Albert Lightfoot
Encyclopedia
Albert Lightfoot was a Cricketer
for Northamptonshire.
Lightfoot showed promise throughout his career, joining Northamptonshire in 1953, and was awarded a Cap for the county that he spent his entire career at in 1961. He also made First-Class
appearances for the Combined Services (in 1955), TN Pearce's XI (1962), a 'Players' team (1962 also), and AER Gilligan's XI (1963). Albert Lightfoot shone during his 294 First-class matches and also played in 31 One-Day matches from 1963 up until his retirement, a format he never quite adapted to with bat or ball. Lightfoot bowled for the last time in 1968, before retiring altogether in 1970.
as head groundsman between 1973 and 1978. When Lightfoot was signed in 1953, it was principally as a medium-fast bowler, he soon emerged as a talented left-handed batsmen, with his breakthrough being a maiden century against Surrey
at The Oval
in 1958 helping Raman Subba Row
add a record-breaking 376 for the sixth wicket. However many Northamptonshire fans who witnessed his career will be quicker to mention the one run that he didn't make rather than the 12,000 that he did. Against Richie Benaud's
1961 Australians, Northamptonshire mounted a spirited challenge after being left to score 198 for victory in two and a half hours, and Lightfoot's gallant half-century helped reduce the target to four runs off the final over. With one ball to go, the scores were level. Alan Davidson
bowled to Malcolm Scott who missed, but set off for a bye to acting wicketkeeper Bobby Simpson
; Lightfoot, inexplicably, stayed put at the non-strikers end, Scott was run out, and Australia escaped with a draw.
It is possible that Lightfoot stayed in the team at times when his batting average drooped due to his ability to 'bowl a bit'. Despite such droops, he managed some very productive batting seasons, in particular 1962 when he scored 1,795 runs for Northamptonshire including 5 hundreds. He also managed some career reviving season's in 1968 and 1969, reaching 1,000 runs in each. In the years in between colleagues felt that it was a lack of 'drive' which held him back. He took a benefit in 1970, having already told the club that he would not be staying in the game for the following season, only to swap his bat for a heavy roller at the County Ground three years later.
(this passage was adapted from the book '100 Greats: Northamptonshire County Cricket Club')
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...
for Northamptonshire.
Lightfoot showed promise throughout his career, joining Northamptonshire in 1953, and was awarded a Cap for the county that he spent his entire career at in 1961. He also made First-Class
First-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...
appearances for the Combined Services (in 1955), TN Pearce's XI (1962), a 'Players' team (1962 also), and AER Gilligan's XI (1963). Albert Lightfoot shone during his 294 First-class matches and also played in 31 One-Day matches from 1963 up until his retirement, a format he never quite adapted to with bat or ball. Lightfoot bowled for the last time in 1968, before retiring altogether in 1970.
County career
Northamptonshire's very own Shropshire lad gave valuable service for nearly twenty years, before extending his stay at the County GroundCounty Cricket Ground, Northampton
The County Ground, is a cricket venue on Wantage Road in the Abington area of Northampton, UK. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club....
as head groundsman between 1973 and 1978. When Lightfoot was signed in 1953, it was principally as a medium-fast bowler, he soon emerged as a talented left-handed batsmen, with his breakthrough being a maiden century against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in 1958 helping Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row
Raman Subba Row is an English former cricketer who played for England, Cambridge University, Surrey and Northamptonshire.-Life and career:...
add a record-breaking 376 for the sixth wicket. However many Northamptonshire fans who witnessed his career will be quicker to mention the one run that he didn't make rather than the 12,000 that he did. Against Richie Benaud's
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
1961 Australians, Northamptonshire mounted a spirited challenge after being left to score 198 for victory in two and a half hours, and Lightfoot's gallant half-century helped reduce the target to four runs off the final over. With one ball to go, the scores were level. Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson (cricketer)
Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
bowled to Malcolm Scott who missed, but set off for a bye to acting wicketkeeper Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
; Lightfoot, inexplicably, stayed put at the non-strikers end, Scott was run out, and Australia escaped with a draw.
It is possible that Lightfoot stayed in the team at times when his batting average drooped due to his ability to 'bowl a bit'. Despite such droops, he managed some very productive batting seasons, in particular 1962 when he scored 1,795 runs for Northamptonshire including 5 hundreds. He also managed some career reviving season's in 1968 and 1969, reaching 1,000 runs in each. In the years in between colleagues felt that it was a lack of 'drive' which held him back. He took a benefit in 1970, having already told the club that he would not be staying in the game for the following season, only to swap his bat for a heavy roller at the County Ground three years later.
(this passage was adapted from the book '100 Greats: Northamptonshire County Cricket Club')