Alan Ward
Encyclopedia
Alan Ward is an English
former cricket
er, who played in five Tests
for England from 1969 to 1976. He played for Derbyshire
from 1966 to 1976, and for Leicestershire
from 1977 to 1978. A fast
right-arm bowler, he could, with more fortune, have been the perfect foil of his era for John Snow
. Injury-plagued, and subject to great fluctuations in form, he never fulfilled his promise.
debut for Derbyshire in 1966, and topped the English first-class averages in 1969, and was selected for the 1970 Internationals against The Rest of the World side, which contained, on occasion, Garry Sobers and Graeme Pollock
. He went to Australia in 1970-71 under Ray Illingworth
, who lauded his Ward-Snow opening combination. Snow prospered, picking up thirty one wickets to become the decisive factor in England's claiming the Ashes
, but Ward, even before injuries struck, struggled. He was replaced on the tour by Bob Willis
.
In 1973, he refused to bowl in a Sunday League game, and Derbyshire's captain, Brian Bolus, banished him from the field. In 1976, he left the county in unhappy circumstances, but was called up to play against the West Indies in the fifth, and final, Test Match of his career. Although he took four wickets, he earned far greater acclaim for his stout resistance with the bat. On the last day, with the West Indians pressing for victory, he held them for almost an hour before falling for a duck
.
Joining Leicestershire in 1976, Ward was largely ineffective. His first-class career ended quietly in 1978.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former 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, who played in five Tests
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...
for England from 1969 to 1976. He played for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
from 1966 to 1976, and for Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
from 1977 to 1978. A fast
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
right-arm bowler, he could, with more fortune, have been the perfect foil of his era for John Snow
John Snow (cricketer)
John Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
. Injury-plagued, and subject to great fluctuations in form, he never fulfilled his promise.
Life and career
Ward made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Derbyshire in 1966, and topped the English first-class averages in 1969, and was selected for the 1970 Internationals against The Rest of the World side, which contained, on occasion, Garry Sobers and Graeme Pollock
Graeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
. He went to Australia in 1970-71 under Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
, who lauded his Ward-Snow opening combination. Snow prospered, picking up thirty one wickets to become the decisive factor in England's claiming the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
, but Ward, even before injuries struck, struggled. He was replaced on the tour by Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
.
In 1973, he refused to bowl in a Sunday League game, and Derbyshire's captain, Brian Bolus, banished him from the field. In 1976, he left the county in unhappy circumstances, but was called up to play against the West Indies in the fifth, and final, Test Match of his career. Although he took four wickets, he earned far greater acclaim for his stout resistance with the bat. On the last day, with the West Indians pressing for victory, he held them for almost an hour before falling for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
.
Joining Leicestershire in 1976, Ward was largely ineffective. His first-class career ended quietly in 1978.