Gavin Hamilton (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Gavin Mark Hamilton is an all-round
cricket
er who played one Test
for England
and has appeared in a number of One Day Internationals for Scotland
. Hamilton was awarded the Scotland
captaincy in April 2009 following the resignation of Ryan Watson, and subsequently retired in 2010.
debut, Scotland's annual game against Ireland
. He also played a few times that year for Yorkshire
's Second XI, making his first-team debut for the county in 1994. He took a few years to become established in the side, but by 1998 was an important team member: that summer he took 59 first-class wickets at 20.54
as well as scoring six fifties, and claimed 34 one-day
scalps at 18.94.
In 1999, Hamilton represented Scotland in the 1999 World Cup
. His place in the squad was announced late, as there had been a possibility that England would select him for their own World Cup squad, but when this did not happen he was free to play for Scotland. He rose to the occasion well, scoring 217 runs in his five One Day Internationals and holding the innings together on several occasions.
In 1999–00 England toured South Africa
and this time Hamilton was included, his World Cup performances for Scotland having impressed the selectors. He played in the first Test
at Johannesburg
but had a nightmare match as England slumped to an innings defeat
: scoring a pair (caught by Pollock
off Donald
in both innings), taking 0-63 with the ball and not holding a single catch. He was dropped for the second Test and never played for England again.
Hamilton's appearance in England's cause had been brief indeed, but was also to prove costly to him personally, as it meant that he would have to re-qualify to play for Scotland, a process that would take four years. Meanwhile his domestic form, still good in 2000 as he scored his first century (against Hampshire
) fell away to such an extent that in 2002 and 2003 combined he played a total of just six first-team games for Yorkshire.
Joining Durham
for 2004, he gradually made his way back into the reckoning, with an unspectacular yet steady season. Having once again become available for Scotland in January, he was immediately recalled to the national team and in November of that year he played exclusively as a batsman in the ICC Intercontinental Cup
final against Canada
in Sharjah
, making 115 as Scotland won by an innings. In 2005 Hamilton appeared a few times for Durham in the totesport League
before being loaned to play for the Scottish Saltires in the same competition later in the year.
Hamilton was released from his contract with Durham at the end of the 2005 season and continues to combine his work with Caledonian Breweries with playing for Scotland and the Scottish Saltires. In 2008, while playing against Ireland
Hamilton scored his maiden One Day International century
. After Scotland's poor performance in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
s, Hamilton was appointed captain of the Scottish One Day International team in April 2009, replacing Ryan Watson. Later, in July 2009, in his first match as Scottish captain, while playing against Canada, Hamilton scored his second One Day International century, although in the end Scotland went on to lose the match. The following day, however, Hamilton scored a half-century and lead Scotland to victory to square the two match series 1–1.
In August 2010, Hamilton announced his retirement from the Scotland team.
In addition to work, Hamilton still plays amateur cricket, opening the batting for East Bierley CC of the Bradford Cricket League
.
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
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 one Test
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
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and has appeared in a number of One Day Internationals for Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
. Hamilton was awarded the Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
captaincy in April 2009 following the resignation of Ryan Watson, and subsequently retired in 2010.
Life and career
He began his senior career in 1993, taking 5-65 in the first innings of 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, Scotland's annual game against Ireland
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
. He also played a few times that year for Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
's Second XI, making his first-team debut for the county in 1994. He took a few years to become established in the side, but by 1998 was an important team member: that summer he took 59 first-class wickets at 20.54
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
as well as scoring six fifties, and claimed 34 one-day
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
scalps at 18.94.
In 1999, Hamilton represented Scotland in the 1999 World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
. His place in the squad was announced late, as there had been a possibility that England would select him for their own World Cup squad, but when this did not happen he was free to play for Scotland. He rose to the occasion well, scoring 217 runs in his five One Day Internationals and holding the innings together on several occasions.
In 1999–00 England toured South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and this time Hamilton was included, his World Cup performances for Scotland having impressed the selectors. He played in the first Test
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...
at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
but had a nightmare match as England slumped to an innings defeat
The result in cricket
The result in a game of cricket may be a win for one of the two teams playing, a draw or a tie. In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with no result...
: scoring a pair (caught by Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
off Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
in both innings), taking 0-63 with the ball and not holding a single catch. He was dropped for the second Test and never played for England again.
Hamilton's appearance in England's cause had been brief indeed, but was also to prove costly to him personally, as it meant that he would have to re-qualify to play for Scotland, a process that would take four years. Meanwhile his domestic form, still good in 2000 as he scored his first century (against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
) fell away to such an extent that in 2002 and 2003 combined he played a total of just six first-team games for Yorkshire.
Joining Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham 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 Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
for 2004, he gradually made his way back into the reckoning, with an unspectacular yet steady season. Having once again become available for Scotland in January, he was immediately recalled to the national team and in November of that year he played exclusively as a batsman in the ICC Intercontinental Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup
The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council as part of its cricket development programme...
final against Canada
Canadian cricket team
The Canada cricket team is the national cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition. It is run by Cricket Canada.While Canada is not sanctioned to play Test matches, the team does take part in One Day International matches and also in first-class games against other...
in Sharjah
Sharjah (city)
Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
, making 115 as Scotland won by an innings. In 2005 Hamilton appeared a few times for Durham in the totesport League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
before being loaned to play for the Scottish Saltires in the same competition later in the year.
Hamilton was released from his contract with Durham at the end of the 2005 season and continues to combine his work with Caledonian Breweries with playing for Scotland and the Scottish Saltires. In 2008, while playing against Ireland
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
Hamilton scored his maiden One Day International century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
. After Scotland's poor performance in the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
The 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament that took place in April 2009 in South Africa. It was the final qualification tournament for the 2011 Cricket World Cup....
s, Hamilton was appointed captain of the Scottish One Day International team in April 2009, replacing Ryan Watson. Later, in July 2009, in his first match as Scottish captain, while playing against Canada, Hamilton scored his second One Day International century, although in the end Scotland went on to lose the match. The following day, however, Hamilton scored a half-century and lead Scotland to victory to square the two match series 1–1.
In August 2010, Hamilton announced his retirement from the Scotland team.
In addition to work, Hamilton still plays amateur cricket, opening the batting for East Bierley CC of the Bradford Cricket League
Bradford Cricket League
The Bradford Cricket League is an amateur cricket competition centred in Bradford, West Yorkshire...
.