Jeff Jones (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Jeff Jones is a former Welsh
cricket
er, who took forty-four wickets in fifteen Tests
for England
from 1964 to 1968.
Cricket writer, Colin Bateman remarked, "South Wales is hardly renowned for fast bowlers but in 1960 a powerfully built left-armer joined the Glamorgan
staff and caused undiluted excitement. Unassuming and popular, Jeff Jones introduced a destructive force into Glamorgan's cricket it had never seen before".
who, early in his career in 1965, took eight wickets for no runs against Leicestershire
at Grace Road. The consensus was that there was no faster bowler in county cricket
at that point in time. His wickets did not always come cheaply, as Jones was prone to be erratic at times, but at his best he was a handful for any batsman then playing the game.
In the 1965-66 Ashes series he was Englnad's top wicket taker, with 15 (35.53) and taking 6/118 in the Fourth Test. He made his hightest Test score of 16 in the Third Test, adding 55 for the last wicket with David Allen
and thus doubling in one innings the 8 runs he had made in an entire series in South Africa in 1964-65. His most famous moment came in Georgetown
, Guyana
in 1967/8 when, batting at number eleven, he played out the entire last over of the match bowled by Lance Gibbs
, to ensure that England escaped from the match with a draw, to secure a 1-0 series win over the West Indies. This was to be his last Test, and his first-class
career also finished in 1968, after an elbow injury ended his time prematurely at the age of 26. He left cricket to find an occupation in brewing
.
His son, Simon Jones
, has also played Test cricket for England.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
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 took forty-four wickets in fifteen 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...
for England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
from 1964 to 1968.
Cricket writer, Colin Bateman remarked, "South Wales is hardly renowned for fast bowlers but in 1960 a powerfully built left-armer joined the Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
staff and caused undiluted excitement. Unassuming and popular, Jeff Jones introduced a destructive force into Glamorgan's cricket it had never seen before".
Life and career
Jones was primarily a left-arm fast bowlerFast 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...
who, early in his career in 1965, took eight wickets for no runs against 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....
at Grace Road. The consensus was that there was no faster bowler in county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
at that point in time. His wickets did not always come cheaply, as Jones was prone to be erratic at times, but at his best he was a handful for any batsman then playing the game.
In the 1965-66 Ashes series he was Englnad's top wicket taker, with 15 (35.53) and taking 6/118 in the Fourth Test. He made his hightest Test score of 16 in the Third Test, adding 55 for the last wicket with David Allen
David Allen (cricketer)
David Arthur Allen is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England.-Life and career:...
and thus doubling in one innings the 8 runs he had made in an entire series in South Africa in 1964-65. His most famous moment came in Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
in 1967/8 when, batting at number eleven, he played out the entire last over of the match bowled by Lance Gibbs
Lance Gibbs
Lancelot Richard Gibbs is a former West Indies cricketer, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history. He took 309 Test wickets, only the second player to pass 300, the first spinner to pass that milestone, and had an exceptional economy rate of under two runs per over...
, to ensure that England escaped from the match with a draw, to secure a 1-0 series win over the West Indies. This was to be his last Test, and his first-class
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...
career also finished in 1968, after an elbow injury ended his time prematurely at the age of 26. He left cricket to find an occupation in brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
.
His son, Simon Jones
Simon Jones (cricketer)
Simon Philip Jones MBE is a Welsh cricketer, who played internationally for England. Formerly playing his county cricket for Glamorgan County Cricket Club and then Worcestershire before moving in September 2009 to Hampshire. He is currently on a month's loan with his first county, Glamorgan...
, has also played Test cricket for England.