Tom Graveney
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Graveney (born 16 June 1927) in Riding Mill
, Northumberland
, is a former English
cricket
er and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School
. Graveney played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
(Captain 1959–1960), Worcestershire County Cricket Club
(Captain 1968–1970), Queensland and England in 79 Tests and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1953. Graveney captained England on one occasion, standing in for Colin Cowdrey
in the drawn fourth Test match
against the Australians
at Headingley
in 1968. He is also the uncle of the former England chairman of selectors, David Graveney
, and the brother of Ken Graveney
.
after the Second World War, Graveney joined Worcestershire
in 1961 after he was replaced as captain. He left county cricket after the 1970 season but made a handful of appearances for Queensland, where he acted as coach.
Graveney was a regular Test cricketer throughout the 1950s. He appeared in at least one match in every home Test series from 1951 until 1958 as well as touring Australia three times (1954–55, 1958–59, 1962–63) and the West Indies twice (1953–54 and 1967–68). In 1954–55 he topped the England batting averages (44.00) and served as a makeshift opener in the final Test when Ian Johnson
put England in to bat. Graveney made 111 in two and a half hours and few captains have been more gracefully rebuffed. In addition he visited Pakistan in 1968–69 as vice captain, having been there as part of the lengthy Indian tour in 1951–52. Regaining his place after a three-year absence in the second (Lord's) Test Match of 1966, Graveney finally left international cricket after playing a benefit match on the rest day of the First Test against the West Indies in 1969, when he scored 75. He was then suspended for this breach of regulations and did not play again.
Graveney enjoyed his most successful cricket after 1960. Dominating performances in India and at home against the 1957 West Indians when he made 258 at Trent Bridge contrasted with averages under 40 in eight out of thirteen series. In only two did he average over 50, but from 1962 he bettered 50 in five out of nine series and averaged at least 40 in two others. Graveney's play was dominated by strong front foot strokes, but he had enough technique against the quick bowlers to open the England batting regularly in the early part of his career. He passed 1000 runs in a season on twenty occasions, making more than 2000 six times. In 1964 he scored his hundredth hundred (the first player to do so since the Second World War) and in all scored 47,793 runs, as well as being a useful wrist spinner. He captained Gloucestershire in 1959 and 1960, and led Worcestershire from 1968 until he retired in 1970.
On 9 July 2009, Tom Graveney was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Riding Mill
Riding Mill is a village near Hexham in Northumberland, England. It is served by Riding Mill railway station and by a frequent bus service on the route from Hexham to Newcastle.Riding Mill is notable as the location of Riding Mill pumping station...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, is a former English
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...
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 and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England. The school was founded in 1532 by two brothers, Robert and Nicholas Thorne....
. Graveney played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
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....
(Captain 1959–1960), Worcestershire County Cricket Club
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...
(Captain 1968–1970), Queensland and England in 79 Tests and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1953. Graveney captained England on one occasion, standing in for Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
in the drawn fourth Test match
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...
against the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
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 ....
in 1968. He is also the uncle of the former England chairman of selectors, David Graveney
David Graveney
David Anthony Graveney OBE is a leading figure in English cricket and former chairman of the England Test selectors, a post he held from 1997 until 2008. Graveney attended Millfield School in Somerset....
, and the brother of Ken Graveney
Ken Graveney
John Kenneth Richard Graveney was an English cricketer who played for and captained Gloucestershire.Ken Graveney was a lower order left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler of outswingers...
.
Career
An elegant batsman, Graveney was among the leading players of his generation. Beginning his career with GloucestershireGloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
after the Second World War, Graveney joined Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in 1961 after he was replaced as captain. He left county cricket after the 1970 season but made a handful of appearances for Queensland, where he acted as coach.
Graveney was a regular Test cricketer throughout the 1950s. He appeared in at least one match in every home Test series from 1951 until 1958 as well as touring Australia three times (1954–55, 1958–59, 1962–63) and the West Indies twice (1953–54 and 1967–68). In 1954–55 he topped the England batting averages (44.00) and served as a makeshift opener in the final Test when Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson (cricketer)
Ian William Geddes Johnson CBE was an Australian cricketer who played 45 Test matches as a slow off-break bowler between 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Test wickets at an average of 29.19 runs per wicket and as a lower order batsman made 1,000 runs at an average of...
put England in to bat. Graveney made 111 in two and a half hours and few captains have been more gracefully rebuffed. In addition he visited Pakistan in 1968–69 as vice captain, having been there as part of the lengthy Indian tour in 1951–52. Regaining his place after a three-year absence in the second (Lord's) Test Match of 1966, Graveney finally left international cricket after playing a benefit match on the rest day of the First Test against the West Indies in 1969, when he scored 75. He was then suspended for this breach of regulations and did not play again.
Graveney enjoyed his most successful cricket after 1960. Dominating performances in India and at home against the 1957 West Indians when he made 258 at Trent Bridge contrasted with averages under 40 in eight out of thirteen series. In only two did he average over 50, but from 1962 he bettered 50 in five out of nine series and averaged at least 40 in two others. Graveney's play was dominated by strong front foot strokes, but he had enough technique against the quick bowlers to open the England batting regularly in the early part of his career. He passed 1000 runs in a season on twenty occasions, making more than 2000 six times. In 1964 he scored his hundredth hundred (the first player to do so since the Second World War) and in all scored 47,793 runs, as well as being a useful wrist spinner. He captained Gloucestershire in 1959 and 1960, and led Worcestershire from 1968 until he retired in 1970.
On 9 July 2009, Tom Graveney was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
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