John Howarth
Encyclopedia
John Stirling Howarth is a former English
county cricket
er who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
. A right-arm fast-medium bowler
of some success, he is believed to hold the unfortunate record of most first class matches played without scoring a run
.
Howarth was born in Stockport
, Cheshire
and played for Notts in the 1966
and 1967 English cricket season
s. In 13 first class games he took 19 wickets at an average just below 34. He is, however, best known for his remarkable record of scoring no runs in this time. A career of 13 first class matches without a run is the world record. However, Howarth only batted seven innings in these matches (out of a theoretical maximum of 26, had he batted in two innings per game). In those he was dismissed
four times for a duck
, and finished not out
without scoring on three other occasions, giving him a career best score of 0*. According to Lynch, the record for most innings in a career without scoring a run appears to belong to Seymour Clark
, who played for Somerset County Cricket Club
as a wicket-keeper
and was a fair batsman in club cricket in the 1930 season
. In five matches he batted nine innings, with seven ducks and two scores of 0*.
Howarth, who also played for Minor Counties, had success in his one-day cricket
career, although he was limited to 5 List A matches spread from 1967 to the 1977 season
. He took 8 wickets at the low average of 18.12, with a strike rate
of 35 balls per wicket and an economy rate of just 3.08 runs per over
. His best bowling figures were 3/30, coincidentally identical to his first class best. Howarth also had (slightly) more success with his right-handed batting, being dismissed only twice in four innings for a total of nine runs at an average of 4.50. His highest score was 5.
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...
county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
er who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. A right-arm fast-medium bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
of some success, he is believed to hold the unfortunate record of most first class matches played without scoring a run
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
.
Howarth was born in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, 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...
and played for Notts in the 1966
1966 English cricket season
The 1966 English cricket season featured an entertaining Test series between England and West Indies. The great West Indian all-rounder Gary Sobers had an outstanding series....
and 1967 English cricket season
1967 English cricket season
The 1967 English cricket season saw a double England triumph as they won both of two home series.-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Gillette Cup - Kent*Minor Counties Championship - Cheshire...
s. In 13 first class games he took 19 wickets at an average just below 34. He is, however, best known for his remarkable record of scoring no runs in this time. A career of 13 first class matches without a run is the world record. However, Howarth only batted seven innings in these matches (out of a theoretical maximum of 26, had he batted in two innings per game). In those he was dismissed
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
four times for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
, and finished not out
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...
without scoring on three other occasions, giving him a career best score of 0*. According to Lynch, the record for most innings in a career without scoring a run appears to belong to Seymour Clark
Seymour Clark
Arthur Henry Seymour Clark, , was a first-class cricketer who played five times for Somerset in the 1930 English cricket season and set a record that appears not to have been surpassed....
, who played for Somerset County Cricket Club
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...
as a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
and was a fair batsman in club cricket in the 1930 season
1930 English cricket season
The 1930 English cricket season will always be remembered for the remarkable batting performances of Australia's Don Bradman.-Honours:*County Championship - Lancashire*Minor Counties Championship - Durham...
. In five matches he batted nine innings, with seven ducks and two scores of 0*.
Howarth, who also played for Minor Counties, had success in his one-day cricket
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...
career, although he was limited to 5 List A matches spread from 1967 to the 1977 season
1977 English cricket season
The 1977 English cricket season was played out in the aftermath of the Kerry Packer affair. Geoffrey Boycott returned to Test cricket and managed to time things so that he scored his 100th career century in the Headingley Test...
. He took 8 wickets at the low average of 18.12, with a strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
of 35 balls per wicket and an economy rate of just 3.08 runs per over
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....
. His best bowling figures were 3/30, coincidentally identical to his first class best. Howarth also had (slightly) more success with his right-handed batting, being dismissed only twice in four innings for a total of nine runs at an average of 4.50. His highest score was 5.