Paul Fisher (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Paul Bernard Fisher was an English
cricketer
who played first-class cricket
for Middlesex
, Worcestershire
and Oxford University
.
He was very much a specialist wicket-keeper
, with a batting average
in single figures in both forms of the game.
Fisher was born in Edmonton
, Middlesex
.
In August 1973, aged 18, he kept wicket for Middlesex Young Cricketers against Buckinghamshire Young Amateurs at Hoovers Sports Ground, Wembley; the Middlesex side also included a 16-year-old Mike Gatting
.
Early the following year, Fisher made his first-class debut, for Oxford against Leicestershire
at The University Parks, taking a catch to dismiss opposition keeper Roger Tolchard
and scoring 14 and 15.
He played six further games for Oxford that season, ending 1974 with 13 catches.
He also played for Essex Second XI
.
In 1975, Fisher continued to play for Oxford, hitting his highest score of 42 against Warwickshire
in June,
and he was confined to appearances for the university (and, in the Benson & Hedges Cup
, for Combined Universities) until 1978.
At the end of the 1978 season, Fisher made his debut in county cricket
, playing for Middlesex against Hampshire
at Bournemouth
, though he made no dismissals. He played two County Championship
matches in 1979, holding a total of five catches.
For the 1980 season, he moved to Worcestershire, with whom he remained the following year as well, but he never managed to hold down a regular spot as keeper in the face of strong competition from David Humphries
. The last game of his career was for Worcestershire against the Australians at Worcester
in late August 1981; Fisher bowed out quietly with just one dismissal, that of Australian captain Kim Hughes
.
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...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played 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...
for Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
, 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...
and Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
.
He was very much a specialist 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...
, with a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in single figures in both forms of the game.
Fisher was born in Edmonton
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
.
In August 1973, aged 18, he kept wicket for Middlesex Young Cricketers against Buckinghamshire Young Amateurs at Hoovers Sports Ground, Wembley; the Middlesex side also included a 16-year-old Mike Gatting
Mike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
.
Early the following year, Fisher made his first-class debut, for Oxford against 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....
at The University Parks, taking a catch to dismiss opposition keeper Roger Tolchard
Roger Tolchard
Roger William Tolchard is an English former cricketer, who played in four Tests and one One Day International for England in the late 1970s.-Life and career:Tolchard was a wicket-keeper...
and scoring 14 and 15.
He played six further games for Oxford that season, ending 1974 with 13 catches.
He also played for Essex Second XI
Essex 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 1975, Fisher continued to play for Oxford, hitting his highest score of 42 against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in June,
and he was confined to appearances for the university (and, in the Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
, for Combined Universities) until 1978.
At the end of the 1978 season, Fisher made his debut in 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:...
, playing for Middlesex 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...
at Bournemouth
Dean Park Cricket Ground
Dean Park is a cricket ground in Bournemouth, England, currently used by Bournemouth University Cricket Club, as well as by and Suttoners Cricket Club....
, though he made no dismissals. He played two County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches in 1979, holding a total of five catches.
For the 1980 season, he moved to Worcestershire, with whom he remained the following year as well, but he never managed to hold down a regular spot as keeper in the face of strong competition from David Humphries
David Humphries
David John Humphries is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Leicestershire and Worcestershire, being capped by Worcestershire in 1978. He was born in Alveley, Shropshire....
. The last game of his career was for Worcestershire against the Australians at Worcester
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
in late August 1981; Fisher bowed out quietly with just one dismissal, that of Australian captain Kim Hughes
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Tests between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a "rebel" Australian team in a tour of South Africa, who at the time were subject to a sporting boycott.A right-handed...
.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...