Rubbish players with long first class careers

[TheJediBrah]

Just looking at the averages of some of the players in the umpires list in a later Playfair:
Mervyn Kitchen: 354 matches, 15230 runs @ 26.25, 2 wickets
Barrie Leadbetter: 147 matches, 5373 runs @ 25.34, 1 wicket
David Shepherd: 282 matches, 10672 runs @ 24.47, 2 wickets
As it happens, all of them retired in 1979.

Good response, the rest in this thead have been average FC players, not terrible ones

Greg Mail played 72 matches averaging 32 for NSW as an opener. Maybe not terrible, but Sheffield shield seasons are only about 10 games long, and considering the high calibre of batsmen NSW produced back then (think he would have opened with Slater and Tubby at times) it's a little surprising he played as much as he did

Wow I forgot about him. Weird-looking bloke too and an unusual player for 00s Australia. Very slow-scoring opening batsman. Part-time keeper and bowled handy medium pacers. NSW would kill for him now though

 

[Starfighter]

Just looking at the averages of some of the players in the umpires list in a later Playfair:
Mervyn Kitchen: 354 matches, 15230 runs @ 26.25, 2 wickets
Barrie Leadbetter: 147 matches, 5373 runs @ 25.34, 1 wicket
David Shepherd: 282 matches, 10672 runs @ 24.47, 2 wickets
As it happens, all of them retired in 1979.

didn't the average 1950s Leicestershire batsman average about 20?
edit:
Gerald Smithson, 200 matches, 6940 runs at 22.67, two tests
Maurice Hallam, 504 matches, 24488 runs at 28.84
Gerry Lester, 373 matches, 12857 runs at 21.60, 307 wickets at 35.44!

This is the level of rubbishness I'm looking for. Interesting that we've only found one worse than Langridge in average so far. I remember once reading something about Illingworth supposedly forcibly displacing a couple of Leicestershire 'stalwarts'. I think one of them was Hallam, and I looked him up and thought 'are you sure you'd miss him?' Merv Kitchen had the bonus of not being a very good umpire either.

 

[Flem274*]

blair hartland

83 games to average 26 opening. bit grim on those 90s domestic decks.

 

[_Ed_]

Llorne Howell had similar stats - averaging 28.23 from 83 FC games between 1991 and 2005.

Wasn't awful in a handful of ODIs, though.

 

[Howe_zat]

I'd look at pre-war amateurs in county cricket who played because their dad was friends with the home secretary or whatever.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Charles Lyttleton played 104 matches, scored 1 ton and averaged 20. The cricinfo writeup says he was more valuable than the average suggests because he played with #intent but I'm not sure I buy it.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'd look at pre-war amateurs in county cricket who played because their dad was friends with the home secretary or whatever.

think the OP specifically wanted to exclude those but otherwise good shout

 

[ataraxia]

This guy also a good shout

 

[GIMH]

Good thread this

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Here's another one - Herbert Carpenter. 310 FC games. Batting average of 28.45 and bowling average of 44.92 (50 wickets)

Also went on to be an umpire, I believe.

 

[Starfighter]

Here's another one - Herbert Carpenter. 310 FC games. Batting average of 28.45 and bowling average of 44.92 (50 wickets)

Average of 28 before WWI definitely goes in the mediocre, David Steele sort of category rather than the rubbish.

This guy also a good shout

Definitely. I've always thought of Lancs as generally being a stronger county - anyone know what they were up to in the fifties?

 

[the big bambino]

I'd look at pre-war amateurs in county cricket who played because their dad was friends with the home secretary or whatever.

Wouldn't meet the 200 match qualification I suspect. Brian Sellers may have though.

 

[social]

If you check out the records of players during any country’s down periods, you’ll find players with incredibly average records who were picked simply because they were the best of a bad bunch

Take the period after Warne’s retirement as an example Australia picked some really average spinners like Xavier Doherty

He played 71 fc games & averaged 42.6 with the ball

Similar stuff for Beer, Casson, etc

 

[Starfighter]

Doherty definitely comes in the remit of this thread, he somehow managed to stretch his career over fourteen years.

 

[Shady Slim]

xavier doherty a bit like england

can claim to be a world cup winner without actually having won the wc final

 

[Immenso]

I have selected these two names by sheer coincidence.

Gary Stead 88 matches, 4410 @ 32. Passed 50 thirty times though with 10 tons, so must have been very boom-bust.

David White 99 matches, 4656 @ 29. Had his share of 50+ scores too.

Both played for New Zealand.

As much as I like a White pile on. Just need to look up the records of Lindsay Crocker or Russell MahWhinney (White's 1980s ND opening partners) to see that David White was not a rubbish FC player.

Well, he probably was. But a different time. By the currency of an NZ FC player on those pitches in those days, he was pretty good.

 

[Immenso]

Bob Carter was the person who immediately sprung to mind for me.

Bob Carter Profile - Cricket Player England | Stats, Records, Video

Read about Bob Carter cricket player from England profile, stats, rankings, records, videos, photos at ESPNcricinfo

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[Immenso]

And Baz's dad.

Stu McCullum.

https://archive.nzc.nz/Players/22/22420/22420.html

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Average of 28 before WWI definitely goes in the mediocre, David Steele sort of category rather than the rubbish.

Right. I hear you. And I've been digging through my Essex archives just for you. Try these ones on for size:

Graham Saville (the cousin of one GA Gooch) (1963-74) - 124 matches for Essex, 4,265 runs @ 23.05 (overall 126 matches, 4,474 @ 23.67)
Geoff Smith (1955-66) - 239 matches, 8,519 runs @ 22.30 (plus 33 wickets)
Gordon Barker (1954-71) - 444 matches, 21,895 runs @ 29.15
Dickie Dodds (1946-59) - 380 matches, 18,565 runs @28.73
Brian Ward (1967-72) 128 matches, 4,799 runs @ 23.64

And here's one that doesn't qualify for matches played... but... Mike McEvoy (1976-81) - 43 matches, 1,371 runs @ 18.78. If you include his time at Worcs, then 69 matches 2,128 @ 19.17.

Quite impressive.

 

[Starfighter]

Right. I hear you. And I've been digging through my Essex archives just for you.

I guarantee you, it ain't worth the effort.