Richard Illingworth
Encyclopedia
Richard Illingworth is an English
former cricket
er, who is currently a first-class cricket
umpire
. The bulk of his domestic cricketing career occurred with Worcestershire
, although he had a spell with Derbyshire
, and overseas with Natal. He played in nine Tests
and twenty five ODIs for England, including participating in the 1992
and 1996
Cricket World Cup
s.
, Illingworth made his first-class
debut in 1982, promoted to the Worcestershire
first team after just two Second XI appearances and taking 3-61 against Somerset
. His figures that year were fairly modest; eighteen first-class wickets cost him over 45 apiece, and he bowled just eight overs in one-day cricket
; but Worcestershire saw potential and persevered. By 1983, he was a first-team regular, taking forty eight first-class wickets, a figure he improved on (with 57) the following year. He did play one season (1988/89) in the South Africa
n Currie Cup for Natal, but otherwise played only English domestic cricket.
For most of his twenty-season county cricket
career, Illingworth remained with Worcestershire, but after he failed to win a contract extension in 2000, the last two years of his time in the first-class game were spent with Derbyshire
. He finished with 831 wickets at an average of 31.54, and more than 7,000 runs at 22.45, including four first-class centuries.
of 28.29, and he went on that winter's A team tour to Pakistan
and Sri Lanka
. The following season, a well-timed burst of 5-49 against Northants
in a May Sunday League
game helped to win him selection for the Texaco Trophy One Day International series against West Indies
a few days later. He played a crucial part in the match, allowing the tourists just 20 runs from his ten overs for the wicket of Jeff Dujon
, and then putting on an unbroken partnership of 23 with Mike Atherton
as England recorded a thrilling one-wicket victory
.
He also played in two Cricket World Cup
s, in 1992 and 1996. During the 1992 World Cup, Illingworth played in the final, giving away 50 runs in his 10 overs for the wicket of Javed Miandad
, and also catching Imran Khan
at long-on. In the same match, he had the misfortune of being the last man dismissed as England fell short in the final for the third time.
and a young Brian Lara
in the seven-wicket win at Lord's
, and also held a catch off Phil DeFreitas to remove captain Viv Richards
. Illingworth missed out on selection for the first two Test matches
, but was recalled for the Third Test at Trent Bridge
, and took the wicket of Phil Simmons
with his first ball in Test cricket
, the first bowler since Intikhab Alam
in 1959/60 to achieve this feat, and only the eleventh of all time. He also bowled Richards on his way to 3-110, but two stubborn rearguard displays with the bat (adding 42 with Robin Smith
in the first innings and 38 with DeFreitas in the second) could not prevent England sliding to a nine-wicket loss.
Illingworth retained his place for the Fourth Test at Edgbaston
, batting at number 11; this match was notable for the fact that all eleven England players had a first-class century to their name. Despite this, England were easily beaten, Illingworth going for almost five runs an over and picking up just one wicket in the match. He was dropped for The Oval
, and replaced by Phil Tufnell
. Tufnell took 6-25 in the first innings of that match to help propel England to a series-levelling win. Illingworth did not to play another Test until 1995, although he retained his one-day place for a couple of years, and did well in the 1992 World Cup
.
By 1995, Illingworth had been out of the England side for two years, but the selectors were impressed by his reliable performances for his county, and called him up for the Test series against West Indies. He played in all but the Fourth Test (for which he was replaced by John Emburey
), and although his series figures of 6-215 were not particularly outstanding, he was selected for the winter tour to South Africa
. It proved a good choice: Illingworth had his best series for England, taking nine Test wickets at an average of under 21. He also appeared four times in the 1996 World Cup
, but thereafter the selectors' preference turned decisively to Tufnell, and Illingworth never played international cricket again.
full list of first-class umpires for the 2006 English cricket season
. As at the end of the 2008 English cricket season
Illingworth had umpired 47 first-class matches. It was confirmed that he, and Richard Kettleborough
, were promoted onto the ICC International list
on 9 November 2009.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former 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 is currently a first-class cricket
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...
umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. The bulk of his domestic cricketing career occurred with 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...
, although he had a spell with Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, and overseas with Natal. He played in nine 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...
and twenty five ODIs for England, including participating in the 1992
1992 Cricket World Cup
-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
and 1996
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
s.
Playing career
Playing mainly as a left-arm spinnerSpin 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...
, Illingworth made 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...
debut in 1982, promoted to the 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...
first team after just two Second XI appearances and taking 3-61 against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
. His figures that year were fairly modest; eighteen first-class wickets cost him over 45 apiece, and he bowled just eight overs in one-day cricket
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
; but Worcestershire saw potential and persevered. By 1983, he was a first-team regular, taking forty eight first-class wickets, a figure he improved on (with 57) the following year. He did play one season (1988/89) in the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Currie Cup for Natal, but otherwise played only English domestic cricket.
For most of his twenty-season 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:...
career, Illingworth remained with Worcestershire, but after he failed to win a contract extension in 2000, the last two years of his time in the first-class game were spent with Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
. He finished with 831 wickets at an average of 31.54, and more than 7,000 runs at 22.45, including four first-class centuries.
One-Day International career
In 1990, Illingworth had his most productive year, taking 75 wickets at a bowling averageBowling 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 28.29, and he went on that winter's A team tour to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The following season, a well-timed burst of 5-49 against Northants
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 a May Sunday League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
game helped to win him selection for the Texaco Trophy One Day International series against 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,...
a few days later. He played a crucial part in the match, allowing the tourists just 20 runs from his ten overs for the wicket of Jeff Dujon
Jeff Dujon
Peter Jeffrey Leroy Dujon is a retired West Indian cricketer.He was the wicketkeeper for the West Indian cricket team of the 1980s, an athletic presence behind the stumps as well as a competent lower-order batsman....
, and then putting on an unbroken partnership of 23 with Mike Atherton
Mike Atherton
Michael Andrew Atherton OBE is a broadcaster, journalist and retired England international cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England,and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a record 54 Test matches...
as England recorded a thrilling one-wicket victory
The result in cricket
The result in a game of cricket may be a win for one of the two teams playing, a draw or a tie. In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with no result...
.
He also played in two Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
s, in 1992 and 1996. During the 1992 World Cup, Illingworth played in the final, giving away 50 runs in his 10 overs for the wicket of Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
, and also catching Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
at long-on. In the same match, he had the misfortune of being the last man dismissed as England fell short in the final for the third time.
Test career
Although his performances in the other two Texaco Trophy matches were less impressive, he did take the wickets of Richie RichardsonRichie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...
and a young Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
in the seven-wicket win at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, and also held a catch off Phil DeFreitas to remove captain Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
. Illingworth missed out on selection for the first two Test matches
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...
, but was recalled for the Third Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, and took the wicket of Phil Simmons
Phil Simmons
Philip Veraint Simmons is a former skilled all-round cricketer who played as an opening batsman a useful bowler and a talented slip fielder.-Career:...
with his first ball in Test cricket
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...
, the first bowler since Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam Khan is a retired Pakistani cricketer who played in 47 Tests and 4 ODIs from 1959 to 1977. He also played in English county cricket for Surrey between 1969 and 1981....
in 1959/60 to achieve this feat, and only the eleventh of all time. He also bowled Richards on his way to 3-110, but two stubborn rearguard displays with the bat (adding 42 with Robin Smith
Robin Smith (cricketer)
Robin Arnold Smith is a former cricketer for Hampshire and England.Smith was nicknamed Judge or Judgie for his resemblance to a judge when he grew his hair long...
in the first innings and 38 with DeFreitas in the second) could not prevent England sliding to a nine-wicket loss.
Illingworth retained his place for the Fourth Test 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...
, batting at number 11; this match was notable for the fact that all eleven England players had a first-class century to their name. Despite this, England were easily beaten, Illingworth going for almost five runs an over and picking up just one wicket in the match. He was dropped for 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...
, and replaced by Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
. Tufnell took 6-25 in the first innings of that match to help propel England to a series-levelling win. Illingworth did not to play another Test until 1995, although he retained his one-day place for a couple of years, and did well in the 1992 World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
.
By 1995, Illingworth had been out of the England side for two years, but the selectors were impressed by his reliable performances for his county, and called him up for the Test series against West Indies. He played in all but the Fourth Test (for which he was replaced by John Emburey
John Emburey
John Ernest Emburey is a former English cricketer, who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England....
), and although his series figures of 6-215 were not particularly outstanding, he was selected for the winter tour to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It proved a good choice: Illingworth had his best series for England, taking nine Test wickets at an average of under 21. He also appeared four times in the 1996 World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
, but thereafter the selectors' preference turned decisively to Tufnell, and Illingworth never played international cricket again.
Umpiring career
Illingworth was appointed to the ECBEngland and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
full list of first-class umpires for the 2006 English cricket season
2006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season includes home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England are coming off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985...
. As at the end of the 2008 English cricket season
2008 English cricket season
The 2008 season of England's county cricket saw the four regular tournaments played: The LV County Championship , Friends Provident Trophy , NatWest Pro40 League and the Twenty20 Cup...
Illingworth had umpired 47 first-class matches. It was confirmed that he, and Richard Kettleborough
Richard Kettleborough
Richard Allan Kettleborough is an English international cricket umpire, and former first-class cricketer who appeared in 33 first-class matches for Yorkshire and Middlesex...
, were promoted onto the ICC International list
International Panel of Umpires and Referees
The International Panel of ICC Umpires was established by the ICC in 1994 following trial in 1992/3, to ensure that one neutral umpire would stand in every Test match. It is made up of officials nominated from each of the ten Test playing cricket boards...
on 9 November 2009.
External links
- Player profile from CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...