John Fox (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
John Fox was an English
cricketer
who played 140 first-class
matches between the wars
, 46 for Warwickshire
and 94 for Worcestershire
.
Fox made his first-class debut for Warwickshire against Worcestershire at Amblecote
in June 1922. In a 223-run Warwickshire win, he made 21 in his only innings and bowled two overs without reward. He then appeared in the extraordinary game against Hampshire
at Edgbaston
in which Hampshire, having been bowled out for 15, made 521 following on and won by 155 runs.
Fox's personal contribution to the match was minimal, although he did take his maiden first-class wicket, that of William Shirley
.
Fox played a few more times that season without notable success, and continued to appear sporadically for the next few summers. Although he took a career-best 4-27 against Worcestershire in 1926, it was only the following year that he started to play more regularly, appearing 18 times. He had a terrible season, however, claiming just four wickets at a woeful bowling average
of 81.50, while his batting average
was pushed above 20 only because of nine not out
s in 17 innings. He did play two more games for Warwickshire in 1928, but after that he took the short journey to New Road
to play for Worcestershire.
1929, Fox's first season with his new county, was something of a mixed bag: his tally of 505 runs was higher than the aggregate of his career up to that point, and although he averaged only 15.78, he did hit 60 and 19 opening the batting
against Glamorgan
in late July. His bowling, however, was again unproductive: four wickets at 71. This, however, was followed by unquestionably the best season of Fox's career: in 1930 he scored 861 runs at 22.65 and took 16 wickets at 28.37.
After this, Fox's career gradually declined. Although he was still capable of useful scores, such as the career-best 73 he made against Northamptonshire
in May 1931, these were never very frequent and for the last three years of his career he struggled to push his batting average beyond the low teens. Nor could his bowling rescue him: he never again took more than five wickets in a season, and at an average of around 50 runs apiece he was simply too expensive.
Fox played his last first-class match at the end of 1933, against Yorkshire
. In a drawn game he made 19 in his only innings and took the single wicket of Arthur Wood.
He was born in Selly Park
, Birmingham
; he also died in Birmingham, aged 57.
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...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played 140 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...
matches between the wars
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, 46 for Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
and 94 for Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
.
Fox made his first-class debut for Warwickshire against Worcestershire at Amblecote
War Memorial Athletic Ground
The War Memorial Athletic Ground, often referred to as simply the War Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in the Amblecote region of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England...
in June 1922. In a 223-run Warwickshire win, he made 21 in his only innings and bowled two overs without reward. He then appeared in the extraordinary game against 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...
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
in which Hampshire, having been bowled out for 15, made 521 following on and won by 155 runs.
Fox's personal contribution to the match was minimal, although he did take his maiden first-class wicket, that of William Shirley
William Shirley (cricketer)
William Robert de la Cour Shirley was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he played first-class cricket between 1922 and 1925, primarily for Hampshire...
.
Fox played a few more times that season without notable success, and continued to appear sporadically for the next few summers. Although he took a career-best 4-27 against Worcestershire in 1926, it was only the following year that he started to play more regularly, appearing 18 times. He had a terrible season, however, claiming just four wickets at a woeful bowling 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 81.50, while his batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
was pushed above 20 only because of nine not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
s in 17 innings. He did play two more games for Warwickshire in 1928, but after that he took the short journey to New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
to play for Worcestershire.
1929, Fox's first season with his new county, was something of a mixed bag: his tally of 505 runs was higher than the aggregate of his career up to that point, and although he averaged only 15.78, he did hit 60 and 19 opening the batting
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
against 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...
in late July. His bowling, however, was again unproductive: four wickets at 71. This, however, was followed by unquestionably the best season of Fox's career: in 1930 he scored 861 runs at 22.65 and took 16 wickets at 28.37.
After this, Fox's career gradually declined. Although he was still capable of useful scores, such as the career-best 73 he made against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
in May 1931, these were never very frequent and for the last three years of his career he struggled to push his batting average beyond the low teens. Nor could his bowling rescue him: he never again took more than five wickets in a season, and at an average of around 50 runs apiece he was simply too expensive.
Fox played his last first-class match at the end of 1933, against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. In a drawn game he made 19 in his only innings and took the single wicket of Arthur Wood.
He was born in Selly Park
Selly Park
Selly Park is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb of Selly Park is located between the Bristol Road and the Pershore Road .-Toponymy:...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
; he also died in Birmingham, aged 57.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...