John Mortimore (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
John Brian Mortimore is a former English
cricket
er, who played in nine Tests
for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained
Gloucestershire
between 1965 and 1967.
The cricket correspondent, Colin Bateman, stated that, "tall, lean and composed, John Mortimore was a notable member of Gloucestershire's stable of post-War
spinners".
, spun the ball more than Mortimore, but 'Morty' was able to coax county batsmen with cunning and pin-point accuracy, which often led to their downfall.
He was sent out as a replacement for Peter May
's struggling team in the 1958-59 Ashes series, and topped the batting averages by dint of being out only once in the series, 55 runs (55.00). Unfortunately, England was awash with capable off-spinners who could bat; Ray Illingworth
, Fred Titmus
and Allen all averaged 20-25 with the bat, and 30-32 per wicket with the ball, and this restricted Mortimore from the Test team, and mainly only allowed appearances in tour matches.
Mortimore had a twenty six year stint at Bristol
, and captained the county side for three seasons. He scored more than 15,000 runs and took over 1,800 wickets in his first-class
tenure.
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 in nine 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...
for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained
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...
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....
between 1965 and 1967.
The cricket correspondent, Colin Bateman, stated that, "tall, lean and composed, John Mortimore was a notable member of Gloucestershire's stable of post-War
Post-War
Post-War is the fifth studio album by M. Ward. It was released on August 22, 2006 by Merge Records. It features the single "To Go Home," a cover of a song written by Daniel Johnston. Guest appearances were made by Jim James of My Morning Jacket , Neko Case and Mike Mogis...
spinners".
Life and career
His county cohort and fellow off-spinner, David AllenDavid Allen (cricketer)
David Arthur Allen is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England.-Life and career:...
, spun the ball more than Mortimore, but 'Morty' was able to coax county batsmen with cunning and pin-point accuracy, which often led to their downfall.
He was sent out as a replacement for Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
's struggling team in the 1958-59 Ashes series, and topped the batting averages by dint of being out only once in the series, 55 runs (55.00). Unfortunately, England was awash with capable off-spinners who could bat; Ray Illingworth
Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth, CBE is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so...
, Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
and Allen all averaged 20-25 with the bat, and 30-32 per wicket with the ball, and this restricted Mortimore from the Test team, and mainly only allowed appearances in tour matches.
Mortimore had a twenty six year stint at Bristol
County Cricket Ground, Bristol
The County Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club....
, and captained the county side for three seasons. He scored more than 15,000 runs and took over 1,800 wickets in his 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...
tenure.