Robert Coombs (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Vincent Jerome Coombs (born 20 July 1959) played first-class
cricket
for Somerset
in 1985 and 1986. He was born at Barnet
, Hertfordshire
.
Coombs was a tall left-arm orthodox spin bowler and a tail-end right-handed batsman. Educated at Exeter University, he had played Minor Counties cricket for Dorset
and second eleven cricket for Hampshire
before arriving at Somerset in 1985. Brought into the first-team late in an unexpectedly poor season for the county side, Coombs made an immediate impact, taking the first five Middlesex
wickets to fall in a rain-ruined match at Weston-super-Mare
at a cost of 58 runs. In a soggy end to the 1985 season, Coombs bowled in only three further first-class innings spread across three rain-affected matches, but he took 11 further wickets in those and his 16 wickets at an average
of 16.75 put him at the top of Somerset's bowling for the season. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
noted approvingly his "good bowling action and attacking bent". More frequent games in 1986, however, brought little success and the bowling figures from his first match remained the best of his short first-class career. In 1987, he was back playing Minor Counties cricket for Dorset and remained there until 1990. He did not play any List A 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...
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...
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...
in 1985 and 1986. He was born at Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
Coombs was a tall left-arm orthodox spin bowler and a tail-end right-handed batsman. Educated at Exeter University, he had played Minor Counties cricket for Dorset
Dorset County Cricket Club
Dorset County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Dorset and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
and second eleven cricket for 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...
before arriving at Somerset in 1985. Brought into the first-team late in an unexpectedly poor season for the county side, Coombs made an immediate impact, taking the first five 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...
wickets to fall in a rain-ruined match at Weston-super-Mare
Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare
Clarence Park was given to the town of Weston-super-Mare by Rebecca Davies in memory of her husband. The cricket pavilion at the park dates from 1882. A multitude of sports have been played at the park, including cricket. The ground is owned by the local council. It is currently used by...
at a cost of 58 runs. In a soggy end to the 1985 season, Coombs bowled in only three further first-class innings spread across three rain-affected matches, but he took 11 further wickets in those and his 16 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 16.75 put him at the top of Somerset's bowling for the season. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
noted approvingly his "good bowling action and attacking bent". More frequent games in 1986, however, brought little success and the bowling figures from his first match remained the best of his short first-class career. In 1987, he was back playing Minor Counties cricket for Dorset and remained there until 1990. He did not play any List A cricket.