Phil Slocombe
Encyclopedia
Philip Anthony Slocombe (born 6 September 1954 in Weston-super-Mare
, Somerset
) was an English cricket
er who played for Somerset
throughout his career. He was a right-handed opening batsman and right-arm medium pace
bowler. He was part of the NatWest Trophy winning team of 1983
.
debut against Sussex
in May 1975, scoring 61 not out
batting at number seven
. In only his third County Championship
match for Somerset, he made his maiden century while playing against Gloucestershire
. A further century while opening the second innings against Nottinghamshire
helped him become Somerset's first batsman to score 1,000 runs in his first full season.
Slocombe's strong performances in his debut season saw him included in DH Robins' XI tour of South Africa in 1976 that included Fred Titmus
and was captained by David Lloyd
. He played twice, against Western Province
and Eastern Province
, but only scored 27 runs. He was also part of the Marylebone Cricket Club
team that was devastated by the bowling of Paddy Clift
during the 1976 season
opener against County Champions Leicestershire
.
By the third game of the 1976 County Championship
season, Slocombe was opening the batting with Brian Rose
. He continued to open the batting for the majority of his career, forging a lasting partnership with Rose. He found it difficult to replicate his success of the 1975 season, only achieving 1,000 runs in a season once more in 1978
.
, and as patron of a country house hotel in Brittany
. He is married to Susan.
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) was an English 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 played for 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...
throughout his career. He was a right-handed opening batsman and right-arm medium pace
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...
bowler. He was part of the NatWest Trophy winning team of 1983
1983 English cricket season
The 1983 English cricket season was the scene for the third Cricket World Cup which was deservedly won by India.In Minor Counties cricket, the MCCA Knockout Trophy was inaugurated.-Honours:*County Championship - Essex*NatWest Trophy - Somerset...
.
Career
Educated at Millfield School, Slocombe was part of the Somerset Second XI team at the age of 14. He made his first-classFirst-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...
debut against Sussex
Sussex 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...
in May 1975, scoring 61 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...
batting at number seven
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
. In only his third County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match for Somerset, he made his maiden century while playing against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
. A further century while opening the second innings against Nottinghamshire
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...
helped him become Somerset's first batsman to score 1,000 runs in his first full season.
Slocombe's strong performances in his debut season saw him included in DH Robins' XI tour of South Africa in 1976 that included Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
and was captained by David Lloyd
David Lloyd (cricketer)
David Lloyd is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Lancashire and Test and One Day International cricket for England. He also played semi-professional football for Accrington Stanley...
. He played twice, against Western Province
Western Province cricket team
Western Province cricket team is the team representing Western Cape province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa. The team began playing in January 1890 and its main venue has always been Newlands in Cape Town.-Honours:...
and Eastern Province
Eastern Province cricket team
Eastern Province cricket team is the team representing the Eastern Province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa.-Honours:* Currie Cup - 1988–89, 1991–92; shared - 1989–90* Standard Bank Cup - 1989–90, 1991–92...
, but only scored 27 runs. He was also part of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone 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...
team that was devastated by the bowling of Paddy Clift
Paddy Clift
Patrick Bernard Clift was a Zimbabwean educated at St.George's College Harare and a first class cricketer for Leicestershire County Cricket Club. He was a right arm medium bowler and handy right-handed batsman...
during the 1976 season
1976 English cricket season
The 1976 English cricket season saw Clive Lloyd's new approach to Test cricket as a battery of pace bowlers was used to intimidate the England batsmen. Lloyd adopted the tactic after his own team's experiences against Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee the previous year...
opener against County Champions 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....
.
By the third game of the 1976 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
season, Slocombe was opening the batting with Brian Rose
Brian Rose (cricketer)
Brian Charles Rose is an English former cricketer, who played in nine Tests and two ODIs for England from 1977 to 1981.-Life and career:...
. He continued to open the batting for the majority of his career, forging a lasting partnership with Rose. He found it difficult to replicate his success of the 1975 season, only achieving 1,000 runs in a season once more in 1978
1978 English cricket season
The 1978 English cricket season was played amidst growing concerns about the impact of World Series Cricket. On the domestic front, Kent was the most outstanding county team despite Alan Knott and Derek Underwood having joined WSC.-Honours:...
.
Later life
Since retiring from cricket, Slocombe has worked as an antiques dealer in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and as patron of a country house hotel in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. He is married to Susan.