Geoffrey Attenborough
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Robert Attenborough (born 17 January 1951) is a former South Australian
cricket
er who is considered unlucky by some judges to not have played for Australia
.
at the WACA
, taking 2/64 and scoring one and five.
Attenborough soon gained a reputation for his ability to swing the ball both ways and led the South Australian attack throughout the late 1970s. He gained the nickname "Horse" for his willingness to bowl long spells in the heat of the afternoon as well as "Scatters", for reasons less well known.
In 1977/78 Attenborough achieved his best match figures of 11/168 against Victoria
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
. With the defection of many leading Australian cricketers to World Series Cricket
in 1977, it was thought that Attenborough would be chosen to lead the Australian Test team attack; however he was overlooked.
Attenborough experienced his best season in 1979/80, taking 44 wickets at 23.70, the third highest wicket taker that season behind Ashley Mallett
and Dennis Lillee
, but could not force his way into the Test team.
Attenborough retired from cricket in 1981, having played 57 first-class matches, taking 193 wickets at 31.96 with best bowling figures of 7/90 and scoring 738 runs at 10.39 with a highest score of 54. He also played nine List A matches, taking 10 wickets at 31.60 and scoring five runs at 1.25.
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
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 is considered unlucky by some judges to not have played for Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
.
Cricket
Attenborough is a left-arm fast-medium bowler and right-hand batsman who played for the Sturt cricket club before making his debut for South Australia on 3 March 1973 against Western AustraliaWestern Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
, taking 2/64 and scoring one and five.
Attenborough soon gained a reputation for his ability to swing the ball both ways and led the South Australian attack throughout the late 1970s. He gained the nickname "Horse" for his willingness to bowl long spells in the heat of the afternoon as well as "Scatters", for reasons less well known.
In 1977/78 Attenborough achieved his best match figures of 11/168 against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. With the defection of many leading Australian cricketers to World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
in 1977, it was thought that Attenborough would be chosen to lead the Australian Test team attack; however he was overlooked.
Attenborough experienced his best season in 1979/80, taking 44 wickets at 23.70, the third highest wicket taker that season behind Ashley Mallett
Ashley Mallett
Ashley Alexander Mallett is a former Australian cricketer who played in 38 Tests and 9 One Day Internationals between 1968 and 1980...
and Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
, but could not force his way into the Test team.
Attenborough retired from cricket in 1981, having played 57 first-class matches, taking 193 wickets at 31.96 with best bowling figures of 7/90 and scoring 738 runs at 10.39 with a highest score of 54. He also played nine List A matches, taking 10 wickets at 31.60 and scoring five runs at 1.25.