Phil Edmonds
Encyclopedia
Phil Edmonds is a former English
cricketer
and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive.
He was noted for his outspoken behaviour, and he could be "cussedly abrasive or engagingly charming, but he could never bring himself to conform to the fist-clenching, grim-faced trait of most professional sportsmen".
father and Belgian mother, Edmonds was educated at Gilbert Rennie High School, Lusaka, The Skinners' School
, Cranbrook School
and Fitzwilliam College
, Cambridge University.
He was a successful slow left arm spin bowler
for Cambridge University
, Middlesex
and England (for whom he played in fifty one Tests
and twenty nine ODIs from 1975 to 1987).
At county level, Edmonds' Middlesex career coincided with that of John Emburey
. The left and right arm spin combination was a powerful contribution towards Middlesex's successes in this period. They also combined at England level, although the pair often competed for the same place in the Test team. He was a controversial cricketer and well known for his outspokenness which often got him into trouble. In 1984-85, England were playing India in Calcutta, and the hosts played at a snail's pace towards an inevitable draw. Edmonds, fielding at square leg
, produced a copy of the Daily Telegraph and proceeded to read.
In 51 Test matches, Edmonds took 125 wickets at 34.18, with a batting average of 17.50.
He has been successful in business, as Chairman of Middlesex Holdings, White Nile Petroleum Company and Middlesex County Cricket Club
.
Edmonds was also the Chairman of Central African Mining & Exploration Company Plc, a company which was bought by ENRC in September 2009.
He is married to the author, Frances Edmonds, and they have a daughter.
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"....
and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive.
He was noted for his outspoken behaviour, and he could be "cussedly abrasive or engagingly charming, but he could never bring himself to conform to the fist-clenching, grim-faced trait of most professional sportsmen".
Life and career
Born to an EnglishEnglish 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...
father and Belgian mother, Edmonds was educated at Gilbert Rennie High School, Lusaka, The Skinners' School
The Skinners' School
The Skinners' School , is a British grammar school for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent...
, Cranbrook School
Cranbrook School, Kent
Cranbrook School is a co-educational boarding and day grammar school located in Cranbrook, Kent in South East England.-Brief history:Founded in 1518 for poor boys of the town, it received a charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1574. Although in 1817 the town petitioned the Master of the Rolls,...
and Fitzwilliam College
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
, Cambridge University.
He was a successful slow left arm spin bowler
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...
for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, 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...
and England (for whom he played in fifty one 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...
and twenty nine ODIs from 1975 to 1987).
At county level, Edmonds' Middlesex career coincided with that of John Emburey
John Emburey
John Ernest Emburey is a former English cricketer, who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England....
. The left and right arm spin combination was a powerful contribution towards Middlesex's successes in this period. They also combined at England level, although the pair often competed for the same place in the Test team. He was a controversial cricketer and well known for his outspokenness which often got him into trouble. In 1984-85, England were playing India in Calcutta, and the hosts played at a snail's pace towards an inevitable draw. Edmonds, fielding at square leg
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
, produced a copy of the Daily Telegraph and proceeded to read.
In 51 Test matches, Edmonds took 125 wickets at 34.18, with a batting average of 17.50.
He has been successful in business, as Chairman of Middlesex Holdings, White Nile Petroleum Company and Middlesex County Cricket Club
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...
.
Edmonds was also the Chairman of Central African Mining & Exploration Company Plc, a company which was bought by ENRC in September 2009.
He is married to the author, Frances Edmonds, and they have a daughter.