John Hampshire
Encyclopedia
John Harry HampshireJohn Harry Hampshire (born 10 February 1941, Thurnscoe
(near Barnsley
, Yorkshire
) better known as Jack Hampshire, is a former English
cricket
er, who played eight Tests
and three ODIs for England
between 1969 and 1975. He played first-class cricket
for Yorkshire
from 1961 to 1981, and for Derbyshire
from 1982 to 1984. Overseas, he was a successful captain of Tasmania
in the period before the state was included in the Sheffield Shield.
Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, remarked, "Hampshire thrilled English cricket supporters when he scored a century at Lord's
on his Test debut - a unique achievement for an England player. An attractive middle-order stroke-player, Hampshire looked one for the future but he was dropped after one more match".
Hampshire was a surprise choice for the 1969 Test side having made only fourteen centuries in eight seasons. On his debut against the West Indies
at Lord's
, he made a dashing 107 and he appeared set for a glittering Test career. He was the first Englishman to score a Test hundred on debut at Lord's. Strangely, he was dropped after the next match, and faded away from the Test arena, making just half-a-dozen more Test appearances for England.
After the ousting of Geoff Boycott from the Yorkshire captaincy
, Hampshire captained the club for two seasons from 1979 to 1980. At one point he staged a 'go-slow' at Northampton - which cost Yorkshire a bonus point - as a protest against slow batting by his longtime rival. He left Yorksire in 1981 during one of the county's then almost perennial bouts of civil war, and during the winter played for a Leicestershire
team as a guest in Zimbabwe
. In 1982 he joined Derbyshire where he stayed for three years.
Hampshire was a powerful stroke maker in the middle order, especially strong off the front foot. He scored 28,059 runs in 577 first-class matches at 34.55 with a highest score of 183 not out. He added another 7,314 runs in 280 one day matches with a best of 119 at 31.12. He was a brave close fielder who took 444 catches in his first-class career. He was seen as potentially useful leg spinner
, taking 7 for 52 against Glamorgan
in 1963.
panel of umpires
. He remained a highly respected umpire on the first-class circuit until his retirement in 2005. He umpired the final of the last Benson and Hedges Cup competition in 2002 with Barry Dudleston
, thirty years after having played against Dudleston in the first final of that competition held in 1972.
Thurnscoe
Thurnscoe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The village is approximately half way between Barnsley and Doncaster, but sufficiently far enough from both to be out of their urban sprawl...
(near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
) better known as Jack Hampshire, is a former English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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 eight Tests
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...
and three ODIs 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...
between 1969 and 1975. He played 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...
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....
from 1961 to 1981, and for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
from 1982 to 1984. Overseas, he was a successful captain of Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
in the period before the state was included in the Sheffield Shield.
Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, remarked, "Hampshire thrilled English cricket supporters when he scored a century at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
on his Test debut - a unique achievement for an England player. An attractive middle-order stroke-player, Hampshire looked one for the future but he was dropped after one more match".
Playing career
Hampshire made his debut for his native Yorkshire in 1961, where he had a twenty year career with the club.Hampshire was a surprise choice for the 1969 Test side having made only fourteen centuries in eight seasons. On his debut against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, he made a dashing 107 and he appeared set for a glittering Test career. He was the first Englishman to score a Test hundred on debut at Lord's. Strangely, he was dropped after the next match, and faded away from the Test arena, making just half-a-dozen more Test appearances for England.
After the ousting of Geoff Boycott from the Yorkshire captaincy
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
, Hampshire captained the club for two seasons from 1979 to 1980. At one point he staged a 'go-slow' at Northampton - which cost Yorkshire a bonus point - as a protest against slow batting by his longtime rival. He left Yorksire in 1981 during one of the county's then almost perennial bouts of civil war, and during the winter played for a Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
team as a guest in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. In 1982 he joined Derbyshire where he stayed for three years.
Hampshire was a powerful stroke maker in the middle order, especially strong off the front foot. He scored 28,059 runs in 577 first-class matches at 34.55 with a highest score of 183 not out. He added another 7,314 runs in 280 one day matches with a best of 119 at 31.12. He was a brave close fielder who took 444 catches in his first-class career. He was seen as potentially useful leg spinner
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, taking 7 for 52 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 1963.
Umpiring career
After retiring from the playing arena, Hampshire became a county umpire in 1985. He was then appointed to the Test list in 1989, and later in 1999 he was added to the ICCInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
panel of umpires
International Panel of Umpires and Referees
The International Panel of ICC Umpires was established by the ICC in 1994 following trial in 1992/3, to ensure that one neutral umpire would stand in every Test match. It is made up of officials nominated from each of the ten Test playing cricket boards...
. He remained a highly respected umpire on the first-class circuit until his retirement in 2005. He umpired the final of the last Benson and Hedges Cup competition in 2002 with Barry Dudleston
Barry Dudleston
Barry Dudleston is a former first-class cricketer and umpire. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional wicketkeeper who played cricket for Rhodesia, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire. By the end of his career of 295 first-class games he had made 14,747 runs at 32.48, with 32 hundreds and 241...
, thirty years after having played against Dudleston in the first final of that competition held in 1972.