Jim Yardley (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas James Yardley was an English
cricketer
: a left-handed batsman, occasional wicket-keeper
and even more occasional right-arm medium pace bowler (he bowled only eight overs in first-class cricket
) who played for Worcestershire
and Northamptonshire
between 1967 and 1982.
. West Bromwich Albion
, Sheffield United and two other teams were also alleged to be interested. He was offered a professional contract but turned it down in exchange for a professional cricket contract with Worcestershire.
Born in Chaddesley Corbett
, Worcestershire
, Yardley played regularly in that county's second eleven for two years before making his first-class debut against Nottinghamshire
in August 1967; he made 3 and 4. Despite one further appearance that season, his first-class career only really took off in 1968, when he was a fixture in the first team from late July onwards, despite a modest top score of 43 not out
from his 17 innings. 1969 was another mediocre season, but in 1970 Yardley really came good, making 762 first-class runs and averaging
over 40.
In 1971 his average was more modest (30.45) but he nevertheless managed to pass a thousand runs for the season for the first (and only) time in his career, also hitting his maiden first-class century, 104 not out against the touring Indians
at New Road
. It was also in this season that Yardley claimed his only two first-class stumpings, both against Gloucestershire
at Cheltenham
while standing in for Gordon Wilcock
who was in the team but unable to keep wicket. His two victims were both notable: former South African
Test
player Mike Procter
and future Test umpire
Barrie Meyer
.
In 1972, Yardley was capped by Worcestershire, and though he had a poor year in the County Championship
, averaging a mere 20, in List A cricket it was a different story: he enjoyed the most successful one-day
season of his career, averaging over 35 and hitting three half-centuries, including his highest score in that form of the game, 75 not out against Warwickshire
in the Benson & Hedges Cup
, albeit in a match Worcestershire eventually lost by eight wickets
.
1973 saw him hit two first-class hundreds, including his career best of 135 against Nottinghamshire, and despite a top score of only 66* he played an important part in the Worcestershire side which won the County Championship in 1974, contributing five fifties and a batting average close to 30 as well as 34 catches, his best in a single season. However, his List A average was a mere 13.50, and after one more season with Worcestershire, in which he passed 50 only twice in 30 first-class innings, he moved to Northamptonshire.
Yardley spent seven seasons at Northampton
, and although his figures were slightly less impressive than they had been at Worcester
– he reached three figures only once for his new county, scoring exactly 100 (not out) against Gloucestershire in 1980 – he still made important contributions and generally scored consistently, especially in the four seasons from 1978 to 1981 when he played in the great majority of matches and always averaged between 26 and 31; his highest season's aggregate for Northants was 803 in 1981, and in that year he made his only two List A stumpings, both against Glamorgan
in the John Player League. He was capped by the county in 1978.
1982 was Yardley's final year as a first-team player. His final first-class match was against Surrey
in May (he made 15 and 0), while his last List A appearance came a few weeks later in the John Player League against Kent
, where he made just 1. By now he was playing in the seconds all the time, and after another year without a first-team opportunity he called it a day.
In 2002, twenty years after his final match, he left the country and emigrated to Canada
with his wife and his son Christopher Yardley. In 2008 he was asked to write part of Imran Khan
's biography.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
: a left-handed batsman, occasional 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...
and even more occasional right-arm medium pace bowler (he bowled only eight overs in first-class cricket
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...
) who played 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...
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
between 1967 and 1982.
Career
Yardley played football for his local team Chaddesley Corbett and was offered a trial at WolvesWolverhampton 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...
. West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Sheffield United and two other teams were also alleged to be interested. He was offered a professional contract but turned it down in exchange for a professional cricket contract with Worcestershire.
Born in Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the settlements of Bluntington, Brockencote, Mustow Green, Cakebole, Outwood, Harvington, and Drayton....
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, Yardley played regularly in that county's second eleven for two years before making his first-class debut against 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...
in August 1967; he made 3 and 4. Despite one further appearance that season, his first-class career only really took off in 1968, when he was a fixture in the first team from late July onwards, despite a modest top score of 43 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from his 17 innings. 1969 was another mediocre season, but in 1970 Yardley really came good, making 762 first-class runs and averaging
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
over 40.
In 1971 his average was more modest (30.45) but he nevertheless managed to pass a thousand runs for the season for the first (and only) time in his career, also hitting his maiden first-class century, 104 not out against the touring Indians
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
at New Road
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 :...
. It was also in this season that Yardley claimed his only two first-class stumpings, both 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 Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
while standing in for Gordon Wilcock
Gordon Wilcock
Howard Gordon Wilcock is a former English cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Worcestershire during the 1970s....
who was in the team but unable to keep wicket. His two victims were both notable: former South African
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
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...
player Mike Procter
Mike Procter
Michael John Procter is a former South African cricketer. A fast bowler and hard hitting batsman, his chances for a long and productive test career were wrecked by South Africa's banishment from world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s...
and future Test umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
Barrie Meyer
Barrie Meyer
Barrie John Meyer in Bournemouth is a former English footballer and cricketer, and later a cricket umpire.Meyer played football for Bristol Rovers in 139 league matches, scoring 60 goals. He also played for Plymouth, Newport County, Bristol City and Hereford United. In the summer, he worked as a...
.
In 1972, Yardley was capped by Worcestershire, and though he had a poor year in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, averaging a mere 20, in List A cricket it was a different story: he enjoyed the most successful 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...
season of his career, averaging over 35 and hitting three half-centuries, including his highest score in that form of the game, 75 not out against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in the Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
, albeit in a match Worcestershire eventually lost by eight wickets
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...
.
1973 saw him hit two first-class hundreds, including his career best of 135 against Nottinghamshire, and despite a top score of only 66* he played an important part in the Worcestershire side which won the County Championship in 1974, contributing five fifties and a batting average close to 30 as well as 34 catches, his best in a single season. However, his List A average was a mere 13.50, and after one more season with Worcestershire, in which he passed 50 only twice in 30 first-class innings, he moved to Northamptonshire.
Yardley spent seven seasons at Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, and although his figures were slightly less impressive than they had been at Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
– he reached three figures only once for his new county, scoring exactly 100 (not out) against Gloucestershire in 1980 – he still made important contributions and generally scored consistently, especially in the four seasons from 1978 to 1981 when he played in the great majority of matches and always averaged between 26 and 31; his highest season's aggregate for Northants was 803 in 1981, and in that year he made his only two List A stumpings, both against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
in the John Player League. He was capped by the county in 1978.
1982 was Yardley's final year as a first-team player. His final first-class match was against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in May (he made 15 and 0), while his last List A appearance came a few weeks later in the John Player League against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, where he made just 1. By now he was playing in the seconds all the time, and after another year without a first-team opportunity he called it a day.
In 2002, twenty years after his final match, he left the country and emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his wife and his son Christopher Yardley. In 2008 he was asked to write part of Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
's biography.