimed three wickets; his first victim in Test cricket was Sunil Gavaskar
. Birkenshaw retained his place for the fifth Test at Bombay
, and opened the batting in the second innings, but lost his place for the Pakistan series and played only in the third Test, taking 5-55 and sharing the second-innings wickets equally with Norman Gifford
.
Despite another decent domestic season in 1973, Birkenshaw was omitted from the England side for both series that summer (against New Zealand
and West Indies), the 41-year-old Illingworth again being the barrier to his selection. However, there was no Illingworth on the winter tour to the Caribbean
, and Birkenshaw played in the last two Tests. A total return of 2-96 and 15 runs in three innings was not enough to keep his place for the summer of 1974, and that was as far as his England career lasted.
in the Sunday League
. Oddly, these were the only wickets he took in the 11 one-day games he played that year. In 1976, Birkenshaw made his only one-day hundred, but his unbeaten 101 against Hampshire
in the second round of the Gillette Cup failed to win the game, Leicestershire falling short of their target by three runs.
Birkenshaw finished with Leicestershire in 1980, but had one final season in the game with Worcestershire
. In his penultimate match he made 32 and 54 against the Australian
tourists, and his final first-class match came in late July 1981 against Northamptonshire
. The first wicket of his first-class career had been that of a famous Test player, and with a pleasing symmetry the last was to be too: Kapil Dev
, caught behind for 79. This match was also notable for being the first first-class game to be held at Stourbridge
for 19 years; it also remained the last.
After retirement, Birkenshaw became an umpire
, standing in over 250 matches from 1982 to 1988 including two Tests and six One Day Internationals, four of the latter being at the 1983 World Cup
. His last game as an umpire was the Refuge Assurance Cup final in September 1988. He later returned to his old county of Leicestershire in the capacity of coach, after a similar spell at Somerset.
Birkenshaw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours
for services to cricket.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 13 November 1940, Rothwell
Rothwell, West Yorkshire
Rothwell is a market town on the River Dolphin in the south east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, situated between Oulton to the east, Belle Isle to the west, Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. Swillington, Methley and Kippax are located...
, near Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
) 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, who later stood as an 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...
and worked as a coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. Cricket commentator, Colin Bateman, stated "Jack Birkenshaw was the epitome of a good all-round county cricketer: a probing off-spinner
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
who used flight and guile, a handy batsman who could grind it out or go for the slog, a dependable fielder and great competitor".
Lean times at Yorkshire and Leicestershire
Birkenshaw attended John Lawrence cricket school at Rothwell from the age of seven, and when aged 14 he appeared for Rothwell Grammar School and Yorkshire Schools. He was also a stand-off in the school rugby team. He played cricket for Lofthouse, Farsley and Leeds.Birkenshaw played a single County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match for 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....
at the age of 17 in 1958, taking the wicket of Jim Parks
Jim Parks junior
Jim Parks is an English former cricketer. He played in forty six Tests for England, between 1954 and 1968...
in both innings, but did not make another 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...
appearance until 1959. That year he took 40 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 27.39, and also played for Minor Counties against the touring Indians
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
; he made a second and final Minor Counties appearance against the South Africans
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
the following year. In all, he played thirty games for Yorkshire, but failed to win his county cap, and in 1961 he moved on to Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
.
For a long while Birkenshaw's performances for Leicestershire were rather disappointing. In his first six years at the club he never took more than 27 wickets in a season, and he had to rely on some useful lower-order contributions with the bat to keep his place in the side. He earned a place in the history books by playing (exclusively as a batsman) in the pioneering Midlands Knock-Out Cup limited-overs
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
tournament in 1962. However, he was capped by the county in 1965, and greater success was lying ahead.
Breakthrough and England recognition
In 1967, Birkenshaw took 111 wickets - in the previous six seasons combined he had managed 102 in total - at an average of only 21.41. He took five in an innings on five occasions, including 7-86 against SussexSussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, and gained selection for the International XI that toured 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 the winter. 1968 proved another good season for Birkenshaw, as he again took 100 wickets, and punished Sussex again: this time with the bat as he made 101 not out. He made two more centuries the following year, but surprisingly for a man who passed fifty on 57 occasions in first-class cricket, he was to reach three figures just once more in his career. The years between 1969 and 1972 saw Birkenshaw record solid statistics, taking 69, 63, 89 and 90 wickets in successive seasons, and in 1972 he achieved his career-best bowling of 8-94 against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
.
Such performances attracted the interest of the 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...
selectors, who had previously stuck by Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
as their first-choice off-spinner, and Birkenshaw was picked to go 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 1972/73. He made 64 on debut in the fourth 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...
against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
at Kanpur, and also claimed three wickets; his first victim in Test cricket was Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
. Birkenshaw retained his place for the fifth Test at Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, and opened the batting in the second innings, but lost his place for the Pakistan series and played only in the third Test, taking 5-55 and sharing the second-innings wickets equally with Norman Gifford
Norman Gifford
Norman Gifford was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner...
.
Despite another decent domestic season in 1973, Birkenshaw was omitted from the England side for both series that summer (against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
and West Indies), the 41-year-old Illingworth again being the barrier to his selection. However, there was no Illingworth on the winter tour to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and Birkenshaw played in the last two Tests. A total return of 2-96 and 15 runs in three innings was not enough to keep his place for the summer of 1974, and that was as far as his England career lasted.
Later career and retirement
He played on for Leicestershire for a number of years, in 1975 making his fourth and final first-class hundred, and recording his best bowling figures in one-day cricket, taking 5-20 against EssexEssex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
in the Sunday League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
. Oddly, these were the only wickets he took in the 11 one-day games he played that year. In 1976, Birkenshaw made his only one-day hundred, but his unbeaten 101 against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in the second round of the Gillette Cup failed to win the game, Leicestershire falling short of their target by three runs.
Birkenshaw finished with Leicestershire in 1980, but had one final season in the game with 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 his penultimate match he made 32 and 54 against the Australian
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
tourists, and his final first-class match came in late July 1981 against 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...
. The first wicket of his first-class career had been that of a famous Test player, and with a pleasing symmetry the last was to be too: Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
, caught behind for 79. This match was also notable for being the first first-class game to be held at Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
for 19 years; it also remained the last.
After retirement, Birkenshaw became an 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...
, standing in over 250 matches from 1982 to 1988 including two Tests and six One Day Internationals, four of the latter being at the 1983 World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
. His last game as an umpire was the Refuge Assurance Cup final in September 1988. He later returned to his old county of Leicestershire in the capacity of coach, after a similar spell at Somerset.
Birkenshaw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
for services to cricket.
English county
- LeicestershireLeicestershire County Cricket ClubLeicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
- WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire 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...
- YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire 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....
Other first-class
- Duke of NorfolkDuke of NorfolkThe Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
's XI - International XI
- MCCMarylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
- Minor Counties
- MCC President's XI
- Rest of England
Tests
- Test debut: v IndiaIndian cricket teamThe Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, Kanpur, 1972/73 - Last Test: v West Indies, Port of SpainPort of SpainPort of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, 1973/74- Highest score: 64 v India, Kanpur, 1972/73
- Best bowling: 5-57 v PakistanPakistani cricket teamThe Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, 1972/73
First-class
- First-class debut: YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire 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....
v SussexSussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, WorthingWorthingWorthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, 1958 - Last first-class match: WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire 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...
v NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket ClubNorthamptonshire 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...
, StourbridgeStourbridgeStourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, 1982- Highest score: 131 for LeicestershireLeicestershire County Cricket ClubLeicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
v SurreySurrey County Cricket ClubSurrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, GuildfordGuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, 1969 - Best bowling: 8-94 for Leicestershire v SomersetSomerset County Cricket ClubSomerset 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 Somerset...
, TauntonTauntonTaunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, 1972
- Highest score: 131 for Leicestershire
List A limited overs
- List A debut: Leicestershire v Northamptonshire, LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, 1964 - Last List A match: Worcestershire v Warwickshire, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 1981- Highest score: 101* for Leicestershire v Hampshire, Leicester, 1976
- Best bowling: 5-20 for Leicestershire v EssexEssex County Cricket ClubEssex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, Leicester, 1975