Len Maddocks
Encyclopedia
Leonard Victor Maddocks (born 24 May 1926, Beaconsfield, Victoria
) is a former Australia
n cricket
er and cricket administrator who played in 7 Tests
from 1954 to 1956. He played first class cricket for Victoria
and Tasmania
, and was trapped lbw
by Jim Laker
, as the last dismissal of ten in an innings by the latter, at Old Trafford in 1956.
Maddocks was a wicket-keeper of distinction, who despite his slight frame was very agile and capable behind the stumps. He vied with Gil Langley
for the position of Australian gloveman, replacing him when Langley was injured, although pressure from Langley, Don Tallon
and Wally Grout
, some of Australia's finest glovemen, meant he only played 7 tests.
A brother, Richard
and son, Ian, both played first-class cricket for Victoria.
His career as a cricket administrator was marred by the disastrous 3-0 loss in the 1977 Ashes tour, and the World Series Cricket
split during his managerial reign of the Australian cricket team
.
Beaconsfield, Victoria
Beaconsfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 46 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
) is a former Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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 and cricket administrator who played in 7 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...
from 1954 to 1956. He played first class cricket for Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
and 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...
, and was trapped lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
by Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
, as the last dismissal of ten in an innings by the latter, at Old Trafford in 1956.
Maddocks was a wicket-keeper of distinction, who despite his slight frame was very agile and capable behind the stumps. He vied with Gil Langley
Gil Langley
Gilbert Roche Andrews "Gil" Langley was an Australian Test cricketer, champion Australian rules footballer and member of parliament, serving as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly....
for the position of Australian gloveman, replacing him when Langley was injured, although pressure from Langley, Don Tallon
Don Tallon
Donald "Don" Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953...
and Wally Grout
Wally Grout
Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
, some of Australia's finest glovemen, meant he only played 7 tests.
A brother, Richard
Richard Maddocks
Richard Ivor Maddocks was an Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. He also played Australian rules football with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League ....
and son, Ian, both played first-class cricket for Victoria.
His career as a cricket administrator was marred by the disastrous 3-0 loss in the 1977 Ashes tour, and the World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
split during his managerial reign of the Australian cricket team
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...
.