Ian Buxton Explained

Ian Buxton
Fullname:Ian Ray Buxton
Birth Date:17 April 1938
Birth Place:Cromford, England
Death Place:Matlock, England
Position:Inside-forward
Years1:1959–1967
Caps1:145
Goals1:41
Years2:1967–1969
Clubs2:Luton Town
Caps2:48
Goals2:14
Years3:1969
Caps3:5
Goals3:1
Years4:1969–1970
Clubs4:Port Vale
Caps4:18
Goals4:6
Clubs5:Ilkeston Town
Totalcaps:216+
Totalgoals:62+

Ian Ray Buxton (17 April 1938 – 1 October 2010) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football as an inside forward for Derby County between 1959 and 1967, before brief spells with Luton Town, Notts County, Port Vale, and non-League Ilkeston Town. He played a total of 215 league games in the English Football League, helping Luton Town to the Fourth Division title in 1967–68, also helping Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70. He also played cricket for Derbyshire from 1959 to 1973, serving the county as captain between 1970 and 1972.

Football career

Derby County

Buxton started his career at Derby County, helping them to an 18th-place finish in the Second Division in 1959–60. Making his debut under Harry Storer, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over Ipswich Town. He proved to be "adept at holding the ball and bringing others into play." The "Rams" then rose to 12th in 1960–61, before dropping to 16th in 1961–62. Derby finished 18th again 1962–63 under new boss Tim Ward, just five points ahead of relegated Walsall. They rallied to 13th in 1963–64, before posting ninth and eighth-place finishes in 1964–65 and 1965–66. Derby then dropped to 17th in 1966–67, just six points above relegated Northampton Town. However, manager Brian Clough was not comfortable with a player splitting his loyalties between football and cricket, and so he moved Buxton on.

Luton Town

He signed with Allan Brown's Luton Town for an £11,000 fee in September 1967.[1] He helped the Kenilworth Road side to the Fourth Division title in 1967–68, scoring 13 goals from 36 starts.[1] Alec Stock then led the club to a third-place finish in the Third Division in 1968–69, just three points behind promoted Swindon Town.

Later career

He signed with Notts County of the Fourth Division for the 1969–70 campaign, but played just five games at Meadow Lane. In a three-month arrangement, he joined Port Vale] in December 1969.[2] He scored on his debut at inside-left, a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic at Vale Park on 13 December, and was a regular throughout the rest of the club's 1969–70 promotion winning side.[2] The club paid the £500 registration fee to sign him permanently, knowing that his cricket commitments meant he missed the last four games anyway.[2] However, he retired from football at the end of that season to focus on his cricket.[2] He scored six goals in eighteen games for Gordon Lee's "Valiants".[2] He soon came out of retirement though, joining Ilkeston Town in July 1970.[2]

Cricket career

Ian Buxton
Country:England
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Right arm medium pace
Role:All-rounder
Club1:Derbyshire
Year1:1959–1973
Type1:First-class
Debutdate1:14 July
Debutyear1:1959
Debutfor1:Derbyshire
Debutagainst1:Yorkshire
Lastdate1:8 September
Lastyear1:1973
Lastfor1:Derbyshire
Lastagainst1:Nottinghamshire
Type2:List A
Debutdate2:22 May
Debutyear2:1963
Debutfor2:Derbyshire
Debutagainst2:Hampshire
Lastdate2:9 September
Lastyear2:1973
Lastfor2:Derbyshire
Lastagainst2:Nottinghamshire
Columns:2
Column1:FC
Matches1:350
Runs1:11803
Bat Avg1:23.94
100S/50S1:5/50
Top Score1:118*
Deliveries1:33414
Wickets1:483
Bowl Avg1:26.38
Fivefor1:12
Tenfor1:2
Best Bowling1:7/33
Catches/Stumpings1:199/0
Column2:LA
Matches2:99
Runs2:1897
Bat Avg2:24.32
100S/50S2:0/8
Top Score2:81
Deliveries2:3909
Wickets2:104
Bowl Avg2:23.20
Fivefor2:1
Tenfor2:0
Best Bowling2:5/19
Catches/Stumpings2:28/0
Date:19 October
Year:2009
Source:https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28380/28380.html CricketArchive

Buxton's career with Derbyshire started in the Second XI in the 1959 season. Later in the same season, he played his debut match against Yorkshire, taking three wickets. He took his first five-wicket haul during the season, as Derbyshire finished in a promising seventh place in the championship.

Though his averages were somewhat down in the following season, it was his first of two ten-wicket hauls in 1961 which truly brought him to the attention of the selectors, as he finished with match figures of 10/104 against Warwickshire. Buxton was a first-choice player in the team over the next four seasons when he posted one more ten-wicket match against Worcestershire in June 1968.

Buxton was captain of Derbyshire between 1970 and 1972. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He was a consistent middle-order batsman whose skill with the ball helped him to gain a first-team place and, between 1970 and 1972, the Derbyshire club captaincy. He played 350 first-class matches with the Derbyshire first team before retiring in 1973.

Later life and death

He made a cricket comeback some 20 years after retiring from playing, serving on the committee for several years during the 1990s. He was married to Doreen and had two children as well as five grandchildren.[3] He died, aged 72, at his Matlock home on 1 October 2010.[3]

Career statistics

Source:

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Derby County1959–60Second Division54000054
1960–61Second Division10001121
1961–62Second Division20000020
1962–63Second Division920020112
1963–64Second Division1640010174
1964–65Second Division4080010418
1965–66Second Division361210414113
1966–67Second Division351010103710
1967–68Second Division11001021
Total145412011215843
Luton Town1967–68Fourth Division361321003814
1968–69Third Division1211010141
Total481431105215
Notts County1969–70Fourth Division51100061
Port Vale1969–70Fourth Division1860000186
Career total216626112223465

Honours

Luton Town

1967–68

Port Vale

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ian Buxton 1938-2010. lutontown.co.uk. 2 March 2012.
  2. Book: Kent, Jeff. Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. 50. 1996. 0-9529152-0-0.
  3. News: Buxton the last in a line of all-rounders who featured for Rams and Derbyshire. 2 March 2012. thisisderbyshire.co.uk. 4 October 2010.
  4. Book: Kent, Jeff. The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale. Witan Books. 1990. 227–257. Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979). 0-9508981-4-7.