Never played a Test draft

[fredfertang]

Part of the reason this one was so interesting was how wide its scope was - looking at tbb's team it's crazy that no one picked up on Jack Walsh, particularly me as I managed to select Bill Alley and Cec Pepper, who were of a similar ilk - I suppose Vic Jackson is another one, and Jock Livingstone

Looking at Flametree's team highlights, imo, an even worse omission - Kevin Curran - hell of a player and I watched him for years as well

............. and my old man seriously rated Gamini Goonesena too - unlike me he was a decent cricketer, and batted against Goonesena in a club game once - said he was impossible to pick and turned it miles in both directions as well as having a top spinner that shot through dead straight and which he finally caught my Dad right in front with after he'd finished making him look like a complete novice for a couple of overs - he always reckoned he faced 13 deliveries, played at them all, but couldn't lay bat on a single one

 

[the big bambino]

Missing out on George John was a bit of a surprise for me. What a bowler. It was also a tragedy the war maimed both Foster and Massie as they would have played at least the first 2 series after WW!. Of course they were both lucky to survive and I can imagine Richie Benaud sneering at the use of the word tragedy in this circumstance.

I came close to picking West Indian Jim Allen and maybe he should get in for Langer except I never got to be awe struck in the presence of Allen I guess. Another seamer whom I've just remembered is JWA Stephenson. I suppose I could pick a touring squad and embellish my side with Allen, Chilvers, Gibson, Stephenson, McCorkell (of Hampshire) and DB Deodhar; assuming none of these men have yet been picked.

 

[AndrewB]

Just looking at Derek Lodge's England and RoW (mostly Aussies - he admits to ignorance about other countries) XIs, and it's interesting how many weren't picked here (from "Figures on the Green", published 1982 - he deliberately doesn't pick current players, including South Africans):

J Tunnicliffe
JG Langridge
PA Perrin
G Cox
HK Foster*
J Newman
CJ Kortright
D Hunter+
DJ Shepherd
G Dennett
T Wass

PH Tarilton
SC Trimble
WE Alley
FC Thompson
DK Carmody*
FA Tarrant
SG Smith
JB King
SH Sismey
JE Walsh
RJA Massie

 

[the big bambino]

Cec Thompson was a good bat but if you believe Colman's book on Eddie Gilbert a bit of a ****. Claims he tried to run out Gilbert in a game and was perhaps the worst behaved towards him generally. Then again Colman ... dunno. Bit iffy for mine.

 

[jimmy101]

Thought I'd select another XI just for fun as well.

1. Paul Nobes - Scored 15 FC centuries in the Sheffield Shield during the late 80's & early 90's & boasted an impressive average of 41.75 against some seriously strong bowling attacks.
2. Claude Tozer - Only managed seven FC games due to WWI, however, he averaged an impressive 46.72 with the bat. He made his one and only FC century against Queensland in 1919 in his first match back after the war.
3. John Lester - FC average of 33.14, he was recognised as Philadelphia's greatest batsman & formed a key partnership of 104 with Bart King to defeat Sussex in 1897; Philadelphia's first win in England. Also bowled 'right-arm slow'.
4. David Sales (c) - In 1996 aged 18 he was the youngest person ever to score a County Championship double hundred. He continued to play for Northamptonshire for 20 seasons, scoring 14,140 runs at 39.27
5. Clinton Perren - Named Sheffield Shield player of the year in 2003-04 & played a major part in Queenland's Shield final win in 2005-06 with 173 out of a record Queensland score of 6-900 dec.
6. Kevin O'Brien - The Irish hero who most famously murdered England in 2011. Kev has so far played five seasons of County cricket & averages 35.90 with the bat 30.43 with his seam bowling.
7. Thomas Odoyo - He was the heart of Kenya's pace bowling attack throughout the entirity of his career & a powerfully bulit man who hit the ball quite hard, scoring 2,420 ODI runs at 23.49 along the way.
8. Ranjit Fernando + - Took the gloves during Sri Lanka's '75 World Cup campaign & played in unoffical 'Tests' for ten years before retiring in 1979, completed 65 dismissals in 38 FC matches.
9. Jimmy Boucher - His service to Irish cricket was unrivalled in its quality and its span of 48 successive years from 1930 - 1954, he took 307 FC wickets at 15.25 with his off-breaks.
10. Victor Pascall - The maternal uncle of Learie Constantine, Pascall was regarded at the time as the best spin bowler produced by West Indies & took 171 first-class wickets at just 20.09 apiece.
11. George John - A renowned opening fast bowler from Trinidad who excelled on the 1923 West Indies tour of England, by which time he was 40, when he took 49 wickets at 19.51.

Another thing I'd love to see would be for people to select their non-Test XI's by country. Anyone want to give it a go?

 

[morgieb]

Cec Thompson was a good bat but if you believe Colman's book on Eddie Gilbert a bit of a ****. Claims he tried to run out Gilbert in a game and was perhaps the worst behaved towards him generally. Then again Colman ... dunno. Bit iffy for mine.

I find it hard to trust anyone from that era wrt claims about Gilbert. If he were white he would've played for Australia IMO.

I'll put up a lineup of unpicked players too tomorrow.....might be very left-field though so be warned.

 

[the big bambino]

Do you mean Colman specifically? He's modern journo/writer. Personally I think his book is a little biased but I enjoyed it overall.

Jimmy unearthing a gem in Boucher.