Geoff Keith
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Leyden Keith, born at Winchester
, Hampshire
on 19 November 1937 and died at Southampton
on 26 December 1975, played first-class
cricket
for Somerset
, Hampshire
and Western Province.
in May 1959, scoring 40 in his first innings. He played only one further first-team match that year, but in 1960 was given a run of 10 matches in the first half of the season. But his highest score was only 48 in the match against Gloucestershire
at Bath, and his bowling was not used at all. After three unsuccessful games in the early part of the 1961 season, he left Somerset at the end of the season and joined Hampshire for the 1962 season.
, but though it was a new highest score for him it was also his only first-class match of the 1962 season. He played only three matches in 1963, but the long-standing opening batsman Jimmy Gray
was available for only the second half of the 1964 season, and Keith stood in for him for the first two months, opening with Roy Marshall
, though he failed to retain his place for long once Gray was available again. In the most prolific season of his career, he scored 653 runs with a highest of 75 and an average of 21.76.
There were more matches but a different batting position in 1965: Barry Reed
and Mike Barnard
became Marshall's more regular opening partners, while Keith resumed batting in the middle order. His aggregate for the season at 561 runs was lower than in 1964, but his average had improved to 26.75 and the season included the only century of his career, an unbeaten 101 in the match against the South African touring side
. His little used off-spin also got its best reward in the 1965 season, with four wickets for 49 runs in Gloucestershire's first innings in the match at Bristol.
In 1966, however, Keith went back to being a bit-part player in the Hampshire side, playing only seven matches and making only 86 runs in them. He had a further good run in the first team in the first months of the 1967 season, and made 53 against Sussex before losing his place. Regaining it with an innings of 85 against Oxford University, he lost it again only two games later, and, with younger players such as David Turner
and Keith Wheatley
seizing their chances, he was not picked again. He left Hampshire at the end of the season to move to South Africa.
, but made little impact. He returned to Hampshire to become the county's cricket coach in 1971, and played and captained the second eleven from 1971 to 1975. The levels of fitness and the high standard of fielding were cited as among the reasons why an unfancied Hampshire won its second County Championship
title in 1973.
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
on 19 November 1937 and died at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on 26 December 1975, played 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...
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...
for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
, 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...
and Western Province.
Somerset cricketer
Keith made his first-class debut for Somerset against Cambridge UniversityCambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in May 1959, scoring 40 in his first innings. He played only one further first-team match that year, but in 1960 was given a run of 10 matches in the first half of the season. But his highest score was only 48 in the match against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
at Bath, and his bowling was not used at all. After three unsuccessful games in the early part of the 1961 season, he left Somerset at the end of the season and joined Hampshire for the 1962 season.
Hampshire career
In his first match for his new county, Keith scored 82 and 12 not out against Oxford UniversityOxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, but though it was a new highest score for him it was also his only first-class match of the 1962 season. He played only three matches in 1963, but the long-standing opening batsman Jimmy Gray
Jimmy Gray (cricketer)
James 'Jimmy' Roy Gray is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire.Gray was a right-handed batsman and passed 2000 runs in a season on 3 occasions...
was available for only the second half of the 1964 season, and Keith stood in for him for the first two months, opening with Roy Marshall
Roy Marshall
Roy Edwin Marshall was a West Indian cricketer who played in four Tests from 1951 to 1952. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1959.-Early career:...
, though he failed to retain his place for long once Gray was available again. In the most prolific season of his career, he scored 653 runs with a highest of 75 and an average of 21.76.
There were more matches but a different batting position in 1965: Barry Reed
Barry Reed (cricketer)
Barry Lindsay Reed is a former English cricketer. Reed was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm slow....
and Mike Barnard
Mike Barnard
Henry Michael Barnard is an English former cricketer and professional footballer.-Biography:As a cricketer, he played for Hampshire as a right-handed batsman and a medium pace bowler...
became Marshall's more regular opening partners, while Keith resumed batting in the middle order. His aggregate for the season at 561 runs was lower than in 1964, but his average had improved to 26.75 and the season included the only century of his career, an unbeaten 101 in the match against the South African touring side
South African cricket team in England in 1965
The South African cricket team toured England in the second half of the 1965 season, winning the three match Test series 1-0, with two matches drawn. They had a young and improving side. Their players included Graeme Pollock and his brother Peter, Colin Bland and Eddie Barlow.The Pollock brothers...
. His little used off-spin also got its best reward in the 1965 season, with four wickets for 49 runs in Gloucestershire's first innings in the match at Bristol.
In 1966, however, Keith went back to being a bit-part player in the Hampshire side, playing only seven matches and making only 86 runs in them. He had a further good run in the first team in the first months of the 1967 season, and made 53 against Sussex before losing his place. Regaining it with an innings of 85 against Oxford University, he lost it again only two games later, and, with younger players such as David Turner
David Turner (cricketer)
David Roy Turner is a former English first-class cricketer for Hampshire. He played 426 games between 1966 and 1989, making 19005 runs at a batting average of 30.55 with 28 hundreds....
and Keith Wheatley
Keith Wheatley
Keith James Wheatley is a retired English cricketer. Wheatley was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler....
seizing their chances, he was not picked again. He left Hampshire at the end of the season to move to South Africa.
South Africa and after
Keith played twice for Western Province in the B section of the Currie CupSuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
, but made little impact. He returned to Hampshire to become the county's cricket coach in 1971, and played and captained the second eleven from 1971 to 1975. The levels of fitness and the high standard of fielding were cited as among the reasons why an unfancied Hampshire won its second County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
title in 1973.