Jim Griffiths (cricketer)

Brian James Griffiths (born 13 June 1949 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire) is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Northamptonshire. He was a medium pace seam bowler, who took over 400 first-class wickets spanning a twelve-year period between 1974 and 1986. Griffiths later played for Lincolnshire and continued playing league cricket into his fifties.

Jim Griffiths
Personal information
Full name
Brian James Griffiths
Born (1949-06-13) 13 June 1949 (age 75)
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight arm medium
RoleBowler
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1974–1986Northamptonshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 177 165
Runs scored 290 78
Batting average 3.33 3.71
100s/50s 0/0 0/0
Top score 16 11*
Balls bowled n/a 7,626
Wickets 444 183
Bowling average 29.05 27.09
5 wickets in innings 13 4
10 wickets in match 0 2
Best bowling 8/50 5/33
Catches/stumpings 36/– 15/–
Source: Cricinfo, 7 June 2013

He is however best remembered not for his bowling but for his inept batting, managing a career average of just over 3 runs per innings, which is the second-lowest by any regular first-class cricketer ahead of Francis McHugh of Yorkshire and Gloucestershire.[1] Griffiths was out 51 times in his career without scoring and early in his career played ten consecutive innings without scoring a run,[2] breaking the long-time record of Tom Goddard, Seymour Clark and Brian Boshier.[3][4] Griffiths’ batting was considered so inferior that his local club nicknamed him "the world’s worst batsman" and "the wally of the willow".

Ironically however, perhaps Griffiths’ most celebrated achievement in his cricketing career came with the bat; playing Lancashire in the 1981 Natwest Trophy semi-final on Northamptonshire's home ground, Griffiths came in at number 11 with fellow tail-ender Tim Lamb still needing 13 runs to win, with one of the world’s most fearsome fast bowlers of the period, Michael Holding, running in at one end. Somehow, both Griffiths and Lamb stood firm and held on, managing to accumulate the runs required, with Griffiths getting off the mark after twenty-nine balls and hitting the winning run and being carried off shoulder high by the partisan crowd.[5] Three years later, Griffiths made eleven runs against Kent to level the scores and was run out attempting a bye off the last ball of the day, resulting in the first tie ever at Wantage Road.[6]

References

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  1. ^ See Bailey, Phillip; Thorn, Phillip; and Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Complete Who’s Who of Cricketers (ISBN 0600346927)
  2. ^ Bailey, Thorn and Wynne-Thomas; The Complete Who’s Who of Cricketers, p. 414
  3. ^ Webber, Roy; The Playfair Book of Cricket Records; p. 317. Published 1951 by Playfair Books.
  4. ^ Bailey; Thorn; and Wynne-Thomas; The Complete Who’s Who of Cricketers, p. 120
  5. ^ Woodcock, John (editor); Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 119th Year (1982), pp. 679-680
  6. ^ Woodcock, John (editor); Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 122nd Year (1985), pp. 498-499
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