Gordon Wilcock
Encyclopedia
Howard Gordon Wilcock is a former English cricket
er who played first-class
and List A cricket for Worcestershire
during the 1970s.
Wilcock was signed by Worcestershire in 1968, having been spotted playing club cricket
for Ilkley Cricket Club. He made one Second XI appearance for the county that season, and many more in 1969, but Brian Krikken
prevented his standing as keeper
until the end of the year. Wilcock also played for Dudley Cricket Club during this period, and continued in the seconds in 1970.
He made his first-class debut against Oxford University
at The University Parks in May 1971, though in a game affected by the weather he did not get to bat, and effected only one dismissal, taking the catch to remove John Ward.
He retained his place for the County Championship
game against Lancashire
that followed, in which he achieved his first stumping, accounting for Farokh Engineer
off the bowling of Norman Gifford
.
He was then first-choice keeper for the rest of the season, replacing Rodney Cass
.
A final return of 40 first-class dismissals in 1971 was made up of 36 catches and four stumpings. In one-day cricket he managed 12 (including one stumping), and was also occasionally useful with the bat in the shorter form, winning a match against Hampshire
with a four off the penultimate ball.
Wilcock also did fairly well in 1972, with 42 first-class and 11 List A dismissals, although Cass displaced him at the end of the summer, and in 1973 Wilcock did not get a single first-team game in either first-class or List A cricket.
Wilcock returned for 1974, he and Cass both making a number of appearances as wicket-keeper as Worcestershire won the County Championship. In August 1974 he took six catches in the second innings against Hampshire at Portsmouth
, which matched the county record in a Championship match.
Sadly for him, his efforts were in vain as Worcestershire were crushed by an innings inside two days.
He played the first half of the 1975 season, but was then relegated to the Second XI for the rest of the summer. However, with Cass having been released by the county, Wilcock was a regular throughout the record-breaking hot summer
of 1976. In 1977, he took until mid-season to establish himself in the team, and he managed very few dismissals, though he did score his only first-class half-century when he made 74 in Worcestershire's two-day innings victory over Yorkshire
in August.
1978 saw the arrival of David Humphries
, who quickly became Worcestershire's number one keeper, and Wilcock played only one first-team game — his last — that year, a first-class match against Oxford University at Worcester
. He held four catches, but made a duck
in his only innings.
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 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...
and List A cricket for Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
during the 1970s.
Wilcock was signed by Worcestershire in 1968, having been spotted playing club cricket
Club cricket
Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are always observed...
for Ilkley Cricket Club. He made one Second XI appearance for the county that season, and many more in 1969, but Brian Krikken
Brian Krikken
Brian Egbert Krikken was an English cricketer who played three first-class matches for Lancashire and Worcestershire in the late 1960s...
prevented his standing as 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...
until the end of the year. Wilcock also played for Dudley Cricket Club during this period, and continued in the seconds in 1970.
He made his first-class debut against Oxford University
Oxford 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...
at The University Parks in May 1971, though in a game affected by the weather he did not get to bat, and effected only one dismissal, taking the catch to remove John Ward.
He retained his place for the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
game against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
that followed, in which he achieved his first stumping, accounting for Farokh Engineer
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Maneksha Engineer is a former Indian cricketer of Parsi background who played 46 Tests for India and played first-class cricket for Mumbai in India and Lancashire in England. Engineer's active international career started in 1961 and continued to 1975, and he was India's first-choice...
off the bowling of Norman Gifford
Norman Gifford
Norman Gifford was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner...
.
He was then first-choice keeper for the rest of the season, replacing Rodney Cass
Rodney Cass
George Rodney Cass is a former English cricketer: a wicket-keeper who played first-class cricket for Essex and Worcestershire in England, and for Tasmania in Australia, in the 1960s and 1970s...
.
A final return of 40 first-class dismissals in 1971 was made up of 36 catches and four stumpings. In one-day cricket he managed 12 (including one stumping), and was also occasionally useful with the bat in the shorter form, winning a match 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...
with a four off the penultimate ball.
Wilcock also did fairly well in 1972, with 42 first-class and 11 List A dismissals, although Cass displaced him at the end of the summer, and in 1973 Wilcock did not get a single first-team game in either first-class or List A cricket.
Wilcock returned for 1974, he and Cass both making a number of appearances as wicket-keeper as Worcestershire won the County Championship. In August 1974 he took six catches in the second innings against Hampshire at Portsmouth
United Services Recreation Ground
The United Services Recreation Ground is a cricket ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The first recorded match on the ground was on 17 August 1882 which saw Cambridge University Past and Present play the touring Australians...
, which matched the county record in a Championship match.
Sadly for him, his efforts were in vain as Worcestershire were crushed by an innings inside two days.
He played the first half of the 1975 season, but was then relegated to the Second XI for the rest of the summer. However, with Cass having been released by the county, Wilcock was a regular throughout the record-breaking hot summer
1976 United Kingdom heat wave
The summer of 1976 was the hottest summer in the UK since records began. As well as the heat, Britain was in the middle of a severe drought.-Heatwave and drought effects:The temperature reached 80°F every day between 22 June and 16 July...
of 1976. In 1977, he took until mid-season to establish himself in the team, and he managed very few dismissals, though he did score his only first-class half-century when he made 74 in Worcestershire's two-day innings victory over 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....
in August.
1978 saw the arrival of David Humphries
David Humphries
David John Humphries is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Leicestershire and Worcestershire, being capped by Worcestershire in 1978. He was born in Alveley, Shropshire....
, who quickly became Worcestershire's number one keeper, and Wilcock played only one first-team game — his last — that year, a first-class match against Oxford University at Worcester
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
. He held four catches, but made a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
in his only innings.