Cyril Poole
Encyclopedia
Cyril John Poole was an English
cricket
er, who played for Nottinghamshire
and in three Tests
for England. He also played football for Mansfield Town
, Gillingham
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
, Nottinghamshire
.
An entertaining left-handed batsman, Poole was 27 before he came into county cricket
, but soon established himself in what was, throughout his time with them, one of the weaker first-class
county sides. His best season was 1961, when he scored 1,860 runs in first-class cricket.
His one taste of Test cricket
came on the 1951/52 tour to India. Poole, who had replaced Jack Ikin
because of injury, played three times for what was, in effect, an England second eleven, scoring two fifties. He was never picked for England again, his batting defensive frailities counting against him, though he continued in county cricket until 1962, and had his best season at the age of 40. He was an outstanding fielder in almost any position.
His healthy Test batting average of 40.25, was complemented by one of 32.45 at first-class level. Poole was an occasional bowler and wicket-keeper
.
As a footballer, he became Mansfield Town's youngest-ever debutant, aged 15. He later played for Gillingham and Wolves.
Cyril Poole died, in Balderton
, Nottinghamshire, on 11 February 1996, aged 74. His Wisden obituary in 1997, which described him as a "splendidly entertaining" cricketer, "one of the most gifted and audacious left-handed batsmen on the circuit... and a great fielder". It also included an anecdote:
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...
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 for Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
and in three 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. He also played football for Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
.
Life and career
Poole was born in MansfieldMansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
An entertaining left-handed batsman, Poole was 27 before he came into county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
, but soon established himself in what was, throughout his time with them, one of the weaker 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...
county sides. His best season was 1961, when he scored 1,860 runs in first-class cricket.
His one taste of Test cricket
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...
came on the 1951/52 tour to India. Poole, who had replaced Jack Ikin
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin, known as Jack Ikin was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Tests from 1946 to 1955...
because of injury, played three times for what was, in effect, an England second eleven, scoring two fifties. He was never picked for England again, his batting defensive frailities counting against him, though he continued in county cricket until 1962, and had his best season at the age of 40. He was an outstanding fielder in almost any position.
His healthy Test batting average of 40.25, was complemented by one of 32.45 at first-class level. Poole was an occasional bowler and wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
.
As a footballer, he became Mansfield Town's youngest-ever debutant, aged 15. He later played for Gillingham and Wolves.
Cyril Poole died, in Balderton
Balderton
Balderton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish, which then included Fernwood had a population of 10,298 as of 2001....
, Nottinghamshire, on 11 February 1996, aged 74. His Wisden obituary in 1997, which described him as a "splendidly entertaining" cricketer, "one of the most gifted and audacious left-handed batsmen on the circuit... and a great fielder". It also included an anecdote:
"He would regularly borrow any bat that was lying around the dressing room, never worrying about the weight or other technicalities. It is said that his team-mates tried to cure him with a trick bat, which was merely a shell filled with sawdust. He scored about 70 with it and apparently never noticed."