Phil King (cricketer) explained

Phil King
Country:England
Fullname:Benjamin Philip King
Birth Date:22 April 1915
Birth Place:Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Death Place:Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Batting:Right-handed
Role:occasional wicket-keeper
Club1:Worcestershire
Year1:1935–1939
Club2:Lancashire
Year2:1946–1947
Columns:1
Column1:FC
Matches1:117
Runs1:4,125
Bat Avg1:22.05
100S/50S1:6/17
Top Score1:145
Deliveries1:6
Wickets1:0
Bowl Avg1:
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:
Catches/Stumpings1:53/6
Date:6 August
Year:2008
Source:http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/30/30770/30770.html

Benjamin Philip King (22 April 1915 – 31 March 1970) was an English first-class cricketer who played 117 matches either side of the Second World War, first for Worcestershire, and then – despite his Yorkshire birthplace – for Lancashire. He was capped by Worcestershire in 1938, and by Lancashire in 1946.

King made a quiet first-class debut for Worcestershire against Northamptonshire in August 1935, scoring just 3 in his only innings.[1] He appeared twice more that season, though did nothing of note, and although he played 20 games in 1936 and 1937 he made only two half-centuries: 51 not out against Surrey in July 1936[2] and 50 versus Essex the following month.[3]

1938 was a considerably more successful summer for King. He passed a thousand runs for the first time, hitting 1,178 at an average of 22.65, and scoring his maiden century, 104 against Kent at Tonbridge in June.[4] He also made 124 against Hampshire at Worcester later in the season.[5] On this occasion, he reached his hundred before lunch.[6]

Although King just failed to repeat the thousand in 1939, hitting 974 runs, he scored another two hundreds that summer.[7] In early July he took over the gloves from George Abell during the match against Surrey, and effected five dismissals.[8] King was named as wicket-keeper in four other matches that year.[9]

When first-class cricket resumed after the war, King offered to return to Worcestershire on condition he was paid one pound for every run over a thousand he scored, but the county refused to accept.Instead, he moved to Lancashire, for whom he had a successful 1946. He scored 1,145 runs at almost 31, and again struck two centuries. The higher of these was the career-best 145 he made versus Gloucestershire in May; he scored a hundred runs before lunch on the third day, having begun the morning on 34*.[10]

King's final season of 1947 was not particularly successful: he made only 360 runs in 17 innings and passed 50 just twice. After that he retired from playing and took a position as a cricket and rugby league columnist with the People newspaper. In this role he twice accompanied the Great Britain team to Australia, and he was preparing for a third such tour when his life was claimed by a heart attack at the early age of 54.

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Worcestershire v Northamptonshire in 1935 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  2. Web site: Surrey v Worcestershire in 1936 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  3. Web site: Worcestershire v Essex in 1936 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  4. Web site: Kent v Worcestershire in 1937 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  5. Web site: Worcestershire v Hampshire in 1937 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  6. Obituary. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1971.
  7. Web site: First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Phil King . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  8. Web site: Worcestershire v Surrey in 1939 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  9. Web site: Player Oracle . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.
  10. Web site: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire in 1946 . 6 August 2008 . CricketArchive.