| Steve Wilkinson | |
| Country: | England |
| Fullname: | Stephen George Wilkinson |
| Birth Date: | 12 January 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Hounslow, Middlesex, England |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Bowling: | Slow left arm orthodox |
| Role: | Batsman |
| Family: | Cousin, Phil Bainbridge |
| Club1: | Somerset |
| Type1: | First-class |
| Debutdate1: | 24 May |
| Debutyear1: | 1972 |
| Debutfor1: | Somerset |
| Debutagainst1: | Yorkshire |
| Lastdate1: | 28 May |
| Lastyear1: | 1974 |
| Lastfor1: | Somerset |
| Lastagainst1: | Gloucestershire |
| Type2: | List A |
| Debutdate2: | 16 May |
| Debutyear2: | 1971 |
| Debutfor2: | Somerset |
| Debutagainst2: | Derbyshire |
| Lastdate2: | 19 May |
| Lastyear2: | 1974 |
| Lastfor2: | Somerset |
| Lastagainst2: | Sussex |
| Columns: | 2 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 18 |
| Runs1: | 452 |
| Bat Avg1: | 20.54 |
| 100S/50S1: | - /2 |
| Top Score1: | 69 |
| Deliveries1: | 12 |
| Wickets1: | - |
| Bowl Avg1: | - |
| Fivefor1: | - |
| Tenfor1: | - |
| Best Bowling1: | 0/9 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 11/ - |
| Column2: | List A |
| Matches2: | 25 |
| Runs2: | 327 |
| Bat Avg2: | 16.35 |
| 100S/50S2: | - /1 |
| Top Score2: | 70 |
| Deliveries2: | - |
| Wickets2: | - |
| Bowl Avg2: | - |
| Fivefor2: | - |
| Tenfor2: | - |
| Best Bowling2: | - |
| Catches/Stumpings2: | 6/ - |
| Date: | 14 May |
| Year: | 2011 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3894/3894.html CricketArchive |
Stephen George Wilkinson (born 12 January 1949) is a former cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Somerset between 1971 and 1974.[1] He was born at Hounslow, then in Middlesex, now in London.
Wilkinson played as a right-handed opening or middle-order batsman. He appeared in second eleven matches for Middlesex in 1967 and then for Somerset in Minor Counties second eleven games in 1971. After one limited-overs appearance for the Somerset first team in 1971, he played nine first-class matches in 1972, batting mostly at No 3. He scored consistently but not prolifically, and passed 50 only twice in all of his 18 first-class matches, both times in his first season. In his second match, he made 69 against Surrey at The Oval, putting on 157 for the second wicket with Roy Virgin.[2] In his next match he made 50 against Essex.[3] But thereafter his highest first-class score was only 33. He was out of form in first-class cricket in 1973, though made his highest limited-overs score, 70, in the match against Gloucestershire at Somerset's ground in Bristol, the Imperial Athletic Ground, that year.[4] He played only a handful of matches in 1974 and left the Somerset staff at the end of the season.
Wilkinson's batting style was upright, orthodox and technically correct – too correct for his captain, Brian Close: according to one report, Close told him "You play too straight lad", though that was after a straight drive from Wilkinson had got Close run out at the bowler's end.[5]