John Childs (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
John Henry Childs is a former English
cricket
er who played in two Tests
for England in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth
in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler
, and played his domestic cricket for Gloucestershire
and Essex
.
, extended his run-up and brought success".
He was named a Wisden
cricketer of the year in 1987, having helped Essex to the County Championship
.
Childs was England
's oldest debutant for forty one years when he was selected to play against the West Indies
at Old Trafford
in 1988. He took one wicket
for 91 runs
, dismissing Carl Hooper
lbw
and scored two runs without being out in either innings, as England fell to an innings defeat. He played one further Test in that series, at The Oval
, taking the wickets of Malcolm Marshall
and Gordon Greenidge
and being left not out without scoring in both innings, as the West Indies won by 8 wickets. He was selected to tour India
the following winter. However, that trip was cancelled on political grounds.
In July 1992, Childs, by now aged 40, was selected for the England squad again for the game at Headingley
against Pakistan
, but failed to make the final Test team.
He eventually retired from professional cricket, having played 381 first-class games and taken over 1,000 first-class wickets at under 30 apiece.
Childs currently runs the Essex
Youth Academy in Chelmsford
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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 in two 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 in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth
Dick Howorth
Dick Howorth was an English all-rounder for Worcestershire between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm spin bowler, Howorth also occasionally bowled medium pace and was a capable hard-hitting left-handed batsman...
in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, and played his domestic cricket for 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....
and Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
.
Life and career
Childs began his professional cricket career with Gloucestershire, staying there for ten seasons. He was released at the end of the 1984 season, and was taken on by Essex for the following season. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted, "A change of county at the age of 33 proved an inspired move for John Childs. Coaching at Essex, particularly from Fred TitmusFred 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...
, extended his run-up and brought success".
He was named a Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
cricketer of the year in 1987, having helped Essex to the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
.
Childs was 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...
's oldest debutant for forty one years when he was selected to play against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
in 1988. He took one wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
for 91 runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
, dismissing Carl Hooper
Carl Hooper
Carl Llewellyn Hooper is a former West Indian cricket player and captain.-Career:He was a right-handed batsman and off-spin bowler, who came to prominence in the late 1980s in a side that included such players as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh and represented...
lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
and scored two runs without being out in either innings, as England fell to an innings defeat. He played one further Test in that series, at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, taking the wickets of Malcolm Marshall
Malcolm Marshall
By 1984 Marshall was seen as one of the finest bowlers in the world, and he demoralised England that summer, especially at Headingley, where he ran through the order in the second innings to finish with 7-53, despite having broken his thumb whilst fielding in the first innings...
and Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge
Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge MBE is a former member of the West Indies cricket team.Greenidge was an opening batsman for the West Indies. He began his Test career against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in 1974 and continued playing internationally until 1991. He was half of the West...
and being left not out without scoring in both innings, as the West Indies won by 8 wickets. He was selected to tour India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
the following winter. However, that trip was cancelled on political grounds.
In July 1992, Childs, by now aged 40, was selected for the England squad again for the game at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, but failed to make the final Test team.
He eventually retired from professional cricket, having played 381 first-class games and taken over 1,000 first-class wickets at under 30 apiece.
Childs currently runs the Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
Youth Academy in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
.