Ken Barrington
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Frank Barrington (24 November 1930 – 14 March 1981), better known as Ken Barrington, played for the English cricket team
and Surrey County Cricket Club
in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a right-handed batsman
and occasional leg-spin
bowler, well known for his jovial good humour and long, defensive innings "batting with bulldog determination and awesome concentration". His batting improved with the quality of the opposition; he averaged 39.87 in the County Championship
, 45.63 in first-class cricket
, 58.67 in Test cricket
and 63.96 against Australia. Barrington's Test average of 58.67 is the highest of any post-war England batsman and the seventh highest of all batsmen who have made 1,000 Test runs. His 256 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in 1964 is the highest post-war century for England against Australia. Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests and was the first England batsmen to make hundreds on all six traditional Test grounds; Old Trafford, Edgbaston
, Headingley
, Lords, Trent Bridge
and the Oval
. His Test career ended when he had a heart attack
in Australia in 1968, even though he had several potentially fruitful years ahead of him. From 1975 to 1981 he was an England selector and a regular tour manager, but died from a second heart attack on 14 March 1981 during the Third Test at Bridgetown
, Barbados
, where he had made his maiden Test century 21 years before.
for 28 years, 24 of them in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
. Despite winning a row of medals for service around the world including the First World War Percy Barrington remained a private
and when Ken was born was a batman in the officer's mess at Brock Barracks
in Reading, Berkshire
. His children grew up in the barracks and led a rather Sparta
n life in the Great Depression
of the 1930s. Percy remained at Brock Barracks in the Second World War, left the Army in 1947 and took up work as a watchman
for Handley Page. When Ken became a professional cricketer he often gave them tickets for the Oval
so they could see him play.
and taught all his children how to play, using a piece of wood as a cricket bat. Ken attended Wilson Central primary school and when he moved to Katesgrove Secondary school at the age of 11 joined the school cricket team, as a batsman and fast bowler. In one early game he opened the bowling and with Ray Reeves (who later played football for Reading F.C.
) and dismissed the opposition for 10 runs in 15 minutes. In 1945 Ken left school aged 14 and took up work as a motor mechanic in Reading
, Fred Titmus
saying "he could drive anything from a tank
to a scooter
". After a year he joined the Reading Cricket Club as the assistant groundsman, a job that allowed him unlimited opportunity to practice cricket, and it is here that he learned the art of leg-spin
. When he left the garage his old boss told him "You will never make a living in cricket". He played for the White Hart Hotel XI on Sundays and the Reading Wednesday XI. He was spotted by the ex-England and Surrey
batsman Andy Sandham
and Barrington was invited to play for the Surrey Colts at the age of 16. He took 5/43 and made 4 not out
in his first game and became regular player in their Saturday cricket matches. Here he came under the tutorage of Andrew Kempton, a friend of Sir Jack Hobbs
, and he took 30 wickets at an average of 13, but batted down the order.
at the Kennington Oval in South London for the following season. From April 1948 he commuted to London by railway for his training, having yet to see a first class cricket match. The Chief Coach was Andy Sandham
who thought his leg-spin
bowling lacked accuracy (Surrey had Jim Laker
and Tony Lock
so did not need another spinner) and made him concentrate on his batting. Alec Bedser
predicted that Barrington was a future Test player and Sandham later stated that Barrington was his best pupil. He worked on preparing the vast Oval ground for first class cricket and played for the Surrey Club and Ground cricket team, though still down the order. In the 1949 season he only had time to play one game, making 52 against Kew
before he was called up for National Service
.
stationed in Germany. He grew from 5 inch to 5 inch during this time and he was encouraged to pursue sports. Apart from cricket he represented his battalion in football, won the battalion boxing championship and a small arms competition at the Mons
Officer Cadet School. His leg-spin was helped by the matting wickets used by the British Army cricket team
and he was the only NCO
in the team so when they played away the officers went in staff cars with Barrington in an army truck by himself. Barrington had strong army connections and remained in the Territorial Army after his National Service ended in 1950.
at number seven and was promoted to the top order. In July he added 64 and 194 not out against the Surrey Colts and Barrington started to play for the Surrey Second XI – a minor county team. In 1952 he became a star batsman, making 1,097 runs (57.73) including 157 not out and 151 in successive games against Devon County Cricket Club
and was mentioned in Wisden
. Stuart Surridge
became captain of Surrey in 1952 and led them to their first of a record seven successive County Championship
s (they shared the trophy with Middlesex
in 1950). In 1953 Barrington joined the formidable Surrey team including Alec and Eric Bedser
, Peter May
, Jim Laker
, Tony Lock
, Peter Loader
and Arthur McIntyre. Their bowling line up was of Test class and it was for his growing batting skills that the young Barrington was called up. He made his first class cricket debut against the MCC
in their traditional match against the champions at Lords at the start of the cricket season. Barrington batted at number six and was stumped by Godfrey Evans
off Alan Oakman
for 7 in the first innings and caught off Oakman for 17 in the second as Surrey lost a low scoring match by 107 runs. His second match began the next day against the 1953 Australians
and he was dismissed by Ken Archer
(11/61) for 10 and 4 in another defeat, this time by an innings and 76 runs. Richie Benaud
recalled that he was a very correct batsman, but Barrington was returned to the Second XI. He played only a few games in the County Championship and top-scored with 81 against Worcestershire
. Surrey won without his help in 1953, but in July 1954 they were in severe trouble, in eighth place and 46 points behind the leaders Yorkshire
. After a few fifties Barrington made his maiden first class century against Gloucestershire
at the Oval
. Surrey were 149/7 when he was joined by Jim Laker
in a partnership of 198, Barrington's 108 not out and Laker 113. In the second innings he came in at 39/4 made 68 and Surrey won by 145 runs. Surrey won 10 of their next 12 games and the Championship, Barrington making 89 against Essex
in a game where nobody else passed 50 and 102 against the Pakistan
. The arrival of Barrington and Mickey Stewart was seen as the turning point in Surrey's fortunes and E.M. Wellings wrote that he was the best young batting prospect since Denis Compton
, adding "He is a brilliant strokemaker and now has such a sound defence that he is as convincing on the wet wickets as on the dry.
and played netball
. He proposed to her on a train to Reading and her father agreed to the marriage if they saved £500
. As a result they married on 6 March 1954 and honeymooned in Devon until Ken was called up for the Territorial Army at Salisbury
. They remained happily married for 27 years until his death. As first class cricketers rarely had employment in the winter Barrington worked for British Rail
(painting Oxford
station), a firm of solicitors and moved on to selling perfumes and carpets. They first lived with Ann's parents, but in 1956 bought their own house in Mitcham
in Surrey
near the Oval
, where he found work nearby with a firm of accountants and Ann at a travel agents.
In 1955 Surrey won their first 9 matches and Surridge's vice-captain Peter May
succeeded Len Hutton
as captain of England. Barrington made 135 not out against Lancashire
and 126 against Nottinghamshire
, which won him his county cap
. Now established in the Surrey team he was called up for the First Test against South Africa
at Trent Bridge
, hearing the news when a crowd cheered him while batting in a charity match. He batted at number 4, replacing Colin Cowdrey
who was unable to play. Barrington made a duck and though England won by an innings he felt isolated from the England regulars who he barely knew. He was kept in the side for the Second Test at Lords, coming in at 30/3 in the first innings and making 34, top-scoring in England's 133, but looked uncomfortable on a green pitch against the fast bowling of Peter Heine
. In the second innings Barrington and Denis Compton
added 40 runs, but he was out for 18. Even though England won again Cowdrey was available again and Barrington was dropped. Returning to Surrey he made 73 out of 171 against Middlesex
after coming in at 6/4 and helped the County to their fourth successive Championship. He was voted "Young Cricketer of the Year" by the Cricket Writers Club and was chosen for the 1955–56 MCC
tour of Pakistan
.
tour of Pakistan
had the dual purpose of spreading cricketing goodwill and providing employment and experience for young players with Test potential. There were no Test matches, but they did play Pakistan as the MCC. The team was managed by the genial Geoffrey Howard, the Secretary of Lancashiure
and captained by Donald Carr
, the captain of Derbyshire
and included Fred Titmus
, Brian Close
, Tony Lock
, Jim Parks and Peter Richardson
. Barrington made 70 not out in the first match against Karachi and 66 in the second against Sind. The first match between Pakistan and the MCC at Lahore
was a dull draw, followed by two wins for Pakistan and a close victory for the MCC by two wickets in the fourth and final game. Barrington made 10 and 52, 43 and 11, 32 and 0 and 76 and 10 in these matches, the 43 taking 4 hours against the bowling of Fazal Mahmood
. With five other members of the team he 'kidnapped' Idris Begh the Karachi jeweller and umpire whose decisions they thought were heavily biased. They poured a bucket of water over him in their apartments and he was laughed at by them and two members of the Pakistani team who happened to witness the event. Begh complained to the Pakistani captain Abdul Kardar
and the matter became public, with the crowd chanting "Go home MCC" on the last day of the game. The President of the MCC Lord Alexander
offered to recall the tour and the press called for the culprits to be barred from international cricket, but Howard managed to smooth things down and the tour was completed. In a public relations exercise
the MCC played football with the Pakistan Air Force
with Barrington in goal. Even though Barrington came second in the first class averages with 586 runs (39.06) – Richardson came first with 650 runs (43.44) – Carr did not return a favourable report and it would be four years before he would tour again.
and when Len Maddocks
saw Barrington he told Keith Miller
"This fellow looks the part; he might give us some trouble before long". England had a strong team and under Peter May
's leadership they beat Australia 2–1, the West Indies 3–0 in 1957
and New Zealand 4–0 in 1958
. Barrington lost his form in these seasons and could not fight his way into the England team. Stuart Surridge
retired after winning five championships in his five years as captain and in 1956 May took over, winning Surrey's sixth consecutive championship in 1957 with a massive 94 point lead over all the other counties. In one area Barrington showed improvement as with Surridge gone Surrey needed another close fielder and he was made first slip. He took 64 catches in his first season in this position and as Mickey Stewart held 77 catches and Tony Lock
63 Surrey more than held onto their chances. In June 1957 Barrington's batting picked up with 12 fours and 4 sixes in his 124 not out against Gloucestershire
and 103 not out against the West Indies
including their famous spinners Sonny Ramadhin
and Alf Valentine
. At the end of the season Barrington could afford to relax and hit three more hundreds. With no tour in sight Alf Gover
offered Ken and Ann the chance to teach cricket in South Africa
over the winter. They rented out their house in London, moved to Cape Town
and he coached the First and Second XIs at the Roman Catholic St Joseph's College, set up a Under-11 side in his free time and met a talented Cape Coloured cricketer called Basil d'Oliveira
. Back at the Oval
Barrington had another poor season – making only one century – and was even dropped from the Surrey team and given the task of transporting the team kit from venue to venue. As a result he re-worked his batting technique to get behind the ball to improve his defence against in-swing and off-spin. This was coupled with a change of attitude encouraged by Alec Bedser
and Jim Laker
, he forsaked the big hitting of his youth and became a stonewaller, making runs with the minimum of risk. This required endless net-practice and training at Gover's cricket school, but by 1958 Barrington emerged as one of the best batsmen in England.
, Godfrey Evans
, Frank Tyson
and Barrington's Surrey team-mates Jim Laker
and Peter Loader
all retired from Test cricket. The team needed to be rebuilt and a solid batsman was needed to shore up the top order. Peter May
took leave to get married and Arthur McIntyre took over as wicketkeeper-captain of Surrey. An earlier attempt to turn Barrington into an opener had failed, but McIntyre promoted him to number 3 in the order to stop him getting nervous while pacing around the dressing room waiting to bat. He made 97 against Cambridge University
soon followed by 186 and 118 not out against Warwickshire
at Edgbaston
; 85 and 59 not out against the Indians
at the Oval
and 113 not out against Nottinghamshire
at Trent Bridge
. This earned him a recall to the England cricket team against a weak Indian side, perfect for playing a batsman into a Test career. In the First Test at Trent Bridge
he joined his Surrey and England captain Peter May
at 63/3 and was told not to worry about scoring as long as he fought it out. Barrington took 20 minutes to get off the mark, but hit two sixes off Chandu Borde
to bring up his 50 and was out for 56 in a stand of 175 as England won by an innings. In the Second Test at Lords England were 100/7 when Barrington top-scored with 80, adding 126 for the last three wickets to set up another big win. The Third Test at Headingley
saw him making 80 again, this time adding 193 runs with Colin Cowdrey
in a 8 wicket victory. The Fourth Test at Old Trafford gave him 87 as his missed out on another century, but captain Colin Cowdrey gave him the ball and he took 3/36 with his leg-spin
. In the second innings he was told to go for quick runs and hit 46 in 36 minutes with 6 fours and a six, then wrapped things up with 2/75 and a catch as England won by 171 runs. Back home at the Oval
for the Fifth Test Barrington was out for 8, but England completed the 5–0 whitewash with an innings victory. Barrington made 357 runs (59.50) in the series – more than anybody else – and had had his most prolific summer with 2,499 first class runs (54.32), but Surrey failed to win the County Championship for the first time in 8 years, coming third. His consistent run-making made Barrington won him the honour of being named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
and he was an automatic choice for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies in 1959–60.
3–0 and had high hopes that they would win again in the West Indies in 1959–60. Surrey had their own tour to Rhodesia
, where he made 111 in their 2 run defeat. The England team crossed the Atlantic in a banana boat
and were promptly defeated by Barbados
even though Barrington made 79 in each innings. The West Indian fast bowlers Wes Hall
and Chester Watson
were rightly feared, but on a true pitch at the Kensington Oval
in the First Test they could be played and coming in at number 3 Barrington made his maiden Test century – 128 in England's 482. He was stuck on 97 before driving Reg Scarlett
to the boundary and was hit in the kidney
by a bouncer from Watson. He was given out caught by Gerry Alexander
off Sonny Ramadhin
, but hesitated to walk after the umpire's decision and was made to apologise by the MCC manager Walter Robins
. In what were to become familiar figures Barrington's century took 340 minutes to compile, but he struck 20 fours.
The Second Test at the Queen's Park Oval
had 'pace like fire' and Hall and Watson bounced the England batsmen. Barrington saw off their attack and added 132 with Ted Dexter
, but was hit on the head by a Wes Hall bouncer
on 87. He finished the last few minutes of play, but said "This is a fine – way to play cricket. If these bowlers don't watch out they're going to kill someone", which led to another reprimand from Robins. Praised for his courage by the British press Barrington made his second successive century before he was caught by Alexander off Hall for 121 in 340 minutes, the highest score of the match. In those days England had their own fast bowlers – Fred Trueman
and Brian Statham
– and the West Indies were shot out for 112, Barrington caught Gary Sobers for a duck and the local fans invaded the ground when Dexter ran out the Trinidadian spinner Charran Singh
before he scored. Resuming the next day Barrington hit 49 in the second innings and took 2/34 to dismiss Singh and Watson to wrap up England's 256 run victory.
The last three Tests were drawn, but not without incident; Wisden
wrote "as the tour progressed he took more knocks than most from the bowlers. Nobody relished the short-pitched bowling, but Barrington showed his dislike more than most and as a result became a special target. Nevertheless, he fought bravely". Barrington proved vulnerable as his expressive face encouraged the fast bowlers and he ducked late, making him look ungainly. His room-mate Ray Illingworth
said he cried at night because of his injuries and Hall marked him out for his most hostile bowling. Barrington made 16 and 4 in the Third Test and was barely declared fit for the Fourth Test after suffering from bronchial asthma
and being hit on the elbow by Hall. He retired hurt for a few minutes, but declined to go to hospital and resumed his innings even though he could not play any strokes, making 5 runs in a stand of 39 with Dave Allen
and making a duck in the second innings. A century against Berbice
helped him return to form and even though he was forced to retire hurt when hit on the knuckles by Hall he returned to hook and cut his way to 69 in the last Test. England won the series 1–0, the first time they had won a Test series in the Caribbean
and Barrington's 420 runs (46.66) were an important part of this victory.
. This hit him deeply and he told Micky Stewart
"They'll never be able to leave me out again, I am going to see to that". Even Wisden
noted that being dropped "seemed to weight on him and his disdained the slightest risk" He made 126, 63 and 62 in his next three matches and was back in the team for the Second Test at Lords, famous for the South African bowler Geoff Griffin taking a hat-trick and being no-balled out of Test cricket. Barrington made only 24 in England's innings victory, top-scored with 80 in the Third Test and hit the winning run after being missed in the slips before scoring. He top-scored in both innings in the Fourth Test with 76 and 35 and was dismissed by Trevor Goddard
for the fourth time in a row. He failed in the Fifth Test, but England won 3–0 and Barrington ended with 227 runs (37.83). There was no tour that winter, so he went to Rhodesia
and South Africa
with the International Cavaliers
, under Richie Benaud
, who taught him the flipper
, and he became friends with Bobby Simpson
.
with what was seen as the weakest team they had brought to England for years. Barrington broke a toe early in the season, but recovered to hit 151 not out against Hampshire
and played in the First Test at Edgbaston
. Here he dropped Bill Lawry
and Bobby Simpson
at slip and as a result Barrington gave up fielding in the slips as he felt it required too much concentration and interfered with his batting. Even so when John Murray
was ill he took over as wicket-keeper. Regardless of their reputation Australia gained a first innings lead of 321 runs and Barrington joined Ted Dexter
in a salvage operation
on the last day. To counter his perceived weakness against fast bowling he took the unusual decision to change to a face on stance for the second innings, which he kept for the rest of his career. Dexter hit 180 while Barrington hung on for 190 minutes making 48 not out in their partnership of 161 and the match was saved. He played another rearguard innings of 66 at Lords in the Second Test and 78 in the first innings of the famous Fourth Test at Old Trafford. He had been ordered by the Chairman of Selectors Gubby Allen
to hit out after the tea break and his resulting dismissal saw England fall from 358/6 to 367 all out. In the second innings he was lbw to the part-time bowling of Ken Mackay
in England's collapse from 150/1 to 201 all out as they lost the Test by 54 runs and failed to regain the Ashes
as expected. Meeting the Australians for Surrey he made 12 and 68 not out (out of 100, the next highest score was 9), then 163, 95, 125 not out, 40, 17 and 78 to ensure his place in the Fifth Test on his home ground. He had fractured his wrist against Middlesex, but played anyway and made 53 and 83 in the draw. He ended with a solid 364 runs (45.50) and 2,070 first class runs (59.14), but still had to make a Test century in England.
had missed the two Tests in 1961 and declined to make the gruelling 8 Test tour of India and Pakistan in 1961–62 and Colin Cowdrey
, Fred Trueman
and Brian Statham
also declined to go. Ted Dexter
was put in charge of a weakened team, like Barrington he had made his name in the West Indies and they had shared several big stands together. In an odd schedule the England team played Pakistan
before going to India for a 5 Test series
and returning to complete the series against Pakistan. In the First Test at Lahore England made a slow 380 batting second with Barrington adding 192 with M.J.K. Smith until he ran out his partner for 99 and himself for 139 after batting for over 7 hours. Pakistan collapsed suddenly in the second innings and England won a surprise victory by 5 wickets. In India they played the Combined Universities at Poona and Barrington made 149 not out in 290 minutes, but mimicked Slasher Mackay
(who had toured India two years before) and when he took two wickets there was a pitch invasion as the crowd gave him presents, including a pair of sunglasses
, which he used for the rest of the match, even when bowling. The match was broadcast on radio and Barrington became a star, which he played up to throughout the tour with imitations of Gary Sobers and a pompous Colonel
, playing football with the ball and putting his fingers in his ears when the crowd shouted "Mora, Mora" (have a go). On a more practical side he forsaked local food, lived off egg and chips for almost the entire tour and kept an array of medicines to ward off illness (he lost 8 lbs before the First Test). He was a great success in the series with innings of 151 not, 52 not out, 21, 172, 113 not out, 14, 3, 20 and 48; a total of 594 runs (99.00). He made four centuries in four successive Tests for the first time, but the hosts won the Fourth and Fifth Tests. Returning to Pakistan he made 84 in the Second Test, but missed the Third due to fibrositis, an ailment suffered by Wally Hammond
, Don Bradman and Len Hutton
. He finished with 229 runs (76.33) in the series against Pakistan and 1,329 runs (69.94) on the tour, nearly 300 more than anyone else and top of the averages. It was no surprise that he was named the Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year 1962.
robbed him of match practice before the Furst Test against the visiting Pakistanis and he made only 10 runs in the first three Tests. He was dropped for the Fourth Test, but recalled for the Fifth at the Oval
, where he came in at 365/2 and made 50 not out. He made on 60 runs (20.00), but did better for Surrey, making 1865 first class runs (49.07) and was kept in the team set to tour Australia and New Zealand.
was the first since they had lost 4–0 in 1958–59 just before Barrington became an England regular. Led by Ted Dexter
and managed by His Grace
Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, KG
, GCVO
, PC
they were to face the shrewd Australian captain Richie Benaud
in the 1962-63 Ashes series and few thought they would win. Barrington made 104 against South Australia
at the Adelaide Oval
(a ground where he never failed to make 50 runs in the 10 innings he played there), 219 not out against an Australian XI as the MCC made 633/7, the highest score by the MCC or England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, and 183 not out against Queensland
at the Gabba. He did little in the first three Tests, making 78 in the first innings at First Test at Brisbane, where he hit 6 fours in 20 minutes off the leg-spin of Richie Benaud and Bobby Simpson
, but then took another 210 minutes to make 40 more runs. England won the Second Test at Melbourne and Australia the Third Test at Sydney and it was in the Fourth Test at Adelaide that he came into his own. He made 63 in the first innings and came in at 2/1 – soon 4/2 – in the second chasing 356 ro win. Barrington looked completely assured and began sweeping the Australian spin bowlers as Benaud, Simpson and Norm O'Neill
all tried their arm. He reached his ton with a pull for six off Simpson over long-on, his seventh Test century and his first against Australia. With Alan Davidson
injured Benaud brought gave the new ball to Bill Lawry
who nearly knocked his cap off with a beamer that went for 4 byes. Barrington finished with 2 sixes and 16 fours in his 132 not out and he and Graveney (36 not out) played out the day with an unbeaten partnership of 101 to make England safe at 223/4. In the deciding Fifth Test at Sydney England started with a 9 hour 321 with Barrington entrenched at one end. The famous Sydney Hill
become restless, with Barrington raising his cap when he was jeered and a slow hand clap started around the ground. Barrington usually woke up when his century was in sight, and a sweep of Simpson was dropped by Brian Booth
, but a drive found its way to the boundary and a single brought up his hundred and a surprisingly generous round of applause from the stadium. He drove Benaud straight to Neil Harvey
in the covers, out for 101 after 320 minutes. In the second innings Dexter was determined to declare so he could dismiss the Australians and regain the Ashes
, but Barrington made a sluggish 94 and "just missed his second century of the match, and in that he was unlucky, but his innings had been marred because on this last day he had added only 37 runs in 107 minutes. He had batted in all for 263 minutes, and his 94 runs included only two fours; but Benaud’s
defensive field-placing had contributed to that". The match was drawn, but Barrington made 582 runs (72.75), more runs at a higher average than any other batsman on either side, and the most by an English batsman in Australia since Wally Hammond
made 905 runs (113.12) in 1928–29. Travelling on to New Zealand
the opposition was less fierce (New Zealand would not defeat England in a Test match until 1978). In the First Test at Auckland
he made 126 and when the leg-side crowd barracked him he hooked a couple of fours to their boundary, then a six to the off-side when the crowd there shouted "What about us?" In all he hit 15 fours and a six in his innings as England made 562/7 and won by an innings. He made 76 in the Second Test to give him six consecutive 50s in Test cricket (63, 132 not out, 101, 94, 126, 76), an England record he shares with Patsy Hendren
, Ted Dexter
and Alastair Cook
. Barrington made 47 and 45 as a makeshift opener in the Third Test and made 294 runs (73.50) as England won the series 3–0. His 1,763 first class runs (80.13) was only 18 short of Denis Compton
's record for an MCC tour.
. Frank Worrell
was the first full-time African-Caribbean cricketer to captain the West Indies and had a colourful team in the shape of Conrad Hunte
, Rohan Kanhai
, Gary Sobers, Basil Butcher
, Lance Gibbs
, Wes Hall
and Charlie Griffith
. Barrington made 110 not out against them for Surrey (the next highest score was 22) and joked that the Test match would be over in three days as England had gone 13 Tests against the West Indies without defeat. The First Test was a rude awakening as he was out for 16 and 8 and England lost by an innings. The Second Test at Lords is one of the Great Tests; the West Indies made 301 and Barrington top scored with 80 in England's reply of 297. The West Indies were out for 229 in the second innings and England needed 234 to win. Barrington made 60 and added 99 with Colin Cowdrey
(who arm was broken by Wes Hall) and Brian Close
, and hit Gibbs for a six followed by another onto the Lords balcony. A last minute collapse left England 228/9 with Cowdrey returning to the crease in the last over with victory, defeat, a tie or a draw still possible. As it was Dave Allen
played for a draw. Fred Trueman
's 12/119 won the Third Test at Edgbaston, but Barrington made only 9 and 1, followed by 25, 32, 16 and 28 as Worrell's team won the last two Tests and the series 3–1. For all the colour and excitement provided by the tourists it was a bad series for Barrington as this was the kind of cricket he had forsaken and his 275 runs (27.50) was less than what was expected of him. Even so he published his first book with Phil Riley called Running in Hundreds, detailing his struggle to play for England and rise to fame.
bowled 131 balls without conceding a run. The Test was drawn and in a tour match at Ahmedabad
Barrington made 72 and broke his finger fielding. He was out for the rest of the injury-struck tour (England were reduced to 10 men at one point and Smith considered calling up Henry Blofeld
) and returned to Surrey to organise his benefit.
and with a variety of cricket and football matches, dances other fundraisers he made £10,702, the sixth highest earning benefit at the time, and enough money to buy a newly-built four bedroom detached house in Feltham
. Barrington's great friend Bobby Simpson
led the Australian cricket team in England in 1964
, strong in batting, but weak in bowling. The first two Tests were rain-soaked draws and they went to Headingley
for the Third Test with Barrington having done little – his last 10 innings in England had produced 200 runs. Ted Dexter
was back in charge and famously removed Dave Allen
from the attack just after he had taken 3 wickets. he gave the new ball to Fred Trueman
who served up short-balls to Peter Burge who hooked and pulled his way to 160 to give Australia a 121 run lead in the first innings. England's reply depended heavily on Barrington who made 85 (the next highest score was 32) until he was out to an unlucky lbw decision and they were all out for 229. Australia easily made 111/3 to win and go 1–0 up in the series. The Fourth Test at Old Trafford saw Simpson winning the toss and making the first Test century of his career, 311 in Australia's 656/8. In reply Barrington made his first Test century in England and his highest Test score; 256 in 683 minutes with 26 fours and adding 246 for the third wicket with Dexter; "It was a spirited reply that captured the imagination, but the inevitable draw meant that the Ashes
stayed with Australia". It is the third highest score for England against Australia after Len Hutton
's 364 and R.E. Foster's 287 and is the highest since the Second World War. Before he started his innings his wife had sent him a telegram Vincit qui patitur (he who endures conquers). He was lbw to McKenzie and England made 611, the first time that two teams had made 600 runs in an innings in the same Test. A few days later his smashed 83 in 27 minutes at Reading in one of his benefit matches, hitting 7 sixes, breaking the pavilion roof and followed this up with 207 against Nottinghamshire
to give him back-to-back first class double centuries. In the Fifth Test Trueman took his 300th Test wicket, Geoff Boycott made his maiden Test century and Barrington made 47 and 54 not out, but the rain guaranteed a draw and Australia won the series 1–0. Barrington made 531 runs (75.85) – more than anyone else on either side and only Simpson averaged higher with his 458 runs (76.33) – as he began the most fruitful period of his career.
was contesting Jim Callaghan's constituency M.J.K. Smith led the MCC on its last tour of South Africa, though Dexter joined the team after his inevitable defeat at the ballot box. Though not as strong as they would be in a few years South Africa had Graeme
and Peter Pollock
, Eddie Barlow
, Colin Bland
and Denis Lindsay
and were expected to win on their home turf as England had no recognised fast bowlers. Barrington was made a tour selector and unexpectedly granted permission to bring his wife Ann to South Africa, so she quit her job to join him on the tour. Fears that she would affect his form were put to rest with innings of 76, 24 not out, 169, 2, 169 not out and 82 running up the First Test, where his 148 not out (in 432 minutes) set up a surprise innings victory on a spinning wicket. With a weak bowling attack Barrington's leg-spin was encouraged and he took 5/29 and 4/25 against South African Universities. In the Second Test England enforced the follow on after another Barrington century – 121 – was brought up with a six as he added 191 with Dexter for the third wicket, but Colin Bland dug in for 144 not out as South Africa held out for a draw. The Third Test at Cape Town
saw Barlow refusing to walk after giving a catch to Peter Parfitt
and being given not out. He made 138 and South Africa 501/7 after winning the toss. This caused a furore as the England players refused to acknowledge his hundred and was only calmed down by an apology. The matter was re-opened by Barrington who was given not out at 49, then walked off as his had snicked the ball to Lindsay. It made little difference to the game, England made 442 in another draw, but in the South African second innings he impersonated Jim Laker
and took 3/4, his best bowling in Tests. Barrington opened the batting with Geoff Boycott and made 14 not out impersonating W.G. Grace
. He captained the MCC in a tour match against the Orange Free State, made 3 and 34 not out and won by 7 wickets. Moving on to Johannesburg
Barrington advised Smith to field on the moist wicket after winning the toss, but South Africa made 390/6 and though he made 93 and 11 it was only due to a gritty 76 not out from Boycott that England survived. Against Griqualand West
Barrington took his best first class figures of 7/40 (9/69 in the match) and England went into the Fifth Test needed a draw to win the series. John Waite won the toss and South Africa made 502, but too slowly to force a result. Boycott made 117 and Barrington 72 in England's even slower reply and the game was drawn. England won the series 1–0, the last team to beat the Springboks until 1997–98. Barrington was the chief scorer with 508 runs (101.60) in the Tests and 1128 runs (86.76) on the tour. He also topped the tour bowling averages with 24 wickets (7.25), but leg-spin was out of fashion and was barely used in the Tests. Even so he was named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year 1965.
English cricket was now entirely professional and cricketers like Barrington and Geoff Boycott ground out long, defensive innings for the maximum of runs and the minimum of risk, with slow over-rates, negative fielding and time-wasting cricket was dying a slow death as spectators found other entertainment. The exception was the colourful West Indies team under Frank Worrall and to fit in an extra tour in 1966 South Africa had theirs moved to 1965 and for the first time since 1912 two Test series were played in an English summer, with John Reid's
weak New Zealand team
having its five Tests reduced to three. Barrington was out of form, and had been berated by the Surrey captain Micky Stewart
for slow scoring, but was retained in the England team for the First Test at Edgbaston. This was the most controversial of his career as he played himself into form by taking 437 minutes to make 137 against a poor bowling attack and "almost brought the game to a standstill". Coming in at 54/1 he spent an hour without scoring even though Mike Smith asked him to hurry up. As if to show that he wilfully obstinate he hit 2 fours and a six in one over to bring up his hundred after six hours and was the last man out in a total of 435. Though England won by 9 wickets Barrington was dropped for slow-scoring "for the good of cricket" and the Chairman of Selectors Doug Insole
wrote to him "it is the only practical way of demonstrating that we're not prepared to condone cricket of the Edgbaston variety". This caused a furore in the press as many reporters agreed that he had scored too slowly, but members of the public and other cricketers supported him. Barrington himself was depressed and even considered retirement, but worked on his batting and made 70 and 129 not out for Surrey against the tourists. England won the Second Test and with Boycott and Dexter injured Barrington was recalled for the Third Test at Headingley
. Here he made 163 at twice the speed as his Edgbaston century, struck 26 fours and added 369 with John Edrich
(310 not out) in just over a day, Mike Smith declared on 546/4 and New Zealand lost by an innings and 187 runs. His two innings gave him 300 runs (150.00) in the series.
's South Africans
were a tough outfit and the First Test was played at Lords. South Africa made 280 and England were 88/3 when Barrington hit the ball all around the wicket, making 79 of the 123 runs scored between lunch and tea before he was run out by the master fielder Colin Bland
for 91. Needing 191 to win the second innings he made only 18 as England settled for a draw at 145/7. The Second Test at Trent Bridge
was won by the Pollock brothers, Graeme
hitting 125 and 59 and Peter
taking 10/87, dismissing Barrington for 1 in each innings in their 94 run victory. In the Third Test at the Oval
England were set 399 to win and Barrington made 73, adding 135 with Colin Cowdrey
to take England to 308/4 when rain ended play. It was South Africa's first series victory over England since 1935, their last overseas Test series until 1994 and Barrington totalled 202 runs (33.66). The finale of the season was the Gillette Cup Final between Surrey and Yorkshire. Barrington had hit 68 not out against Middlesex in the semi-final, his 91 runs with Mike Edwards coming at 10 runs an over, but Yorkshire made 317/4 with Boycott hitting 146 and Barrington's 5 overs going for 54 runs. In return he was out to Fred Trueman
for a duck and Surrey lost by 175 runs.
determined not only to regain the Ashes
, but to play entertaining cricket. Barrington’s mother had been ill and his father-in-law died when he reached Australia. He was in poor form until the arrived at this favourite venue – the Adelaide Oval
– where he made 51 and 69 in the MCC's 6 wicket win over South Australia
. At the MCG
he took 4/24 to spin out the Victorian
tail and hit 158 a the run chase that the tourists lost by 32 runs. He mad 53, 38 and 63 in the drawn Tests at Brisbane and Melbourne and just 1 in England's innings victory in the Third Test at Sydney. The Australians fought back in the Fourth Test at Adelaide with Garth McKenzie taking 6/48 to dismiss England for 241 with only Barrington showing resistance with 60. Bobby Simpson
(225) and Bill Lawry
(119) passed this before losing a wicket and England were left to make 275 to avoid an innings defeat. Here bright cricket failed them as only Barrington with 102 and Fred Titmus
with 53 showed any staying power. Barrington batted for 359 minutes and hit only 4 fours and E.W. Swanton thought he "looked capable of going on for ever", but Neil Hawke
took 5/54 and England lost by an innings. The Fifth Test at Melbourne was to decide the Ashes and quick runs were needed when Barrington came in at 41/2. In one of his few sustained hitting displays he made 63 off 101 balls then hit Keith Stackpole
over long on for six and brought up his century 20 balls later with a six into the South Stand off Tom Veivers
. His hundred came off 122 balls and won him "one of the most moving ovations I have heard in Australia", and the Walter Lawrence Trophy
for the fastest Test century of 1966. He was caught for 115 by Wally Grout
who told Doug Walters
to bowl him a ball down the leg so that he could move over and catch the glance. England made 485/9, but a day was lost to rain and Bob Cowper
made 307 to ensure a draw. Barrington made 464 runs (66.28), topped the England averages again and with 946 runs (67.57) and 6 wickets (24.83) headed the batting and bowling averages on the tour. He was excused the tour to New Zealand and was allowed to return home due to fatigue.
including Charlie Griffith
who had been accused of throwing by the Australians Bobby Simpson
, Norm O'Neill
and Wally Grout
. Barrington added fuel to the fire by telling the Daily Mail
that he thought Griffith was a chucker and that he would refuse to play against him. He had been the target of West Indian fast bowling in 1959–60 and 1963 and saw no reason why he should suffer at the hands of a man who was not playing the game fair. This caused a falling out with the West Indian team as Sobers was satisfied that Griffith had a legitimate action and, after all, he had not been called in 1963. Barrington's form was poor, but just before the First Test he made 103 not out in a total of 157/9 against Northamptonshire
with John Edrich
(29) being the only other batsman to exceed 7. At Old Trafford the West Indies won the toss and made 484 and when Barrington came in at 11/1 the West Indian fans called out "Wait till you get to Charlie's end". When he did he pushed back a half volley and was caught and bowled for 5. He made 30 in the follow on, England lost by an innings and M.J.K. Smith was removed from the captaincy. On his wife's advice he saw a doctor who diagnosed physical fatigue and recommended a restful holiday, but in the middle of the season Barrington refused. He played in the Second Test at Lords with Colin Cowdrey
in charge, but made only 19 and 5 in the drawn match. He was selected for the Third Test, but admitted to the selector Alec Bedser
that he wasn't well and withdrew from the Test series (which England lost 3–1), having made only 59 runs (14.75). He stayed at home for a few days, took a week long holiday in Bournemouth
and eased himself back into the Surrey Second XI and then the Surrey team, making 117 after Brian Statham
had reduced them to 20/4. There was no tour that winter and he was able to take a rest, cancel social functions and published his second book with Phil Riley Playing It Straight.
and was recalled for the First Test at Headingley
. Brian Close
had taken over the captaincy in the last Test of 1966 and chose to bat after winning the toss. Barrington survived the early swing to make 93 and added 139 with Geoff Boycott whose 573 minute 246 not out had him dropped for slow scoring a la Barrington. India made 510 after following on and England won by 6 wickets after Barrington made 46 opening with his Surrey team-mate John Edrich
instead of the injured Boycott. Barrington was asked to open again in the Second Test at Lords and made 97 in England's innings victory. Returning to number 3 in the Third Test at Edgbaston he was dropped on 0 and hit 9 fours and 2 sixes in his 75, though the team slumped to 191/8 until John Murray
hit out with 77 to make England 298 as they won by 132 runs. Barrington made 324 runs (64.80), but this was easily surpassed in the second series of the summer against Pakistan
. In between the series he made 158 not out and took 5/51 as Surrey beat the champions Yorkshire just before the First Test. He made 148, his first Test century at Lords, and became the sixth batsman to make 6,000 Test runs after Wally Hammond
, Don Bradman, Len Hutton
, Neil Harvey
and Colin Cowdrey
. Pakistan were saved by 187 not out by their captain Hanif Mohammed and after Barrington made 14 in the second innings the game was drawn. Half the England team was dropped for the Second Test at Trent Bridge
and after Pakistan were out for 140 Barrington made a sheet-anchor 109 not out in England's reply of 252, an innings that lasted 409 minutes and 117 overs on a saturated pitch, which was enough for a 10 wicket victory. Barrington had been ordered by Close to take no chances, but E.W. Swanton wrote "as Barrington grafted away, an automatic slow-motion accumulator...the personification of the modern coldly efficient hyper-professional performance". Strangely he was defended by the old Surrey captain and big-hitter Percy Fender
"I am no advocate of slow scoring...but there are times when the demands of the game, situation and the interests of the side make it necessary". Close meanwhile had been found guilty of gamesmanship
in a county game and was to be replaced for the MCC tour of the West Indies. He remained in charge for the Third Test at the Oval
and he stayed at Ken's house so that he could avoid the press. On his home ground Barrington advised him to put Pakistan in to bat and they were out for 216, England replied with 440 with Barrington himself making 142 in 344 minutes, hitting 141 runs in 152 minutes with Tom Graveney
and striking 14 fours. His 19 Test centuries equalled Len Hutton
's total with only Wally Hammond
's 22 ahead of them, and he became the first England batsmen to make a hundred on the six traditional Test cricket grounds of Old Trafford, Edgbaston
, Headingley
, Lords, Trent Bridge
and the Oval
. He made 13 not out in the second innings in England's 8 wicket victory and his 426 runs (142.00) placed him at the top of the series averages. Hs 2,059 runs (68.63) were the most made in the season, Dennis Amiss
coming second in the averages with 1260 runs (54.41).
Brian Close
was replaced by Colin Cowdrey
for the MCC tour of the West Indies in 1967–68, his third spell as England captain and he was determined to make a success of it. Barrington and the MCC fared poorly in the run up matches and with West Indian supporters constantly telling him "Charlie's
waiting for you man. He'll kill you". Barrington was so upset that told his wife that he wouldn't tour again. In the First Test at the Queen's Park Oval
in Trinidad
Cowdrey won the toss and batted with Boycott and Edrich adding 80 for the first wicket and Barrington coming in against the spinners at 110/2. Soon after Gary Sobers responded to the crowd and brought on Griffith, but Barrington twice called him to halt as the chanting of the crowd interfered with his concentration. Although hit with bouncers on the shoulders and back he survived the five over spell and the tired bowler was taken off. He brought up his 50 with a six off Lance Gibbs
and added 134 with Cowdrey and 188 with Tom Graveney
before hitting Gibbs for another six to bring up his 20th century. When he saw the ball sailing into the stands the 37 year old Barrington took off his cap and waved his fist in triumph. He was finally caught by Griffith off Gibbs for 143, the second time that he had made a century in four successive Tests. England made 568 and the West Indies followed on (Barrington dismissing Sobers), but survived the last day on 243/8 for a draw. Barrington made 63 in the Second Test at Sabina Park
, Jamaica
, again stopping Griffith's run up as the crowd went wild. John Snow
took 7/49 and the West Indies followed on again, but when the local favourite Basil Butcher
was out at 204/5 the crowd disagreed with the decision and rioted, even though Butcher had walked. Tear gas was used by the Jamaican police to restore order and play resumed, but the England team lost their hold on the game as Sobers made 113 not out and the West indies 391/9. Needing only 159 to win England collapsed to 68/8 (Barrington 13), but somehow managed a draw. The Third Test at Bridgetown, Barbados was another draw (Barrington 17) and the Fourth back at Trinidad
looked like going the same way. The West Indies had made 526/7 and England replied with 404, where Cowdrey (148) and Barrington (48) added 133 for the third wicket. Sobers, remembering the England collapse in the Second Test declared at 92/2 leaving England 215 to win in 135 minutes, a run-rate they had yet to achieve in the series . Cowdrey was uncertain, but Barrington convinced him to go for the win, shouting "Will we go for it? Of course we'll go for it. That's what we've come all this way for, isn't it?" Barrington did not bat, but England made 215/3 and won by seven wickets. Sobers was lambasted by the Caribbean press for his cavalier declaration, but responded in the Fifth Test in Georgetown, Guyana
with 152 and 95 not out, Barrington taking his wicket again in the first innings, and England were struggling at 206/9 when stumps were pulled on the last day, but they drew the match and won the series. Barrington had made only 4 and 0, but finished with 288 runs (41.14) and 5 wickets (51.40), having dismissed Sobers and Seymour Nurse
twice each and the opener Steve Camacho
.
and withdrew from the First Test due to back trouble, which Australia won. He returned for the Second Test at Lords and made a patient 75 after having retired hurt on 61 with a broken finger from Garth McKenzie. This stood him in good stead that evening when he turned the wrong way down a one way street and was stopped by the police as after enquiries into his finger he was allowed to proceed. The Queen also asked about his finger when the teams were presented to her, as is traditional at Lords. In freakish weather conditions including several stops for rain and a hailstorm that turned the ground white Australia were out for 78, but they survived the follow on as the weather forced a draw. The Third Test at Edgbaston was Cowdrey's 100th and he celebrated with a century, but Barrington was caught lbw by Eric Freeman and the game was another rained-off draw. Both Cowdrey and Bill Lawry
we ill for the Fourth Test at Headingley, and the stand in captains settled for a third successive draw, with Barrington making 49 and 46 not out. Needing to win at the Oval
to share the series the slow-scoring Barrington was dropped, but England won the Fifth Test with five minutes to spare. Barrington was named for the tour of South Africa in 1968–69, but this was cancelled when Basil d'Oliveira
was belatedly included and the South African government refused to allow him to play.
with Bournemouth '5705' Cricket Club, which arrived in the aftermath of the Six Day War. He made a century and was elected the first president of the Israeli Cricket Supporters' Association.
After his return he went to Australia with Colin Milburn
to contest the first World Double-Wicket Championship, they lost to Gary Sobers and Wes Hall
, beat Bobby Simpson
and Garth McKenzie, lost to Bill Lawry
and Doug Walters
and finally beat Charlie Griffith
and Rohan Kanhai
. At this last game at the St Kilda Cricket Ground
in Melbourne
on Saturday, 12 October he had a pain in his arms as he was going to shower and collapsed to the ground. He was helped to a chair and then a massage table and a call was made to the crowd for a doctor. As he was taken away in an ambulance to Prince Henry Hospital Charlies Griffith told him "Don’t' worry Kenny, you'll be all right". Simpson called his wife Ann, who flew in from London, and Ken was given a room with a view of the MCG
. He had had a thrombosis
, but the heart muscles repaired themselves and he made a full recovery. Telegrams and cards arrived from all around the world and the Chairman of Selectors Doug Insole
visited him in hospital.
Barrington's place in the two-man team for the semi-final match on following day (Sunday, 13 October) against Lawry and Walters was taken by Fred Trueman
; who, paired with Basil D'Oliveira
, had been eliminated from the contest in the first round on the preceding day. Playing with great determination, Trueman and Milburn dismissed Lawry and Walters for 33 runs, and then scored 34 runs without loss. In the final, playing against Peter Pollock
and Graeme Pollock
, Trueman and Milburn batted strongly, scoring 22 runs without loss, and then, bowling superbly, dismissed both of the Pollock brothers for the paltry score of 21 runs to win the final by one run.
Barrington was told to take a complete rest and returned to England on the SS Canberra
, celebrating his 38th birthday with a cake shaped like a cricket bat. It was hoped that he would return to Test cricket, but after consulting a Harley Street
doctor he was advised to cut out smoking, sleepless nights and the stress of international cricket, though he could continue to play for Surrey. After reflection he announced his retirement from cricket on 16 January 1969 on Sportsnight
with David Coleman
, having already informed Surrey County Cricket Club
and the MCC. The news was met with surprise, but Insole, who had seen Barrington in hospital, had already concluded that he would play again and wrote his thanks for his "outstanding contribution" to cricket.
– he had created Ken Barrington Limited, which made cricket clothes, but he sold it off after his heart attack. In 1968 the Barringtons moved to Fetcham
and Ken wanted to call the new house Adelaide after the Adelaide Oval
(where he had made 10 fifties in a row), but Ann objected and they called it Newlands after Newlands Cricket Ground
in Cape Town
where he had once made 169 not out. After 15 years of marriage Ann found she was pregnant on 15 April 1969, the start of the cricket season just after Ken had retired, and their son Guy Kenneth Barrington was born on 16 November 1969. He was baptised in 1970 with Colin Cowdrey
and Harry Secombe
as the godfathers and Betty Surridge as the godmother. They took over a local garage – Ken Barrington Motors Ltd – in 1971, which sold Jaguar and Rover cars and proved to be a profitable enterprise.
, when they reached the immigration queue in Australia an official recognised him, gave them food and drink and saw them through the formalities as quickly as possible; "This is the least we can do for Ken Barrington, the finest overseas player to come to Australia". On his return he managed the Derrick Robins
XI tour of South Africa, a multiracial cricket team led by Brian Close
and including Younis Ahmed
, John Shepherd
and Gordon Greenidge
in an attempt to restore cricket links with South Africa. When they arrived in Cape Town
he found that "all the lads I coached twenty years ago are now big businessmen" and he received a warm welcome. He managed another Derek Robins XI under David Lloyd
the next year and although the cricket was a success they failed to re-establish international cricket in South Africa and an attempt to integrate cricket in South Africa failed.
used his influence to have Barrington join himself, Alec Bedser
, Charlie Elliott
and Sir Len Hutton
as a selector for the Test and County Cricket Board
(TCCB), which chose the England cricket team. He joined just as a demoralised England team returned from Australia
for the premier Cricket World Cup
followed by a four Test series against Australia (arranged to cover the cancelled South African tour). Mike Denness
had lost confidence as captain in Australia, but had made 188 in the Sixth Test (with Dennis Lillee
and Jeff Thomson
injured) where England had won by an innings. He was kept on as captain and saw England lose to Australia in the World Cup semi-finals, but lost by an innings in the First Test at Old Trafford. Denness was dropped and the combative Tony Greig
was made the new captain. As a selector Barrington tended to favour experience and current form over potential and chose the unknown Northants
batsman David Steele, who became an unlikely hero as England the last three Tests were hard fought draws. Against Clive Lloyd
's West Indians in 1976
he called up the 45 year old Brian Close
and 39 year old John Edrich
and they were hard hit by the West Indian fast bowlers as England lost 3–0.
. In the First Test John Lever
took 10/70 as England won by an innings. In the Second Test Barrington advised Greig to bat as long as possible so that India would have to bat on a wearing pitch. The England captain took 434 minutes making 103 with a fever, India were bowled out for 181 in the second innings and England won by 10 wickets. Another win in the Third Test gave England their first series victory in India since Douglas Jardine
in 1933–34, but was spoilt by accusations by the Indian captain Bishan Bedi that Lever used Vaseline
to shine the ball. Bernard Thomas, the England physiotherapist had given Lever and Bob Willis
Vaseline strips on their foreheads to stop sweat dripping into their eyes, but Lever took his off as the Vaseline made the ball slip from his hands. The umpire picked up the strips and Bedi claimed that this not only accounted for their current defeat (India had been dismissed for 164 and 82), but the others as well. The strips were examined without any conclusion being found as to whether they helped bowling and the matter was referred the MCC. Barrington diplomatically thanked the Indian Board for not finding anything averse and was criticised for not defending his players more, but as Lever said "if he had overreacted, the tour could have been called off". England lost the Fourth Test to some dubious umpiring and Barrington, while scathing in his official report, declined to publicly voice his complaints to the press. At the end of the tour he was joined by Ann, who did secretarial work for him and the team, and the Fifth test was drawn for a 3–1 series win. After the India tour the team proceeded to Australia for the Centenary Test
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, a gathering of almost every Ashes
Test player from England and Australia. Apart from the cricket the Test was secretly used to recruit English and Australia players for Kerry Packer
's World Series Cricket
(WSC). Tony Greig
became a leading Packer recruiter and Barrington was kept in the dark as he would have to report any such activity to the TCCB. Ironically, Barrington secretly gathered guests for Greig's appearance on This Is Your Life
on their return to England.
and the Australian tourists to which several pressmen were present. Most of the Australian and many England players were involved, but as the Australian Board of Control
were committed to using WSC players they had already sent to England the TCCB agreed that they would use their players to avoid a one sided series. They could not keep Greig as captain and Barrington pressed for the appointment of Mike Brearley
of Middlesex
as his replacement. Barrington had long advocated the selection of his former team-mate Geoff Boycott and after a three year exile he was recalled to the England team with great success. With the prospect of losing so many senior players Barrington was also keen to bring in some new players and encouraged the selection of Ian Botham
, who he predicted "could become another Keith Miller
". With Brearley's shrewd captaincy, Boycott making two centuries and Botham taking two 5-wicket hauls England defeated a divided Australian team 3–0 and regained the Ashes
.
in the first season of the WSC, both sides losing players as a result. Phil Edmonds
and Paul Downton
were taken on the tour, Downton on Barrington's advice after playing only a few county games and he gave Edmonds was long practise sessions in the nets to improve his spin bowling. The team arrived in the wake of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
's military coup displacing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
and the country was in a state of high tension and disorder. In the First Test 40,000 Bhutto supporters rioted at the ground and the teams took refuge in their dressing rooms as the army restored order. The TCCB gave Barrington permission to cancel the tour if he saw fit and realising this the players urged him to let them go home for Christmas. In the Second Test England collapsed in the first innings to the leg-spinner Abdul Qadir
(6/44), but Barrington bowled his own leg-spin at Brearley and Boycott for an hour before the second innings and their 185 opening stand saved the game. The Third Test was surrounded by controversy as Pakistan wanted brought in their WSC players Zaheer Abbas
, Mushtaq Mohammad
and Imran Khan
to win a series victory in the last Test. This would have given them an edge over an England team with out its WSC veterans. Several England players lead by the vice-captain Geoff Boycott, Bob Willis
and Derek Randall
refused to play Pakistan with their Packer players and Barrington and Brearley tried to negotiate between the players, the TCCB and the Pakistani cricket authorities. Matters were made worst by Mike Brearley
breaking his arm and returning to England, leaving the uncompromising Boycott as captain and Willis as vice-captain. Fortunately, the Pakistani players could only play by breaking their WSC contracts, which they refused to do, and the Test was drawn. Barrington was out of his depth in these political matters, even though Willis later admitted that his determination for the Test to be played regardless was the right course.
was in direct competition with Kerry Packer
's WSC
and Doug Insole
was made the team manager to deal with the social calendar, finances and any cricket diplomacy. Barrington was made his assistant-manager in charge of the cricket, in effect a team coach. The two were old friends and Barrington was more than pleased to have some of the huge workload taken off his back; "I don't have to worry about accounts, banks, hotels, functions, team problems, press, Boycott, etc." The English WSC players were unavailable so youngsters like Ian Botham
, Phil Edmonds
, David Gower
, Graham Gooch
and John Emburey
were on the tour with old hands like Mike Brearley
, Geoff Boycott, Bob Willis
and Bob Taylor
. This gave them an advantage over Australia who had no experienced players in their team, though they had the young batsmen Allan Border
and Kim Hughes
and the fast bowler Rodney Hogg
, who took a record 41 wickets (12.85). The batting was poor throughout the series on both sides, a concern for Barrington, but England won 5–1 and there were no other problems. The Australian Board of Control
negotiated a deal with Packer and the following season both England and the West Indies toured Australia in 1979–80 with Alec Bedser
as manager. Barrington disapproved of this new age of cricketing razzmatazz, though he was impressed with the floodlights at the SCG
, but England lost all three Tests to a reunited Australian team.
was an injury-prone fast bowler whose appointment in 1982 was a surprise even though he had been vice-captain for four years; Keith Fletcher
, who had not played Test cricket for years, but had led Essex
to the County Championship
in 1979; and charismatic the 24 year old Ian Botham
. Barrington advocated Botham, who at the time averaged 40.48 with the bat and 18.52 with the ball and was England's golden boy. In the end the appointment failed as Botham's form evaporated under the strain of captaincy and his first 17 Tests would be against the two toughest teams in the world; Australia and the West Indies. In 1980 the First Test was almost won when Willis took 5/65 and the West Indies struggled to a two wicket win. In a wet summer the rest of the Tests were drawn, as was the rain-affected Centenary Test
at the end of the season.
was made the manager of the tour to the West Indies in 1980–81. Due to financial reasons there was no assistant manager, but Barrington was appointed after representations from the team, though Stuart Surridge
asked him not to go as the strain would be too much. He passed a medical, was eager for another tour and had been a teammate of Smith's in the 1962-63 Ashes series. He got on well with Botham, who wrote "He would fetch me a cup of tea...sit on the bench in the dressing room, raise a point and we would argue about it. A quarter of an hour later I'd find myself doing as he said". Substandard hotels and cricket facilities, torrential rain and local politics caused many problems. In St Vincent
they had net practice surrounded by livestock and they struggled to get food at their hotel in Trinidad
. Furthermore they were up against Clive Lloyd
's powerful West Indian team including Viv Richards
, Gordon Greenidge
, Desmond Haynes
, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
, Joel Garner
and Colin Croft
. In the First Test, Botham put the West Indies in to bat on a damp wicket that recovered and they made 426/9. England followed on and despite extra rain failed to hold out for a draw, Barrington wrote: "The boys tried hard, but one or two did not apply themselves. Hence the same old story. Lack of first-class batting and application". In Guyana
the Bourda
cricket ground was flooded for days and an injury to Willis meant he had to be sent home and replaced by Robin Jackman
of Surrey. Jackman had played for Rhodesia
in the Currie Cup
and after a week of increasing crisis, President Forbes Burnham
decided that Jackman had to be deported under the Gleneagles Agreement
. Barrington was incredulous, and in another malapropism
said, "The people wouldn't let old Forbes Burnham deprive them of their cricket: 10,000 to watch a practice match today; it could be a real evolution
if he tried it". The TCCB refused to have its team chosen by another country (ironically, it was the South African refusal to accept Basil d'Oliveira
that had led to their cricketing isolation) and the Second Test was cancelled. With all flights out of Guyana fully booked and Barrington now concerned for the team's safety, they even considered using a Royal Navy
destroyer
to rescue them. Fortunately, seats were made available and they flew to Barbados
with great relief. There they had to wait to see if the tour would continue, but the Government of Barbados
saw that Gleneagles applied to South African teams rather than individual players and allowed the Third Test to proceed. Ann came to join the team and Jackman was chosen for his Test debut. With the West Indies sent in to bat, Jackman took 3/65 and they were only saved by a century from Lloyd as they struggled to 265. England in turn were out for 122, with Barrington chain smoking on the balcony as the wickets fell, consoling each batsman as he returned to the dressing room. When the day was finished, he had dinner with Ann and some friends, but when they went to bed he had a heart attack at 10:30 pm on 14 March 1981.
in the crowded lobby and they called for a doctor and an ambulance, but by the time they arrived Barrington was already dead. They tried to keep the death a secret until his son Guy could be told at his boarding school, but his body had to be sent to the mortuary via the lobby and the news soon leaked. The England captain Ian Botham
was told and he and Smith informed each member of the team in the morning. They had a minute's silence
at the team meeting before returning to the Kensington Oval
, where Barrington had made his maiden Test century 21 years before. The news was announced at the ground and there was another one minute's silence at the beginning of play. The England team were distraught and Robin Jackman
said he couldn't bowl properly as he had tears in his eyes. Unsurprisingly they lost the Test by 298 runs, though Graham Gooch
made a fighting 116 in their second innings. He later said
The police wanted to keep the body for a post-mortem, but Thomas obtained a death certificate and was allowed to return the body to England. A British Airways
pilot who was in Barbados
for the cricket arranged for Thomas and Ann to return on a Boeing 747
with the entire upper deck reserved for them and Ken's body and they landed at Heathrow. He was cremated on 23 March 1981 in Leatherhead
, Surrey
and 150 wreaths were received, including one from each cricket county. Surrey County Cricket Club
arranged a memorial service at Southwark Cathedral
in April 1981, which had last been done for Sir Jack Hobbs
in 1964. It was attended by 700 mourners including Ian Botham
and the England cricket team, who had just returned from the Caribbean, Lord Alec Douglas-Home
, the former prime minister, Hector Monro
, the Minister for Sport
, and many cricketers. The service was led by the ex-England captain David Sheppard
, now the Bishop of Liverpool
, and Harry Secombe
sang "Amazing Grace
".
and in his honour they named the Under-13 Competition winner's silver cup the "Ken Barrington Trophy", and there are Ken Barrington Pavilions at Reading, Berkshire
and Bookham, Dorset
. The largest memorial to his name is the Ken Barrington Indoor Cricket Centre at the Oval
. Surrey County Cricket Club
decided in 1983 that as he loved to teach cricket to children they would build a training centre in his name. Prince Charles made the first donation and £1,250,000 was raised by public subscription. Delays in planning permission and further need for money mean that it was not opened until the 31 July 1991, but coincidence the same day as the Surrey vs Essex quarter-final in the NatWest Trophy. The centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip
, and Prime Minister John Major
, the last two keen cricket fans, the Essex and England captain Graham Gooch
and of course, Ann and Guy Barrington. The centre contains Ken Barrington memorabilia.
Thanks to his army upbringing Barrington was very neat in his dress and carefully ironed and packed his clothes, and took great care of his cricket equipment. While waiting to bat he would watch the play or prowl the dressing room with a cigarette and would reflect with another cigarette after his dismissal. He rarely drank and preferred to retire early, especially on nights preceded match days. He was brought into cricket when social class
and the hierarchy between amateur and professional
was still the norm and retained some degree of politeness to his superiors, even at the end of his career. At home he could ill afford to hire mechanics or decorators and as a result become an accomplished car-repairman for his friends and colleagues, his own car was always kept spotless and in perfect working order, and was a keen DIY man. He was always careful with his money and frequently called up the management of a hotel if the room was not up to standard and argued if they charged too much. Barrington was a well known sayer of malapropism
s such as; "If you pitch it there you put the batsman in two-mans land
", "That was good bowling in anyone's cup of tea", "The press went through the food like a swarm of lotuses
" and "high-philosophy
bullets".
Ken Barrington started was a free-scoring off-side player, but determined to regain his place he opened his stance and became a defensive leg-side player. In the 1960s he was the backbone of the England team, whose batting had proved so fragile to the Australian bowling in the 1958-59 Ashes series, but he was a match-saver rather than a match-winner, always best in a crisis. The selectors, press and public thought that he surrendered the initiative too much to the bowlers, but a batsman of his calibre could not be ignored. He was a great worrier and had trouble sleeping during a Test match or if he was not out overnight, which lead in turn to exhaustion. As a batsman he was a nervous waiter in the dressing room and preferred to bat at number three to reduce the tension. He would smoke cigarettes to calm himself down and would watch closely to see how the wicket was playing. Barrington took his time walking out to the crease and the Australian wicket-keeper Wally Grout
said "Whenever I saw Ken coming to the wicket, I thought the Union Jack was trailing behind him". Once there he would inspect the pitch and subject it to "incessant prodding", and would hold up play if the captain changed the field so that he could inspect it. A nervous starter he would make 20–30 runs quickly enough, but gave chances to the bowlers, who tried to take advantage of this. Once settled he would slow down and would sink into lethargy until he neared his century, which four times in Tests he brought up with a massive pull for six. Yet there was method even in this, fielding captains tended to add close-fielders in the 'nervous nineties', so Barrington just hit the ball over their heads into the outfield.
After his initial failure as a Test batsman in 1955 Barrington "set out to eliminate fun from his game and replace it with something very near impregnability". Ian Chappell
wrote with feeling "Every so often you encounter a player whose bat seem about a yard wide. It's not, of course. It just seems that way. England's Ken Barrington was one. Our own Bill Lawry
was another. Gee, they were hard to dislodge". This was not always appreciated by the selectors, spectators and the press; and he once met a man on a train who told him "I always switch off the television
when you come in". This lack of appreciation may have been affected by the fact that he scored most of his centuries overseas and that he could play entertaining strokes, but chose not to do so. He was controversially dropped from the England team after 57 Tests for taking over seven hours to make 137 against a weak New Zealand attack in 1965 in which he "almost brought the game to a standstill". But when quick runs were needed in the Fifth Test at Melbourne
in 1962–63 he surprised everyone by smashing a hundred off 122 balls and bringing up the century with a six into the stands. Though he rarely expressed open dissent he used to pull faces if he disagreed with an umpire or though that the light was too bad or the bouncers too frequent. His grimacing and nervous jump when receiving hostile fast bowling led some to believe that he was afraid, but he stood up to Wes Hall
, Chester Watson
, Charlie Griffith
and Peter Pollock
even if injured.
His square stance made the cover drive difficult and Barrington eliminated it from his scoring strokes, even so bowlers attacked the off-stump "It wasn't that he was weak there, but merely he was less strong" as Richie Benaud
explained. Barrington never lost his ability as a spinner, and it made him very effective against spin bowling, especially that of Richie Benaud
. His Surrey
team mate Jim Laker
wrote "His concentration was such that when facing slow bowlers, he would actually watch the ball spinning in the air and play it accordingly". His one weakness that he was not a good runner, he seldom wanted to relinquish the strike and thought quick singles tired a batsman out. Sometimes a keen batting partner would rush up the wicket only to find Barrington entrenched at the crease and waiting for him to scramble back. John Edrich
called him "the worst in the world", and his West Country accent
meant that "won" (one or run) and "wait" sounded too much alike. His greatest strength was that he was a good tourist, averaging 69.18 in Tests abroad, though his home average of 50.71 was hardly negligible. He also made 14 of his 20 Test hundreds in foreign fields, which led to his being appreciated by overseas more than he was at home, where his good humour when playing to the crowd won him widespread admiration in Australia and hero-worship in India.
As a selector Barrington watched some 80 days of county cricket each year to check new talent and help choose the team. From 1976 he was the manager or assistant-manager in every England tour. In those days a manager led the social side of the tour with speeches and dinners, which initially caused him some difficulty, relations with the local cricketing authorities, umpires and the TCCB as well as coaching and training the side. His strengths were that he had toured these countries before, had contacts, a natural good humour and was an excellent ambassador for the game he loved. As a coach few were better at fielding practice and helping batsmen with their technique in the nets. While he did not coach bowlers so well he could guide them through the weaknesses of the opposition batsmen and general strategy. Although he often grumbled to his team and off the cuff to the English press he was always diplomatic in his official statements. He was an avuncular figure popular with the England players who held him in great respect and called him 'the Colonel', but could also tease him and "eagerly awaited the traditional Barrington reaction of hands on hips, eyes cast in the air and a resigned shake of the head".
, Colin Cowdrey
and Geoffrey Boycott
. He made hundreds against all the Test teams of his era, but less than a third in England, which partially accounts for his greater reputation abroad than at home. Barrington's granite-like hundreds ensured that England only lost one Test in which he made three figures, but also won eight, belaying his reputation as a match-saver rather than a match-winner, and most of them by huge margins; four by an innings, one by 256 runs and three by 10, 9, and 8 wickets. Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests, against Pakistan and Indian in 1961–62 and Pakistan and the West Indies in 1967–68 and he was the first England batsmen to make a hundred on the six Test cricket grounds with one each at Old Trafford, Edgbaston
, Headingley
, Lords, Trent Bridge
and the Oval
.
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...
and Surrey County Cricket Club
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 the 1950s and 1960s. He was a right-handed batsman
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
and occasional leg-spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
bowler, well known for his jovial good humour and long, defensive innings "batting with bulldog determination and awesome concentration". His batting improved with the quality of the opposition; he averaged 39.87 in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, 45.63 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...
, 58.67 in Test cricket
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 63.96 against Australia. Barrington's Test average of 58.67 is the highest of any post-war England batsman and the seventh highest of all batsmen who have made 1,000 Test runs. His 256 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in 1964 is the highest post-war century for England against Australia. Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests and was the first England batsmen to make hundreds on all six traditional Test grounds; Old Trafford, Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, Lords, Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. His Test career ended when he had a heart attack
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
in Australia in 1968, even though he had several potentially fruitful years ahead of him. From 1975 to 1981 he was an England selector and a regular tour manager, but died from a second heart attack on 14 March 1981 during the Third Test at Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, where he had made his maiden Test century 21 years before.
Family
Ken Barrington was the eldest child of Percy and Winifred Barrington and had two brothers, Roy and Colin, and a sister, Sheila. His father was a career soldier who served in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
for 28 years, 24 of them in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
. Despite winning a row of medals for service around the world including the First World War Percy Barrington remained a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
and when Ken was born was a batman in the officer's mess at Brock Barracks
Brock Barracks
Brock Barracks is a British Army barracks in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located on Oxford Road in the district of West Reading. The majority of the buildings and structures within Brock Barracks are Grade II listed.- History :...
in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. His children grew up in the barracks and led a rather Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n life in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s. Percy remained at Brock Barracks in the Second World War, left the Army in 1947 and took up work as a watchman
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
for Handley Page. When Ken became a professional cricketer he often gave them tickets for the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
so they could see him play.
Boyhood cricket
Percy Barrington was a keen cricketer, played for the regimental cricket team as an all-rounderAll-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
and taught all his children how to play, using a piece of wood as a cricket bat. Ken attended Wilson Central primary school and when he moved to Katesgrove Secondary school at the age of 11 joined the school cricket team, as a batsman and fast bowler. In one early game he opened the bowling and with Ray Reeves (who later played football for Reading F.C.
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
) and dismissed the opposition for 10 runs in 15 minutes. In 1945 Ken left school aged 14 and took up work as a motor mechanic in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, 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...
saying "he could drive anything from a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
to a scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
". After a year he joined the Reading Cricket Club as the assistant groundsman, a job that allowed him unlimited opportunity to practice cricket, and it is here that he learned the art of leg-spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
. When he left the garage his old boss told him "You will never make a living in cricket". He played for the White Hart Hotel XI on Sundays and the Reading Wednesday XI. He was spotted by the ex-England and 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...
batsman Andy Sandham
Andy Sandham
Andrew Sandham was an English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who played 14 Test matches between 1921 and 1930. He scored over 40,000 first-class runs, but bowled only very rarely; he took just 18 wickets in his career.Sandham made his Surrey debut in 1911, and was capped in 1913...
and Barrington was invited to play for the Surrey Colts at the age of 16. He took 5/43 and made 4 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...
in his first game and became regular player in their Saturday cricket matches. Here he came under the tutorage of Andrew Kempton, a friend of Sir Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
, and he took 30 wickets at an average of 13, but batted down the order.
Surrey groundstaff
In August 1947 Barrington was asked to join the groundstaff of the prestigious Surrey County Cricket ClubSurrey 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...
at the Kennington Oval in South London for the following season. From April 1948 he commuted to London by railway for his training, having yet to see a first class cricket match. The Chief Coach was Andy Sandham
Andy Sandham
Andrew Sandham was an English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who played 14 Test matches between 1921 and 1930. He scored over 40,000 first-class runs, but bowled only very rarely; he took just 18 wickets in his career.Sandham made his Surrey debut in 1911, and was capped in 1913...
who thought his leg-spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
bowling lacked accuracy (Surrey had Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
and Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
so did not need another spinner) and made him concentrate on his batting. Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
predicted that Barrington was a future Test player and Sandham later stated that Barrington was his best pupil. He worked on preparing the vast Oval ground for first class cricket and played for the Surrey Club and Ground cricket team, though still down the order. In the 1949 season he only had time to play one game, making 52 against Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
before he was called up for National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
.
National service
Barrington served as a Lance-Corporal in the Wiltshire RegimentWiltshire Regiment
The Wiltshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 62nd Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment of Foot....
stationed in Germany. He grew from 5 inch to 5 inch during this time and he was encouraged to pursue sports. Apart from cricket he represented his battalion in football, won the battalion boxing championship and a small arms competition at the Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
Officer Cadet School. His leg-spin was helped by the matting wickets used by the British Army cricket team
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
and he was the only NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
in the team so when they played away the officers went in staff cars with Barrington in an army truck by himself. Barrington had strong army connections and remained in the Territorial Army after his National Service ended in 1950.
Surrey 1950–54
On his discharge in August 1950 Barrington returned to Surrey and professional coaching. In May 1951 he made his first century batting against KenleyKenley
Kenley is a district in the south of the London Borough of Croydon. It borders Purley, Coulsdon, Riddlesdown, Caterham and Whyteleafe. Kenley is situated 13 miles south of Charing Cross. The 2001 census showed Kenley having a population of 13,525....
at number seven and was promoted to the top order. In July he added 64 and 194 not out against the Surrey Colts and Barrington started to play for the Surrey Second XI – a minor county team. In 1952 he became a star batsman, making 1,097 runs (57.73) including 157 not out and 151 in successive games against Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
and was mentioned in Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
. Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge
Walter Stuart Surridge was a cricketer who played for Surrey. He was born at Herne Hill in south London, educated at Emanuel School, and died at Glossop in Derbyshire....
became captain of Surrey in 1952 and led them to their first of a record seven successive County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
s (they shared the trophy with Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in 1950). In 1953 Barrington joined the formidable Surrey team including Alec and Eric Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
, Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
, Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
, Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
, Peter Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
and Arthur McIntyre. Their bowling line up was of Test class and it was for his growing batting skills that the young Barrington was called up. He made his first class cricket debut against the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in their traditional match against the champions at Lords at the start of the cricket season. Barrington batted at number six and was stumped by Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
off Alan Oakman
Alan Oakman
Alan Oakman was an English first-class cricketer. He had a long career for Sussex, playing 538 first-class matches over a 21-year period, and played two Test matches for England...
for 7 in the first innings and caught off Oakman for 17 in the second as Surrey lost a low scoring match by 107 runs. His second match began the next day against the 1953 Australians
Australian cricket team in England in 1953
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1953 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the final Test to take the series 1-0 after the first four Tests were all drawn. England therefore recovered the Ashes for the first time since losing them in...
and he was dismissed by Ken Archer
Ken Archer
Kenneth Alan Archer is an Australian cricketer. An opening batsman, he played domestic first-class cricket for Queensland for 10 years, from 1946-7 to 1956-7. He played in 5 Tests for the Australian cricket team in 1950 and 1951...
(11/61) for 10 and 4 in another defeat, this time by an innings and 76 runs. Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
recalled that he was a very correct batsman, but Barrington was returned to the Second XI. He played only a few games in the County Championship and top-scored with 81 against 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...
. Surrey won without his help in 1953, but in July 1954 they were in severe trouble, in eighth place and 46 points behind the leaders 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....
. After a few fifties Barrington made his maiden first class century 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 the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Surrey were 149/7 when he was joined by Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
in a partnership of 198, Barrington's 108 not out and Laker 113. In the second innings he came in at 39/4 made 68 and Surrey won by 145 runs. Surrey won 10 of their next 12 games and the Championship, Barrington making 89 against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
in a game where nobody else passed 50 and 102 against the Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team in England in 1954
The Pakistani cricket team toured England in the 1954 season. The team played four Test matches against England, winning one, losing one and drawing two. These were the first Test matches played between the two sides...
. The arrival of Barrington and Mickey Stewart was seen as the turning point in Surrey's fortunes and E.M. Wellings wrote that he was the best young batting prospect since Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, adding "He is a brilliant strokemaker and now has such a sound defence that he is as convincing on the wet wickets as on the dry.
Marriage
Ken Barrington met his future wife Ann Cozens at a dance in Reading in 1952. She was a secretary for the local Education Department, taught at Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
and played netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
. He proposed to her on a train to Reading and her father agreed to the marriage if they saved £500
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
. As a result they married on 6 March 1954 and honeymooned in Devon until Ken was called up for the Territorial Army at Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. They remained happily married for 27 years until his death. As first class cricketers rarely had employment in the winter Barrington worked for British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
(painting Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
station), a firm of solicitors and moved on to selling perfumes and carpets. They first lived with Ann's parents, but in 1956 bought their own house in Mitcham
Mitcham
Mitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
near the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, where he found work nearby with a firm of accountants and Ann at a travel agents.
South Africa 1955
If he should not do conspicuously well and the established players become available, he is almost bound, temporarily at least, to join the very long list of youthful cricketers prematurely tried for England and promptly discarded.
- E.W. Swanton
In 1955 Surrey won their first 9 matches and Surridge's vice-captain Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
succeeded Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
as captain of England. Barrington made 135 not out 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...
and 126 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...
, which won him his county cap
Cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
. Now established in the Surrey team he was called up for the First Test against South Africa
South African cricket team in England in 1955
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1955 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-2 with no matches drawn.-South African team:...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, hearing the news when a crowd cheered him while batting in a charity match. He batted at number 4, replacing Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
who was unable to play. Barrington made a duck and though England won by an innings he felt isolated from the England regulars who he barely knew. He was kept in the side for the Second Test at Lords, coming in at 30/3 in the first innings and making 34, top-scoring in England's 133, but looked uncomfortable on a green pitch against the fast bowling of Peter Heine
Peter Heine
Peter Samuel Heine was a South African cricketer who played in fourteen Tests from 1955 to 1962...
. In the second innings Barrington and Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
added 40 runs, but he was out for 18. Even though England won again Cowdrey was available again and Barrington was dropped. Returning to Surrey he made 73 out of 171 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
after coming in at 6/4 and helped the County to their fourth successive Championship. He was voted "Young Cricketer of the Year" by the Cricket Writers Club and was chosen for the 1955–56 MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
tour of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Pakistan 1955–56
The MCCMarylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
tour of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
had the dual purpose of spreading cricketing goodwill and providing employment and experience for young players with Test potential. There were no Test matches, but they did play Pakistan as the MCC. The team was managed by the genial Geoffrey Howard, the Secretary of Lancashiure
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...
and captained by Donald Carr
Donald Carr
Donald Bryce Carr is a former English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1967, for Oxford University from 1948 to 1951, and twice for England in 1951/52. He captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962, and scored over 10,000 runs for the county...
, the captain of 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...
and included 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...
, Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
, Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
, Jim Parks and Peter Richardson
Peter Richardson (cricketer)
Peter Edward Richardson is an English former cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in thirty four Tests, for England....
. Barrington made 70 not out in the first match against Karachi and 66 in the second against Sind. The first match between Pakistan and the MCC at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
was a dull draw, followed by two wins for Pakistan and a close victory for the MCC by two wickets in the fourth and final game. Barrington made 10 and 52, 43 and 11, 32 and 0 and 76 and 10 in these matches, the 43 taking 4 hours against the bowling of Fazal Mahmood
Fazal Mahmood
Fazal Mahmood was a Pakistani cricketer, regarded as the finest pace bowler of his country's early years. He played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70...
. With five other members of the team he 'kidnapped' Idris Begh the Karachi jeweller and umpire whose decisions they thought were heavily biased. They poured a bucket of water over him in their apartments and he was laughed at by them and two members of the Pakistani team who happened to witness the event. Begh complained to the Pakistani captain Abdul Kardar
Abdul Kardar
Abdul Hafeez Kardar or Abdul Kardar was an international cricketer, who is one of the only three players to have played Test cricket for both India and Pakistan; the other two being Amir Elahi and Gul Mohammad...
and the matter became public, with the crowd chanting "Go home MCC" on the last day of the game. The President of the MCC Lord Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
offered to recall the tour and the press called for the culprits to be barred from international cricket, but Howard managed to smooth things down and the tour was completed. In a public relations exercise
Public Relations Exercise
Public Relations Exercise were a Leicester, England based post-hardcore/alternative rock group. A five-piece combining aspects of screamo and math rock, layered with penetrative and socially observant lyrics.-History:...
the MCC played football with the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
with Barrington in goal. Even though Barrington came second in the first class averages with 586 runs (39.06) – Richardson came first with 650 runs (43.44) – Carr did not return a favourable report and it would be four years before he would tour again.
Surrey 1956–58
The Australians were touring again in 1956Australian cricket team in England in 1956
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1956 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.England won the series 2-1 with 2 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes....
and when Len Maddocks
Len Maddocks
Leonard Victor Maddocks is a former Australian cricketer and cricket administrator who played in 7 Tests from 1954 to 1956...
saw Barrington he told Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
"This fellow looks the part; he might give us some trouble before long". England had a strong team and under Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
's leadership they beat Australia 2–1, the West Indies 3–0 in 1957
West Indian cricket team in England in 1957
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1957 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-0 with two matches drawn...
and New Zealand 4–0 in 1958
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1958
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1958 season. In a notably wet summer when the touring side lost the equivalent of 29 full days of cricket, the side lost four of the five Test matches...
. Barrington lost his form in these seasons and could not fight his way into the England team. Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge
Walter Stuart Surridge was a cricketer who played for Surrey. He was born at Herne Hill in south London, educated at Emanuel School, and died at Glossop in Derbyshire....
retired after winning five championships in his five years as captain and in 1956 May took over, winning Surrey's sixth consecutive championship in 1957 with a massive 94 point lead over all the other counties. In one area Barrington showed improvement as with Surridge gone Surrey needed another close fielder and he was made first slip. He took 64 catches in his first season in this position and as Mickey Stewart held 77 catches and Tony Lock
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
63 Surrey more than held onto their chances. In June 1957 Barrington's batting picked up with 12 fours and 4 sixes in his 124 not out 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....
and 103 not out against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team in England in 1957
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1957 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-0 with two matches drawn...
including their famous spinners Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
and Alf Valentine
Alf Valentine
Alfred Louis Valentine, April 28, 1930–11 May 2004 , was a West Indian cricketer in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for his performance in the West Indies' 1950 tour of England, which was immortalised in the Victory Calypso.-The 1950 tour:...
. At the end of the season Barrington could afford to relax and hit three more hundreds. With no tour in sight Alf Gover
Alf Gover
Alfred Richard Gover MBE was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War...
offered Ken and Ann the chance to teach cricket in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
over the winter. They rented out their house in London, moved to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and he coached the First and Second XIs at the Roman Catholic St Joseph's College, set up a Under-11 side in his free time and met a talented Cape Coloured cricketer called Basil d'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
. Back at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
Barrington had another poor season – making only one century – and was even dropped from the Surrey team and given the task of transporting the team kit from venue to venue. As a result he re-worked his batting technique to get behind the ball to improve his defence against in-swing and off-spin. This was coupled with a change of attitude encouraged by Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
and Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
, he forsaked the big hitting of his youth and became a stonewaller, making runs with the minimum of risk. This required endless net-practice and training at Gover's cricket school, but by 1958 Barrington emerged as one of the best batsmen in England.
India 1959
The 1958-59 Ashes series was the end of an era in English cricket; after losing 4–0 in Australia Trevor BaileyTrevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
, Godfrey Evans
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
, Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
and Barrington's Surrey team-mates Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
and Peter Loader
Peter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
all retired from Test cricket. The team needed to be rebuilt and a solid batsman was needed to shore up the top order. Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
took leave to get married and Arthur McIntyre took over as wicketkeeper-captain of Surrey. An earlier attempt to turn Barrington into an opener had failed, but McIntyre promoted him to number 3 in the order to stop him getting nervous while pacing around the dressing room waiting to bat. He made 97 against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
soon followed by 186 and 118 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...
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
; 85 and 59 not out against the Indians
Indian cricket team in England in 1959
The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1959 season. The team played five Test matches against England and lost them all: the first time that England had won all the matches in a five-match series...
at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
and 113 not out 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...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
. This earned him a recall to the England cricket team against a weak Indian side, perfect for playing a batsman into a Test career. In the First Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
he joined his Surrey and England captain Peter May
Peter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
at 63/3 and was told not to worry about scoring as long as he fought it out. Barrington took 20 minutes to get off the mark, but hit two sixes off Chandu Borde
Chandu Borde
Chandrakant Gulabrao "Chandu" Borde born 21 July 1934 in Poona In Marathi Christian Family, is a ex-cricketer who was a member of the Indian team between 1958 and 1970. Following his retirement, Borde became a cricket administrator, serving as the Chairman of national selectors...
to bring up his 50 and was out for 56 in a stand of 175 as England won by an innings. In the Second Test at Lords England were 100/7 when Barrington top-scored with 80, adding 126 for the last three wickets to set up another big win. The Third Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
saw him making 80 again, this time adding 193 runs with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
in a 8 wicket victory. The Fourth Test at Old Trafford gave him 87 as his missed out on another century, but captain Colin Cowdrey gave him the ball and he took 3/36 with his leg-spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
. In the second innings he was told to go for quick runs and hit 46 in 36 minutes with 6 fours and a six, then wrapped things up with 2/75 and a catch as England won by 171 runs. Back home at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
for the Fifth Test Barrington was out for 8, but England completed the 5–0 whitewash with an innings victory. Barrington made 357 runs (59.50) in the series – more than anybody else – and had had his most prolific summer with 2,499 first class runs (54.32), but Surrey failed to win the County Championship for the first time in 8 years, coming third. His consistent run-making made Barrington won him the honour of being named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
and he was an automatic choice for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies in 1959–60.
The West Indies 1959–60
England had won the 1957 SeriesWest Indian cricket team in England in 1957
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1957 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-0 with two matches drawn...
3–0 and had high hopes that they would win again in the West Indies in 1959–60. Surrey had their own tour to Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, where he made 111 in their 2 run defeat. The England team crossed the Atlantic in a banana boat
Banana boat (ship)
A banana boat is a ship that carries bananas as a primary cargo, or is otherwise engaged in the banana trade. As the main produce of the West indies was bananas they were also used as a form of cheap transportation and the English cricket team that toured the West Indies in 1959–60 used banana...
and were promptly defeated by Barbados
Barbados national cricket team
The Barbadian cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Barbados.It does not take part in any international competitions , but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, and the best players may be...
even though Barrington made 79 in each innings. The West Indian fast bowlers Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
and Chester Watson
Chester Watson
Chester Donald Watson is a Jamaican cricketer. Watson played seven Tests for the West Indies in the early 1960s....
were rightly feared, but on a true pitch at the Kensington Oval
Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket...
in the First Test they could be played and coming in at number 3 Barrington made his maiden Test century – 128 in England's 482. He was stuck on 97 before driving Reg Scarlett
Reginald Scarlett
Reginald Osmond Scarlett is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 3 Tests in 1960....
to the boundary and was hit in the kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
by a bouncer from Watson. He was given out caught by Gerry Alexander
Gerry Alexander
Franz Copeland Murray "Gerry" Alexander was a Jamaican cricketer who played 25 Tests for the West Indies...
off Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
, but hesitated to walk after the umpire's decision and was made to apologise by the MCC manager Walter Robins
Walter Robins
Robert Walter Vivian Robins was a dynamic English cricketer and footballer.Walter Robins was born in Stafford and was educated at Highgate School and Cambridge University. He played football for Nottingham Forest and first-class cricket for Middlesex, Cambridge University and England...
. In what were to become familiar figures Barrington's century took 340 minutes to compile, but he struck 20 fours.
The Second Test at the Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the...
had 'pace like fire' and Hall and Watson bounced the England batsmen. Barrington saw off their attack and added 132 with Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
, but was hit on the head by a Wes Hall bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
on 87. He finished the last few minutes of play, but said "This is a fine – way to play cricket. If these bowlers don't watch out they're going to kill someone", which led to another reprimand from Robins. Praised for his courage by the British press Barrington made his second successive century before he was caught by Alexander off Hall for 121 in 340 minutes, the highest score of the match. In those days England had their own fast bowlers – Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
and Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
– and the West Indies were shot out for 112, Barrington caught Gary Sobers for a duck and the local fans invaded the ground when Dexter ran out the Trinidadian spinner Charran Singh
Charran Singh
Charran Kamkaran Singh is a former West Indian cricketer who played in two Tests in 1960.In his debut Test at Queen's Park Oval, Singh's run out dismissal was the trigger for the crowd to start a riot.-References:...
before he scored. Resuming the next day Barrington hit 49 in the second innings and took 2/34 to dismiss Singh and Watson to wrap up England's 256 run victory.
The last three Tests were drawn, but not without incident; Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
wrote "as the tour progressed he took more knocks than most from the bowlers. Nobody relished the short-pitched bowling, but Barrington showed his dislike more than most and as a result became a special target. Nevertheless, he fought bravely". Barrington proved vulnerable as his expressive face encouraged the fast bowlers and he ducked late, making him look ungainly. His room-mate 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...
said he cried at night because of his injuries and Hall marked him out for his most hostile bowling. Barrington made 16 and 4 in the Third Test and was barely declared fit for the Fourth Test after suffering from bronchial asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
and being hit on the elbow by Hall. He retired hurt for a few minutes, but declined to go to hospital and resumed his innings even though he could not play any strokes, making 5 runs in a stand of 39 with Dave Allen
David 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:...
and making a duck in the second innings. A century against Berbice
Berbice cricket team
Berbice cricket team played first class cricket in the Guystac Trophy and against the occasional touring team during the 20th century.The team came from the Dutch colony of Berbice, which is now a county of Guyana.-History:...
helped him return to form and even though he was forced to retire hurt when hit on the knuckles by Hall he returned to hook and cut his way to 69 in the last Test. England won the series 1–0, the first time they had won a Test series in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Barrington's 420 runs (46.66) were an important part of this victory.
South Africa 1960
Barrington made six 50s in his first ten innings for Surrey, but then had a string of low scores and was made tweflth man for the First Test against South AfricaSouth African cricket team in England in 1960
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1960 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The tour was marked by repeated rulings against South African fast bowler Geoff Griffin for throwing and anti-apartheid demonstrations targeting the visiting nation..England won the...
. This hit him deeply and he told Micky Stewart
Micky Stewart
Michael James Stewart OBE is an English former cricketer, coach and administrator. He was awarded the OBE in 1998 for services to cricket....
"They'll never be able to leave me out again, I am going to see to that". Even Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
noted that being dropped "seemed to weight on him and his disdained the slightest risk" He made 126, 63 and 62 in his next three matches and was back in the team for the Second Test at Lords, famous for the South African bowler Geoff Griffin taking a hat-trick and being no-balled out of Test cricket. Barrington made only 24 in England's innings victory, top-scored with 80 in the Third Test and hit the winning run after being missed in the slips before scoring. He top-scored in both innings in the Fourth Test with 76 and 35 and was dismissed by Trevor Goddard
Trevor Goddard (cricketer)
Trevor Leslie Goddard is a former left-hand cricketer. An all-rounder, he played 41 Test matches for South Africa from 1955 to 1970, captaining them over the 1963-64 season and drawing an encounter with Australia. A left-handed, classically correct opening batsman, he was also a successful swing...
for the fourth time in a row. He failed in the Fifth Test, but England won 3–0 and Barrington ended with 227 runs (37.83). There was no tour that winter, so he went to Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
with the International Cavaliers
International Cavaliers
The International Cavaliers were an ad hoc cricket team made up of famous cricketers in order to encourage local cricket. Their teams included many prominent cricketers from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as many retired veterans and talented young players were in the team at one point or another...
, under Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
, who taught him the flipper
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
, and he became friends with Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
.
Australia 1961
Australia toured in 1961Australian cricket team in England in 1961
The 1961 Australian cricket tour of England began with a three day match versus Worcestershire CCC at the County Ground, New Road, Worcester on Sat 29 April, play continuing on Mon 1 May and Tues 2 May. This match was rain-affected and ended in a draw...
with what was seen as the weakest team they had brought to England for years. Barrington broke a toe early in the season, but recovered to hit 151 not out 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...
and played in the First Test at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
. Here he dropped Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
and Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
at slip and as a result Barrington gave up fielding in the slips as he felt it required too much concentration and interfered with his batting. Even so when John Murray
John Murray (cricketer)
John Thomas Murray MBE is a former English cricketer. He played in twenty one Tests for England between 1961 and 1967.-Life and career:...
was ill he took over as wicket-keeper. Regardless of their reputation Australia gained a first innings lead of 321 runs and Barrington joined Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
in a salvage operation
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
on the last day. To counter his perceived weakness against fast bowling he took the unusual decision to change to a face on stance for the second innings, which he kept for the rest of his career. Dexter hit 180 while Barrington hung on for 190 minutes making 48 not out in their partnership of 161 and the match was saved. He played another rearguard innings of 66 at Lords in the Second Test and 78 in the first innings of the famous Fourth Test at Old Trafford. He had been ordered by the Chairman of Selectors Gubby Allen
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches...
to hit out after the tea break and his resulting dismissal saw England fall from 358/6 to 367 all out. In the second innings he was lbw to the part-time bowling of Ken Mackay
Ken Mackay
Kenneth Donald Mackay was an Australian cricketer who played in 37 Tests from 1956 to 1963....
in England's collapse from 150/1 to 201 all out as they lost the Test by 54 runs and failed to regain the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
as expected. Meeting the Australians for Surrey he made 12 and 68 not out (out of 100, the next highest score was 9), then 163, 95, 125 not out, 40, 17 and 78 to ensure his place in the Fifth Test on his home ground. He had fractured his wrist against Middlesex, but played anyway and made 53 and 83 in the draw. He ended with a solid 364 runs (45.50) and 2,070 first class runs (59.14), but still had to make a Test century in England.
India and Pakistan 1961–62
Peter MayPeter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
had missed the two Tests in 1961 and declined to make the gruelling 8 Test tour of India and Pakistan in 1961–62 and Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
, Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
and Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
also declined to go. Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was put in charge of a weakened team, like Barrington he had made his name in the West Indies and they had shared several big stands together. In an odd schedule the England team played Pakistan
History of cricket in Pakistan from 1947 to 1970
This article describes the history of cricket in Pakistan from 1947 to 1970.-Early years: 1947 to 1950:The independent state of Pakistan was established in 1947 following the Partition of India...
before going to India for a 5 Test series
English cricket team in India in 1961–62
A cricket team from England, representing the Marylebone Cricket Club, toured India in the 1961-62 cricket season. They played five Test matches against the India national cricket team, with India winning two matches and the other three being drawn.-1st Test:...
and returning to complete the series against Pakistan. In the First Test at Lahore England made a slow 380 batting second with Barrington adding 192 with M.J.K. Smith until he ran out his partner for 99 and himself for 139 after batting for over 7 hours. Pakistan collapsed suddenly in the second innings and England won a surprise victory by 5 wickets. In India they played the Combined Universities at Poona and Barrington made 149 not out in 290 minutes, but mimicked Slasher Mackay
Ken Mackay
Kenneth Donald Mackay was an Australian cricketer who played in 37 Tests from 1956 to 1963....
(who had toured India two years before) and when he took two wickets there was a pitch invasion as the crowd gave him presents, including a pair of sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, which he used for the rest of the match, even when bowling. The match was broadcast on radio and Barrington became a star, which he played up to throughout the tour with imitations of Gary Sobers and a pompous Colonel
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, playing football with the ball and putting his fingers in his ears when the crowd shouted "Mora, Mora" (have a go). On a more practical side he forsaked local food, lived off egg and chips for almost the entire tour and kept an array of medicines to ward off illness (he lost 8 lbs before the First Test). He was a great success in the series with innings of 151 not, 52 not out, 21, 172, 113 not out, 14, 3, 20 and 48; a total of 594 runs (99.00). He made four centuries in four successive Tests for the first time, but the hosts won the Fourth and Fifth Tests. Returning to Pakistan he made 84 in the Second Test, but missed the Third due to fibrositis, an ailment suffered by Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
, Don Bradman and Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
. He finished with 229 runs (76.33) in the series against Pakistan and 1,329 runs (69.94) on the tour, nearly 300 more than anyone else and top of the averages. It was no surprise that he was named the Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year 1962.
Pakistan 1962
Barrington had a poor season in 1962, tonsillitisTonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
robbed him of match practice before the Furst Test against the visiting Pakistanis and he made only 10 runs in the first three Tests. He was dropped for the Fourth Test, but recalled for the Fifth at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, where he came in at 365/2 and made 50 not out. He made on 60 runs (20.00), but did better for Surrey, making 1865 first class runs (49.07) and was kept in the team set to tour Australia and New Zealand.
Australia and New Zealand 1962–63
The MCC tour of Australia in 1962–63MCC tour of Australia in 1962–63
The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1962–63 under the captaincy of Ted Dexter was its twelfth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1907–1908. The touring team played as England in the 1962–63 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games...
was the first since they had lost 4–0 in 1958–59 just before Barrington became an England regular. Led by Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
and managed by His Grace
Grace (style)
His Grace or Her Grace is a style used for various high ranking personages. It was the style used to address the King or Queen of Scotland up to the Act of Union of 1707, which merged the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, and to address monarchs of England prior to Henry VIII...
Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, KG
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
they were to face the shrewd Australian captain Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
in the 1962-63 Ashes series and few thought they would win. Barrington made 104 against South Australia
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...
at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
(a ground where he never failed to make 50 runs in the 10 innings he played there), 219 not out against an Australian XI as the MCC made 633/7, the highest score by the MCC or England 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...
, and 183 not out against Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
at the Gabba. He did little in the first three Tests, making 78 in the first innings at First Test at Brisbane, where he hit 6 fours in 20 minutes off the leg-spin of Richie Benaud and Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
, but then took another 210 minutes to make 40 more runs. England won the Second Test at Melbourne and Australia the Third Test at Sydney and it was in the Fourth Test at Adelaide that he came into his own. He made 63 in the first innings and came in at 2/1 – soon 4/2 – in the second chasing 356 ro win. Barrington looked completely assured and began sweeping the Australian spin bowlers as Benaud, Simpson and Norm O'Neill
Norm O'Neill
Norman Clifford O'Neill OAM was an cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-handed batsman known for his back foot strokeplay, O'Neill made his state debut aged 18, before progressing to Test selection aged 21 in late 1958...
all tried their arm. He reached his ton with a pull for six off Simpson over long-on, his seventh Test century and his first against Australia. With Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson (cricketer)
Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
injured Benaud brought gave the new ball to Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
who nearly knocked his cap off with a beamer that went for 4 byes. Barrington finished with 2 sixes and 16 fours in his 132 not out and he and Graveney (36 not out) played out the day with an unbeaten partnership of 101 to make England safe at 223/4. In the deciding Fifth Test at Sydney England started with a 9 hour 321 with Barrington entrenched at one end. The famous Sydney Hill
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
become restless, with Barrington raising his cap when he was jeered and a slow hand clap started around the ground. Barrington usually woke up when his century was in sight, and a sweep of Simpson was dropped by Brian Booth
Brian Booth
Brian Charles Booth is a former Australian cricketer who played in 29 Tests from 1961 to 1966. He captained Australia for two Tests during the 1965–66 Ashes series while regular captain Bob Simpson was absent due to illness and injury. Booth was a graceful right-handed middle order batsman...
, but a drive found its way to the boundary and a single brought up his hundred and a surprisingly generous round of applause from the stadium. He drove Benaud straight to Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
in the covers, out for 101 after 320 minutes. In the second innings Dexter was determined to declare so he could dismiss the Australians and regain the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
, but Barrington made a sluggish 94 and "just missed his second century of the match, and in that he was unlucky, but his innings had been marred because on this last day he had added only 37 runs in 107 minutes. He had batted in all for 263 minutes, and his 94 runs included only two fours; but Benaud’s
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
defensive field-placing had contributed to that". The match was drawn, but Barrington made 582 runs (72.75), more runs at a higher average than any other batsman on either side, and the most by an English batsman in Australia since Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
made 905 runs (113.12) in 1928–29. Travelling on to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
the opposition was less fierce (New Zealand would not defeat England in a Test match until 1978). In the First Test at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
he made 126 and when the leg-side crowd barracked him he hooked a couple of fours to their boundary, then a six to the off-side when the crowd there shouted "What about us?" In all he hit 15 fours and a six in his innings as England made 562/7 and won by an innings. He made 76 in the Second Test to give him six consecutive 50s in Test cricket (63, 132 not out, 101, 94, 126, 76), an England record he shares with Patsy Hendren
Patsy Hendren
Elias Henry Hendren better known as Patsy Hendren was an English cricketer. Patsy was one of the most prolific English batsmen of the period between the wars, averaging 47.63 in his 51 Test matches...
, Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
and Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook
Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England, where he is their ODI captain. Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003...
. Barrington made 47 and 45 as a makeshift opener in the Third Test and made 294 runs (73.50) as England won the series 3–0. His 1,763 first class runs (80.13) was only 18 short of Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
's record for an MCC tour.
West Indies 1963
A 'Welcome Home Ken Barrington' dance was arranged on his return from New Zealand where he was presented with a silver trophy to a standing ovation in front of the Surrey team. With the Ahes left in Australia the English press focused on Barrington's achievements and much was hoped for against the West Indies in 1963West Indian cricket team in England in 1963
The West Indian cricket team in England in 1963 played 30 first-class matches of which they won 15, lost 2 and drew 13. West Indies played five Tests and won the series against England by three matches to one, with one game drawn....
. Frank Worrell
Frank Worrell
Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell is sometimes referred to by his nickname of Tae and was a West Indies cricketer and Jamaican senator...
was the first full-time African-Caribbean cricketer to captain the West Indies and had a colourful team in the shape of Conrad Hunte
Conrad Hunte
Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA was a Barbadian cricketer. Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.-Early life and career:...
, Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
, Gary Sobers, Basil Butcher
Basil Butcher
Basil Fitzherbert Butcher is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 44 Tests from 1958 to 1969. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1970....
, Lance Gibbs
Lance Gibbs
Lancelot Richard Gibbs is a former West Indies cricketer, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history. He took 309 Test wickets, only the second player to pass 300, the first spinner to pass that milestone, and had an exceptional economy rate of under two runs per over...
, Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
and Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
. Barrington made 110 not out against them for Surrey (the next highest score was 22) and joked that the Test match would be over in three days as England had gone 13 Tests against the West Indies without defeat. The First Test was a rude awakening as he was out for 16 and 8 and England lost by an innings. The Second Test at Lords is one of the Great Tests; the West Indies made 301 and Barrington top scored with 80 in England's reply of 297. The West Indies were out for 229 in the second innings and England needed 234 to win. Barrington made 60 and added 99 with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
(who arm was broken by Wes Hall) and Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
, and hit Gibbs for a six followed by another onto the Lords balcony. A last minute collapse left England 228/9 with Cowdrey returning to the crease in the last over with victory, defeat, a tie or a draw still possible. As it was Dave Allen
David 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:...
played for a draw. Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
's 12/119 won the Third Test at Edgbaston, but Barrington made only 9 and 1, followed by 25, 32, 16 and 28 as Worrell's team won the last two Tests and the series 3–1. For all the colour and excitement provided by the tourists it was a bad series for Barrington as this was the kind of cricket he had forsaken and his 275 runs (27.50) was less than what was expected of him. Even so he published his first book with Phil Riley called Running in Hundreds, detailing his struggle to play for England and rise to fame.
India 1963–64
The MCC returned to India under M.J.K. Smith, again with a weakened team, but after his last triumph Barrington was keen to tour. He made 80 in 312 minutes in the First Test at Madras when England were trying to avoid defeat and the spinner Bapu NadkarniBapu Nadkarni
Rameshchandra Gangaram 'Bapu' Nadkarni was an Indian cricketer. He is mainly known for being an economical bowler.-Career:...
bowled 131 balls without conceding a run. The Test was drawn and in a tour match at Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
Barrington made 72 and broke his finger fielding. He was out for the rest of the injury-struck tour (England were reduced to 10 men at one point and Smith considered calling up Henry Blofeld
Henry Blofeld
Henry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury...
) and returned to Surrey to organise his benefit.
Australia 1964
Surrey made 1964 Barrington's Benefit yearBenefit year
A Benefit year is used to define the year in which benefits are paid in the United Kingdom. It runs from the first Sunday in January until the Saturday before the first Sunday in January . It is different from a UK tax year....
and with a variety of cricket and football matches, dances other fundraisers he made £10,702, the sixth highest earning benefit at the time, and enough money to buy a newly-built four bedroom detached house in Feltham
Feltham
Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
. Barrington's great friend Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
led the Australian cricket team in England in 1964
Australian cricket team in England in 1964
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1964 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes.Australia won the series 1-0 with 4 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes.-Test series summary:...
, strong in batting, but weak in bowling. The first two Tests were rain-soaked draws and they went to Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
for the Third Test with Barrington having done little – his last 10 innings in England had produced 200 runs. Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was back in charge and famously removed Dave Allen
David 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:...
from the attack just after he had taken 3 wickets. he gave the new ball to Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
who served up short-balls to Peter Burge who hooked and pulled his way to 160 to give Australia a 121 run lead in the first innings. England's reply depended heavily on Barrington who made 85 (the next highest score was 32) until he was out to an unlucky lbw decision and they were all out for 229. Australia easily made 111/3 to win and go 1–0 up in the series. The Fourth Test at Old Trafford saw Simpson winning the toss and making the first Test century of his career, 311 in Australia's 656/8. In reply Barrington made his first Test century in England and his highest Test score; 256 in 683 minutes with 26 fours and adding 246 for the third wicket with Dexter; "It was a spirited reply that captured the imagination, but the inevitable draw meant that the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
stayed with Australia". It is the third highest score for England against Australia after Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
's 364 and R.E. Foster's 287 and is the highest since the Second World War. Before he started his innings his wife had sent him a telegram Vincit qui patitur (he who endures conquers). He was lbw to McKenzie and England made 611, the first time that two teams had made 600 runs in an innings in the same Test. A few days later his smashed 83 in 27 minutes at Reading in one of his benefit matches, hitting 7 sixes, breaking the pavilion roof and followed this up with 207 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...
to give him back-to-back first class double centuries. In the Fifth Test Trueman took his 300th Test wicket, Geoff Boycott made his maiden Test century and Barrington made 47 and 54 not out, but the rain guaranteed a draw and Australia won the series 1–0. Barrington made 531 runs (75.85) – more than anyone else on either side and only Simpson averaged higher with his 458 runs (76.33) – as he began the most fruitful period of his career.
South Africa 1964–65
As Ted DexterTed Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
was contesting Jim Callaghan's constituency M.J.K. Smith led the MCC on its last tour of South Africa, though Dexter joined the team after his inevitable defeat at the ballot box. Though not as strong as they would be in a few years South Africa had Graeme
Graeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
and Peter Pollock
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
, Eddie Barlow
Eddie Barlow
Edgar John Barlow was a South African cricketer . Barlow played first-class cricket for Transvaal and Eastern Province from 1959-60 to 1967-68 before moving to Western Province for the seasons from 1968-69 to 1980-81...
, Colin Bland
Colin Bland
Kenneth Colin Bland, was a cricketer who played for South Africa.Bland originally came from Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe but then not a Test cricket- playing nation. He also played for the South African provincial sides Eastern Province and Orange Free State...
and Denis Lindsay
Denis Lindsay
Denis Thomson Lindsay played 19 Tests for South Africa. He later became a cricket referee. His father, Johnny, also played Test cricket for South Africa.-External links:*...
and were expected to win on their home turf as England had no recognised fast bowlers. Barrington was made a tour selector and unexpectedly granted permission to bring his wife Ann to South Africa, so she quit her job to join him on the tour. Fears that she would affect his form were put to rest with innings of 76, 24 not out, 169, 2, 169 not out and 82 running up the First Test, where his 148 not out (in 432 minutes) set up a surprise innings victory on a spinning wicket. With a weak bowling attack Barrington's leg-spin was encouraged and he took 5/29 and 4/25 against South African Universities. In the Second Test England enforced the follow on after another Barrington century – 121 – was brought up with a six as he added 191 with Dexter for the third wicket, but Colin Bland dug in for 144 not out as South Africa held out for a draw. The Third Test at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
saw Barlow refusing to walk after giving a catch to Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt is an English former cricketer. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk....
and being given not out. He made 138 and South Africa 501/7 after winning the toss. This caused a furore as the England players refused to acknowledge his hundred and was only calmed down by an apology. The matter was re-opened by Barrington who was given not out at 49, then walked off as his had snicked the ball to Lindsay. It made little difference to the game, England made 442 in another draw, but in the South African second innings he impersonated Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
and took 3/4, his best bowling in Tests. Barrington opened the batting with Geoff Boycott and made 14 not out impersonating W.G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
. He captained the MCC in a tour match against the Orange Free State, made 3 and 34 not out and won by 7 wickets. Moving on to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
Barrington advised Smith to field on the moist wicket after winning the toss, but South Africa made 390/6 and though he made 93 and 11 it was only due to a gritty 76 not out from Boycott that England survived. Against Griqualand West
Griqualand West cricket team
The Griqualand West cricket team is the first-class cricket team that represents the province of Griqualand West in South Africa. For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Griqualand West has merged with Free State to form the Eagles from October 2004....
Barrington took his best first class figures of 7/40 (9/69 in the match) and England went into the Fifth Test needed a draw to win the series. John Waite won the toss and South Africa made 502, but too slowly to force a result. Boycott made 117 and Barrington 72 in England's even slower reply and the game was drawn. England won the series 1–0, the last team to beat the Springboks until 1997–98. Barrington was the chief scorer with 508 runs (101.60) in the Tests and 1128 runs (86.76) on the tour. He also topped the tour bowling averages with 24 wickets (7.25), but leg-spin was out of fashion and was barely used in the Tests. Even so he was named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year 1965.
New Zealand 1965
Surely the cry to the stonewallers, who are now tiresomely occupying the Test crease, is to get on with it. 'Wake up and entertain, or you could be drawing unemployment benefitUnemployment benefitUnemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
s next week'...remind yourself that England's selectors dropped first Ken Barrington and later Geoff Boycott from England sides after they had refused to get a move on. Isolated punishments such as these clearly were not effective. Those drawbridges of defences were brought back as soon as it was thought to be politic.
- Richard Whittington
Richard WhittingtonSir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and a sheriff of London...
English cricket was now entirely professional and cricketers like Barrington and Geoff Boycott ground out long, defensive innings for the maximum of runs and the minimum of risk, with slow over-rates, negative fielding and time-wasting cricket was dying a slow death as spectators found other entertainment. The exception was the colourful West Indies team under Frank Worrall and to fit in an extra tour in 1966 South Africa had theirs moved to 1965 and for the first time since 1912 two Test series were played in an English summer, with John Reid's
John Richard Reid
John Richard Reid was a New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in 34 Tests. He was the country's first cricketing leader to achieve victory, both at home against the West Indies in 1956 and the first away win, against South Africa in 1962...
weak New Zealand team
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1965
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1965 season, playing three Test matches in the first half of a damp summer. England later hosted a second three-match series against South Africa, the first time two Test series were played in a single English cricket season since the 1912...
having its five Tests reduced to three. Barrington was out of form, and had been berated by the Surrey captain Micky Stewart
Micky Stewart
Michael James Stewart OBE is an English former cricketer, coach and administrator. He was awarded the OBE in 1998 for services to cricket....
for slow scoring, but was retained in the England team for the First Test at Edgbaston. This was the most controversial of his career as he played himself into form by taking 437 minutes to make 137 against a poor bowling attack and "almost brought the game to a standstill". Coming in at 54/1 he spent an hour without scoring even though Mike Smith asked him to hurry up. As if to show that he wilfully obstinate he hit 2 fours and a six in one over to bring up his hundred after six hours and was the last man out in a total of 435. Though England won by 9 wickets Barrington was dropped for slow-scoring "for the good of cricket" and the Chairman of Selectors Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
wrote to him "it is the only practical way of demonstrating that we're not prepared to condone cricket of the Edgbaston variety". This caused a furore in the press as many reporters agreed that he had scored too slowly, but members of the public and other cricketers supported him. Barrington himself was depressed and even considered retirement, but worked on his batting and made 70 and 129 not out for Surrey against the tourists. England won the Second Test and with Boycott and Dexter injured Barrington was recalled for the Third Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
. Here he made 163 at twice the speed as his Edgbaston century, struck 26 fours and added 369 with John Edrich
John Edrich
John Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
(310 not out) in just over a day, Mike Smith declared on 546/4 and New Zealand lost by an innings and 187 runs. His two innings gave him 300 runs (150.00) in the series.
South Africa 1965
Peter van der MerwePeter van der Merwe (cricketer)
Peter Laurence van der Merwe is a former South African cricketer who played in fifteen Tests from 1963 to 1967. He later became a match referee....
's South Africans
South African cricket team in England in 1965
The South African cricket team toured England in the second half of the 1965 season, winning the three match Test series 1-0, with two matches drawn. They had a young and improving side. Their players included Graeme Pollock and his brother Peter, Colin Bland and Eddie Barlow.The Pollock brothers...
were a tough outfit and the First Test was played at Lords. South Africa made 280 and England were 88/3 when Barrington hit the ball all around the wicket, making 79 of the 123 runs scored between lunch and tea before he was run out by the master fielder Colin Bland
Colin Bland
Kenneth Colin Bland, was a cricketer who played for South Africa.Bland originally came from Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe but then not a Test cricket- playing nation. He also played for the South African provincial sides Eastern Province and Orange Free State...
for 91. Needing 191 to win the second innings he made only 18 as England settled for a draw at 145/7. The Second Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
was won by the Pollock brothers, Graeme
Graeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
hitting 125 and 59 and Peter
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
taking 10/87, dismissing Barrington for 1 in each innings in their 94 run victory. In the Third Test at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
England were set 399 to win and Barrington made 73, adding 135 with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
to take England to 308/4 when rain ended play. It was South Africa's first series victory over England since 1935, their last overseas Test series until 1994 and Barrington totalled 202 runs (33.66). The finale of the season was the Gillette Cup Final between Surrey and Yorkshire. Barrington had hit 68 not out against Middlesex in the semi-final, his 91 runs with Mike Edwards coming at 10 runs an over, but Yorkshire made 317/4 with Boycott hitting 146 and Barrington's 5 overs going for 54 runs. In return he was out to Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
for a duck and Surrey lost by 175 runs.
Australia 1965–66
Mike Smith led the MCC tour of Australia in 1965–66MCC tour of Australia in 1965–66
The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of Australia in 1965-66 under the captaincy of M.J.K. Smith was its thirteenth since it took official control of overseas tours in 1907-1908. The touring team played as England in the 1965-66 Ashes series against Australia, but as the MCC in all other games...
determined not only to regain the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
, but to play entertaining cricket. Barrington’s mother had been ill and his father-in-law died when he reached Australia. He was in poor form until the arrived at this favourite venue – the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
– where he made 51 and 69 in the MCC's 6 wicket win over South Australia
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...
. At the MCG
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...
he took 4/24 to spin out the Victorian
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...
tail and hit 158 a the run chase that the tourists lost by 32 runs. He mad 53, 38 and 63 in the drawn Tests at Brisbane and Melbourne and just 1 in England's innings victory in the Third Test at Sydney. The Australians fought back in the Fourth Test at Adelaide with Garth McKenzie taking 6/48 to dismiss England for 241 with only Barrington showing resistance with 60. Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
(225) and Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
(119) passed this before losing a wicket and England were left to make 275 to avoid an innings defeat. Here bright cricket failed them as only Barrington with 102 and 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...
with 53 showed any staying power. Barrington batted for 359 minutes and hit only 4 fours and E.W. Swanton thought he "looked capable of going on for ever", but Neil Hawke
Neil Hawke
Neil James Napier Hawke was an Australian Test cricketer and leading Australian rules footballer.Born in Cheltenham, South Australia, Hawke quickly developed as a natural all-round sportsman who excelled in cricket, football and golf and made his senior Australian rules football debut for South...
took 5/54 and England lost by an innings. The Fifth Test at Melbourne was to decide the Ashes and quick runs were needed when Barrington came in at 41/2. In one of his few sustained hitting displays he made 63 off 101 balls then hit Keith Stackpole
Keith Stackpole
Keith Raymond Stackpole Junior is a former Victorian and Australian cricketer who played in 43 Tests and 6 ODIs from 1966 to 1974, who is now a radio cricket commentator...
over long on for six and brought up his century 20 balls later with a six into the South Stand off Tom Veivers
Tom Veivers
Thomas Robert Veivers is a former Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests from 1963 to 1967. He was an all-rounder who bowled right arm off-spin bowler and batted left-handed. He later had a brief political career, holding the seat of Ashgrove in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1983...
. His hundred came off 122 balls and won him "one of the most moving ovations I have heard in Australia", and the Walter Lawrence Trophy
Walter Lawrence Trophy
The Walter Lawrence Trophy is an annual award made to the player who has scored the fastest century in English domestic county cricket that season, in terms of balls received...
for the fastest Test century of 1966. He was caught for 115 by Wally Grout
Wally Grout
Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
who told Doug Walters
Doug Walters
Kevin Douglas Walters MBE in Dungog New South Wales, known as Doug Walters, is a former Australian cricketer. He was known as an attacking batsman, and also as a typical ocker.-First-class career:...
to bowl him a ball down the leg so that he could move over and catch the glance. England made 485/9, but a day was lost to rain and Bob Cowper
Bob Cowper
Robert Maskew Cowper was an Australian Test match cricketer in the 1960s, who also played for Victorian and Western Australia....
made 307 to ensure a draw. Barrington made 464 runs (66.28), topped the England averages again and with 946 runs (67.57) and 6 wickets (24.83) headed the batting and bowling averages on the tour. He was excused the tour to New Zealand and was allowed to return home due to fatigue.
West Indies 1966
Barrington returned to England exhausted after the Australian tour, but had to attend Surrey's pre-season training and social functions that gave him little chance to rest. Gary Sobers returned with the West Indies in 1966West Indian cricket team in England in 1966
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1966 season to play a five-match Test series against England. West Indies won the series 3-1 with one match drawn....
including Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
who had been accused of throwing by the Australians Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
, Norm O'Neill
Norm O'Neill
Norman Clifford O'Neill OAM was an cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-handed batsman known for his back foot strokeplay, O'Neill made his state debut aged 18, before progressing to Test selection aged 21 in late 1958...
and Wally Grout
Wally Grout
Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
. Barrington added fuel to the fire by telling the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
that he thought Griffith was a chucker and that he would refuse to play against him. He had been the target of West Indian fast bowling in 1959–60 and 1963 and saw no reason why he should suffer at the hands of a man who was not playing the game fair. This caused a falling out with the West Indian team as Sobers was satisfied that Griffith had a legitimate action and, after all, he had not been called in 1963. Barrington's form was poor, but just before the First Test he made 103 not out in a total of 157/9 against 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...
with John Edrich
John Edrich
John Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
(29) being the only other batsman to exceed 7. At Old Trafford the West Indies won the toss and made 484 and when Barrington came in at 11/1 the West Indian fans called out "Wait till you get to Charlie's end". When he did he pushed back a half volley and was caught and bowled for 5. He made 30 in the follow on, England lost by an innings and M.J.K. Smith was removed from the captaincy. On his wife's advice he saw a doctor who diagnosed physical fatigue and recommended a restful holiday, but in the middle of the season Barrington refused. He played in the Second Test at Lords with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
in charge, but made only 19 and 5 in the drawn match. He was selected for the Third Test, but admitted to the selector Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
that he wasn't well and withdrew from the Test series (which England lost 3–1), having made only 59 runs (14.75). He stayed at home for a few days, took a week long holiday in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and eased himself back into the Surrey Second XI and then the Surrey team, making 117 after Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
had reduced them to 20/4. There was no tour that winter and he was able to take a rest, cancel social functions and published his second book with Phil Riley Playing It Straight.
India and Pakistan 1967
Refreshed after a winter's rest Barrington was in fine form in 1967, starting with 26, 62, 63, 95, 41, 60, 82, 14, 84, 27 not out and 32 in the wettest May since 1773 when batsmen were struggling. He captained Surrey to victory over the visiting IndiansIndian cricket team in England in 1967
The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1967 season and played 18 first-class fixtures, winning only two, losing 7 and drawing 9.India played three Test matches and lost the series to England 3-0...
and was recalled for the First Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
. Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
had taken over the captaincy in the last Test of 1966 and chose to bat after winning the toss. Barrington survived the early swing to make 93 and added 139 with Geoff Boycott whose 573 minute 246 not out had him dropped for slow scoring a la Barrington. India made 510 after following on and England won by 6 wickets after Barrington made 46 opening with his Surrey team-mate John Edrich
John Edrich
John Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
instead of the injured Boycott. Barrington was asked to open again in the Second Test at Lords and made 97 in England's innings victory. Returning to number 3 in the Third Test at Edgbaston he was dropped on 0 and hit 9 fours and 2 sixes in his 75, though the team slumped to 191/8 until John Murray
John Murray (cricketer)
John Thomas Murray MBE is a former English cricketer. He played in twenty one Tests for England between 1961 and 1967.-Life and career:...
hit out with 77 to make England 298 as they won by 132 runs. Barrington made 324 runs (64.80), but this was easily surpassed in the second series of the summer against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team in England in 1967
The Pakistan cricket team toured England in the 1967 season to play a three-match Test series against England.England won the series 2-0 with 1 match drawn.-Test series summary:* at Lord's – match drawn* at Trent Bridge – England won by 10 wickets...
. In between the series he made 158 not out and took 5/51 as Surrey beat the champions Yorkshire just before the First Test. He made 148, his first Test century at Lords, and became the sixth batsman to make 6,000 Test runs after Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
, Don Bradman, Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
, Neil Harvey
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...
and Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
. Pakistan were saved by 187 not out by their captain Hanif Mohammed and after Barrington made 14 in the second innings the game was drawn. Half the England team was dropped for the Second Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and after Pakistan were out for 140 Barrington made a sheet-anchor 109 not out in England's reply of 252, an innings that lasted 409 minutes and 117 overs on a saturated pitch, which was enough for a 10 wicket victory. Barrington had been ordered by Close to take no chances, but E.W. Swanton wrote "as Barrington grafted away, an automatic slow-motion accumulator...the personification of the modern coldly efficient hyper-professional performance". Strangely he was defended by the old Surrey captain and big-hitter Percy Fender
Percy Fender
Percy George Herbert Fender was an English all-round cricketer who played 13 Tests for England. He was a middle order batsman and bowled mainly leg spin.-Biography:...
"I am no advocate of slow scoring...but there are times when the demands of the game, situation and the interests of the side make it necessary". Close meanwhile had been found guilty of gamesmanship
Gamesmanship
Gamesmanship is the use of dubious methods to win a game. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end"...
in a county game and was to be replaced for the MCC tour of the West Indies. He remained in charge for the Third Test at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
and he stayed at Ken's house so that he could avoid the press. On his home ground Barrington advised him to put Pakistan in to bat and they were out for 216, England replied with 440 with Barrington himself making 142 in 344 minutes, hitting 141 runs in 152 minutes with Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
and striking 14 fours. His 19 Test centuries equalled Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
's total with only Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
's 22 ahead of them, and he became the first England batsmen to make a hundred on the six traditional Test cricket grounds of Old Trafford, Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, Lords, Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. He made 13 not out in the second innings in England's 8 wicket victory and his 426 runs (142.00) placed him at the top of the series averages. Hs 2,059 runs (68.63) were the most made in the season, Dennis Amiss
Dennis Amiss
Dennis Leslie Amiss MBE was an English cricketer and cricket administrator.Amiss suffered a serious back injury whilst playing soccer in his teenage years, which entailed him starting each day of his sporting life undergoing stretching routines to loosen up.He played cricket for both Warwickshire...
coming second in the averages with 1260 runs (54.41).
West Indies 1967–68
We're being taken for the biggest ride I can remember – the umpiring, the crowd and CharlieCharlie GriffithCharles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
. I promise I won't say anything to anybody, but it is downright cheating...this isn't England vs the West Indies...Some of the remarks from the crowd are too awful, shouting "kill" at us. I must be bloody mad to come out here.
- Ken Barrington
Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
was replaced by Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
for the MCC tour of the West Indies in 1967–68, his third spell as England captain and he was determined to make a success of it. Barrington and the MCC fared poorly in the run up matches and with West Indian supporters constantly telling him "Charlie's
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
waiting for you man. He'll kill you". Barrington was so upset that told his wife that he wouldn't tour again. In the First Test at the Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the...
in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
Cowdrey won the toss and batted with Boycott and Edrich adding 80 for the first wicket and Barrington coming in against the spinners at 110/2. Soon after Gary Sobers responded to the crowd and brought on Griffith, but Barrington twice called him to halt as the chanting of the crowd interfered with his concentration. Although hit with bouncers on the shoulders and back he survived the five over spell and the tired bowler was taken off. He brought up his 50 with a six off Lance Gibbs
Lance Gibbs
Lancelot Richard Gibbs is a former West Indies cricketer, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history. He took 309 Test wickets, only the second player to pass 300, the first spinner to pass that milestone, and had an exceptional economy rate of under two runs per over...
and added 134 with Cowdrey and 188 with Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
before hitting Gibbs for another six to bring up his 20th century. When he saw the ball sailing into the stands the 37 year old Barrington took off his cap and waved his fist in triumph. He was finally caught by Griffith off Gibbs for 143, the second time that he had made a century in four successive Tests. England made 568 and the West Indies followed on (Barrington dismissing Sobers), but survived the last day on 243/8 for a draw. Barrington made 63 in the Second Test at Sabina Park
Sabina Park
Sabina Park is the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is often referred to as "The Holiday Home of Cricket"....
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, again stopping Griffith's run up as the crowd went wild. John Snow
John Snow (cricketer)
John Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
took 7/49 and the West Indies followed on again, but when the local favourite Basil Butcher
Basil Butcher
Basil Fitzherbert Butcher is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 44 Tests from 1958 to 1969. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1970....
was out at 204/5 the crowd disagreed with the decision and rioted, even though Butcher had walked. Tear gas was used by the Jamaican police to restore order and play resumed, but the England team lost their hold on the game as Sobers made 113 not out and the West indies 391/9. Needing only 159 to win England collapsed to 68/8 (Barrington 13), but somehow managed a draw. The Third Test at Bridgetown, Barbados was another draw (Barrington 17) and the Fourth back at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
looked like going the same way. The West Indies had made 526/7 and England replied with 404, where Cowdrey (148) and Barrington (48) added 133 for the third wicket. Sobers, remembering the England collapse in the Second Test declared at 92/2 leaving England 215 to win in 135 minutes, a run-rate they had yet to achieve in the series . Cowdrey was uncertain, but Barrington convinced him to go for the win, shouting "Will we go for it? Of course we'll go for it. That's what we've come all this way for, isn't it?" Barrington did not bat, but England made 215/3 and won by seven wickets. Sobers was lambasted by the Caribbean press for his cavalier declaration, but responded in the Fifth Test in Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
with 152 and 95 not out, Barrington taking his wicket again in the first innings, and England were struggling at 206/9 when stumps were pulled on the last day, but they drew the match and won the series. Barrington had made only 4 and 0, but finished with 288 runs (41.14) and 5 wickets (51.40), having dismissed Sobers and Seymour Nurse
Seymour Nurse
Seymour MacDonald Nurse is a Barbadian former cricketer. Nurse played 29 Test matches for the West Indies between 1960 and 1969. A powerfully built right-hand batsman and an aggressive, if somewhat impetuous, shotmaker, Nurse preferred to bat in the middle order but was often asked to open the...
twice each and the opener Steve Camacho
Steve Camacho
George Stephen Camacho George Stephen (Steve) Camacho George Stephen (Steve) Camacho (born October 15, 1945, Georgetown, British Guiana (now Georgetown, Guyana) is a former West Indian cricketer who played in eleven Tests from 1968 to 1971 as an opening batsman and occasional leg-spin bowler....
.
Australia 1968
Barrington had flu at the start of the season, made a depressing pair against DerbyshireDerbyshire 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...
and withdrew from the First Test due to back trouble, which Australia won. He returned for the Second Test at Lords and made a patient 75 after having retired hurt on 61 with a broken finger from Garth McKenzie. This stood him in good stead that evening when he turned the wrong way down a one way street and was stopped by the police as after enquiries into his finger he was allowed to proceed. The Queen also asked about his finger when the teams were presented to her, as is traditional at Lords. In freakish weather conditions including several stops for rain and a hailstorm that turned the ground white Australia were out for 78, but they survived the follow on as the weather forced a draw. The Third Test at Edgbaston was Cowdrey's 100th and he celebrated with a century, but Barrington was caught lbw by Eric Freeman and the game was another rained-off draw. Both Cowdrey and Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
we ill for the Fourth Test at Headingley, and the stand in captains settled for a third successive draw, with Barrington making 49 and 46 not out. Needing to win at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
to share the series the slow-scoring Barrington was dropped, but England won the Fifth Test with five minutes to spare. Barrington was named for the tour of South Africa in 1968–69, but this was cancelled when Basil d'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
was belatedly included and the South African government refused to allow him to play.
| Ken Barrington's Test series batting averages Source | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponents | Season | Home country | Tests | Innings | Not Out | Runs | Highest score | Average | 100s | 50s | Caught |
| 1955 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 34 | 17.33 | ||||||
| 1959 | 5 | 6 | 357 | 87 | 59.50 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| 1959–60 | 5 | 9 | 420 | 128 | 46.66 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1960 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 227 | 80 | 37.83 | 2 | ||||
| 1961 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 364 | 83 | 45.50 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 1961–62 | 2 | 3 | 229 | 139 | 76.33 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1961–62 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 594 | 172 | 99.00 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1962 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 60 | 50* 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... |
20.00 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1962–63 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 582 | 132* 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... |
72.75 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1962–63 | 3 | 4 | 294 | 126 | 73.50 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 1963 | 5 | 10 | 275 | 80 | 27.50 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 1963–64 | 1 | 1 | 80 | 80 | 80.00 | 1 | |||||
| 1964 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 531 | 256 | 75.85 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1964–65 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 508 | 148* 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... |
101.60 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1965 | 2 | 2 | 300 | 163 | 150.00 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 1965 | 3 | 6 | 202 | 91 | 33.66 | 2 | 5 | ||||
| 1965–66 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 464 | 115 | 66.28 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1966 | 2 | 4 | 59 | 30 | 14.75 | ||||||
| 1967 | 3 | 5 | 324 | 97 | 64.80 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 1967 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 426 | 148 | 142.00 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1967–68 | 5 | 7 | 288 | 143 | 41.14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1968 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 170 | 75 | 56.66 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Total | 1955–68 | 82 | 131 | 15 | 6,806 | 256 | 58.67 | 20 | 35 | 58 | |
Israel and Australia 1968–69
With no winter tour Barrington took up a couple of private tours, he captained the first cricket tour of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with Bournemouth '5705' Cricket Club, which arrived in the aftermath of the Six Day War. He made a century and was elected the first president of the Israeli Cricket Supporters' Association.
After his return he went to Australia with Colin Milburn
Colin Milburn
Colin Milburn was an English cricketer, who played in nine Test matches for England, before an accident led to the loss of much of his sight and prompted his retirement....
to contest the first World Double-Wicket Championship, they lost to Gary Sobers and Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
, beat Bobby Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
and Garth McKenzie, lost to Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
and Doug Walters
Doug Walters
Kevin Douglas Walters MBE in Dungog New South Wales, known as Doug Walters, is a former Australian cricketer. He was known as an attacking batsman, and also as a typical ocker.-First-class career:...
and finally beat Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
and Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
. At this last game at the St Kilda Cricket Ground
Junction Oval
The Junction Oval is an historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its location near the St Kilda Junction gave rise to its nickname...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on Saturday, 12 October he had a pain in his arms as he was going to shower and collapsed to the ground. He was helped to a chair and then a massage table and a call was made to the crowd for a doctor. As he was taken away in an ambulance to Prince Henry Hospital Charlies Griffith told him "Don’t' worry Kenny, you'll be all right". Simpson called his wife Ann, who flew in from London, and Ken was given a room with a view of the MCG
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...
. He had had a thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
, but the heart muscles repaired themselves and he made a full recovery. Telegrams and cards arrived from all around the world and the Chairman of Selectors Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
visited him in hospital.
Barrington's place in the two-man team for the semi-final match on following day (Sunday, 13 October) against Lawry and Walters was taken by Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
; who, paired with Basil D'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
, had been eliminated from the contest in the first round on the preceding day. Playing with great determination, Trueman and Milburn dismissed Lawry and Walters for 33 runs, and then scored 34 runs without loss. In the final, playing against Peter Pollock
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
and Graeme Pollock
Graeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
, Trueman and Milburn batted strongly, scoring 22 runs without loss, and then, bowling superbly, dismissed both of the Pollock brothers for the paltry score of 21 runs to win the final by one run.
Barrington was told to take a complete rest and returned to England on the SS Canberra
SS Canberra
SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...
, celebrating his 38th birthday with a cake shaped like a cricket bat. It was hoped that he would return to Test cricket, but after consulting a Harley Street
Harley Street
Harley Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England which has been noted since the 19th century for its large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery.- Overview :...
doctor he was advised to cut out smoking, sleepless nights and the stress of international cricket, though he could continue to play for Surrey. After reflection he announced his retirement from cricket on 16 January 1969 on Sportsnight
Sportsnight
Sportsnight was a midweek BBC television sports programme that ran from 1968 until 1997.-Sportsview:Sportsnight was a successor to Sportsview which started on 8 April 1954. Sportsview was devised by Paul Fox, later Controller of BBC1 and Peter Dimmock was the original host for a decade...
with David Coleman
David Coleman
David Coleman, OBE is an English former sports commentator and TV presenter who worked for the BBC for almost fifty years. In 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order, the highest honour of the Olympic movement....
, having already informed Surrey County Cricket Club
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...
and the MCC. The news was met with surprise, but Insole, who had seen Barrington in hospital, had already concluded that he would play again and wrote his thanks for his "outstanding contribution" to cricket.
Home life 1969–74
In 1964 – his Benefit yearBenefit year
A Benefit year is used to define the year in which benefits are paid in the United Kingdom. It runs from the first Sunday in January until the Saturday before the first Sunday in January . It is different from a UK tax year....
– he had created Ken Barrington Limited, which made cricket clothes, but he sold it off after his heart attack. In 1968 the Barringtons moved to Fetcham
Fetcham
Fetcham is a village in Surrey, England. It is west of Leatherhead, on the other side of the River Mole and Mill Pond springs and the associated nature reserve....
and Ken wanted to call the new house Adelaide after the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
(where he had made 10 fifties in a row), but Ann objected and they called it Newlands after Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
where he had once made 169 not out. After 15 years of marriage Ann found she was pregnant on 15 April 1969, the start of the cricket season just after Ken had retired, and their son Guy Kenneth Barrington was born on 16 November 1969. He was baptised in 1970 with Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
and Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
as the godfathers and Betty Surridge as the godmother. They took over a local garage – Ken Barrington Motors Ltd – in 1971, which sold Jaguar and Rover cars and proved to be a profitable enterprise.
Return to cricket 1974–75
Barrington arranged a tour of Australia for 20 cricket fans to see the last two Tests of the 1974–75 Ashes seriesEnglish cricket team in Australia in 1974-75
Mike Denness captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1974–75, playing as England in the 1974-75 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour...
, when they reached the immigration queue in Australia an official recognised him, gave them food and drink and saw them through the formalities as quickly as possible; "This is the least we can do for Ken Barrington, the finest overseas player to come to Australia". On his return he managed the Derrick Robins
Derrick Robins
Derrick Harold Robins, often known as D. H. Robins was an English cricketer and sports promoter, at one time chairman of Coventry City Football Club. He was born in Bexleyheath, Kent....
XI tour of South Africa, a multiracial cricket team led by Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
and including Younis Ahmed
Younis Ahmed
Mohammad Younis Ahmed is a Pakistani former cricketer who played in 4 Tests and 2 ODIs from 1969 to 1987...
, John Shepherd
John Shepherd (cricketer)
John Neil Shepherd is a former West Indian cricketer who played in five Tests from 1969 to 1971...
and Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge
Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge MBE is a former member of the West Indies cricket team.Greenidge was an opening batsman for the West Indies. He began his Test career against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in 1974 and continued playing internationally until 1991. He was half of the West...
in an attempt to restore cricket links with South Africa. When they arrived in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
he found that "all the lads I coached twenty years ago are now big businessmen" and he received a warm welcome. He managed another Derek Robins XI under David Lloyd
David Lloyd (cricketer)
David Lloyd is a former English cricketer who played county cricket for Lancashire and Test and One Day International cricket for England. He also played semi-professional football for Accrington Stanley...
the next year and although the cricket was a success they failed to re-establish international cricket in South Africa and an attempt to integrate cricket in South Africa failed.
Test selector 1975–81
Doug InsoleDoug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
used his influence to have Barrington join himself, Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
, Charlie Elliott
Charlie Elliott
Charles Standish 'Charlie' Elliott MBE was an English footballer, a first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1932 and 1953 and an international cricket umpire.Elliott was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire...
and Sir Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
as a selector for the Test and County Cricket Board
Test and County Cricket Board
The Test and County Cricket Board was established in 1968 to provide Test and county cricket in England, replacing the functions of the Board of Control for Test Matches and the Advisory County Cricket Committee. In 1992 Scotland severed their ties with the TCCB and England...
(TCCB), which chose the England cricket team. He joined just as a demoralised England team returned from Australia
English cricket team in Australia in 1974-75
Mike Denness captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1974–75, playing as England in the 1974-75 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour...
for the premier Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
followed by a four Test series against Australia (arranged to cover the cancelled South African tour). Mike Denness
Mike Denness
Mike Denness is a former Scottish cricketer who played for England, Scotland, Essex and Kent. Scotland did not have a representative international team at the time of Denness' career, so he could only play for England at Test and ODI level. Denness became the first Scotsman to captain England...
had lost confidence as captain in Australia, but had made 188 in the Sixth Test (with Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
and Jeff Thomson
Jeff Thomson
Jeffrey Robert Thomson is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he was one of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket and was the opening partner of fellow fast bowler Dennis Lillee; their combination was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history...
injured) where England had won by an innings. He was kept on as captain and saw England lose to Australia in the World Cup semi-finals, but lost by an innings in the First Test at Old Trafford. Denness was dropped and the combative Tony Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
was made the new captain. As a selector Barrington tended to favour experience and current form over potential and chose the unknown Northants
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...
batsman David Steele, who became an unlikely hero as England the last three Tests were hard fought draws. Against Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd
Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...
's West Indians in 1976
West Indian cricket team in England in 1976
The West Indian cricket team toured England in 1976, spending virtually the whole of the 1976 English cricket season in England. West Indies also played one match in Ireland in July....
he called up the 45 year old Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
and 39 year old John Edrich
John Edrich
John Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
and they were hard hit by the West Indian fast bowlers as England lost 3–0.
India and Australia 1976–77
After passing a medical Barrington was chosen to manage the MCC tour of India in 1976–77, where his own legendary status was soon emulated that of Tony GreigTony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
. In the First Test John Lever
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
took 10/70 as England won by an innings. In the Second Test Barrington advised Greig to bat as long as possible so that India would have to bat on a wearing pitch. The England captain took 434 minutes making 103 with a fever, India were bowled out for 181 in the second innings and England won by 10 wickets. Another win in the Third Test gave England their first series victory in India since Douglas Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
in 1933–34, but was spoilt by accusations by the Indian captain Bishan Bedi that Lever used Vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, deodorants and personal lubricants....
to shine the ball. Bernard Thomas, the England physiotherapist had given Lever and Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
Vaseline strips on their foreheads to stop sweat dripping into their eyes, but Lever took his off as the Vaseline made the ball slip from his hands. The umpire picked up the strips and Bedi claimed that this not only accounted for their current defeat (India had been dismissed for 164 and 82), but the others as well. The strips were examined without any conclusion being found as to whether they helped bowling and the matter was referred the MCC. Barrington diplomatically thanked the Indian Board for not finding anything averse and was criticised for not defending his players more, but as Lever said "if he had overreacted, the tour could have been called off". England lost the Fourth Test to some dubious umpiring and Barrington, while scathing in his official report, declined to publicly voice his complaints to the press. At the end of the tour he was joined by Ann, who did secretarial work for him and the team, and the Fifth test was drawn for a 3–1 series win. After the India tour the team proceeded to Australia for the Centenary Test
Centenary Test
Centenary Test refers to two matches of Test cricket played between the English cricket team and the Australian cricket team, the first in 1977 and the second in 1980. These matches were played to mark the 100th anniversaries of the first Test cricket matches played in Australia and in England ...
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...
, a gathering of almost every Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Test player from England and Australia. Apart from the cricket the Test was secretly used to recruit English and Australia players for Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
's 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...
(WSC). Tony Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
became a leading Packer recruiter and Barrington was kept in the dark as he would have to report any such activity to the TCCB. Ironically, Barrington secretly gathered guests for Greig's appearance on This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
on their return to England.
Australia 1977
The Packer Crisis emerged after a party in Greig's house during the game between SussexSussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
and the Australian tourists to which several pressmen were present. Most of the Australian and many England players were involved, but as the Australian Board of Control
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
were committed to using WSC players they had already sent to England the TCCB agreed that they would use their players to avoid a one sided series. They could not keep Greig as captain and Barrington pressed for the appointment of Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley
John Michael Brearley OBE is a former cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2007–08.-Early life:...
of Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
as his replacement. Barrington had long advocated the selection of his former team-mate Geoff Boycott and after a three year exile he was recalled to the England team with great success. With the prospect of losing so many senior players Barrington was also keen to bring in some new players and encouraged the selection of Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
, who he predicted "could become another Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
". With Brearley's shrewd captaincy, Boycott making two centuries and Botham taking two 5-wicket hauls England defeated a divided Australian team 3–0 and regained the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
.
Pakistan 1977–78
Barrington was chosen to manage the forthcoming tour of PakistanHistory of cricket in Pakistan from 1971 to 1985
This article describes the history of cricket in Pakistan from the 1970-71 season to 1984-85.-Events:In 1970, the Ayub Trophy was rebranded as the BCCP Trophy and converted from a knockout tournament to a mini-league format whereby teams qualified for a semi-final stage by winning one of four...
in the first season of the WSC, both sides losing players as a result. Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds is a former English cricketer and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive....
and Paul Downton
Paul Downton
Paul Downton is a former English cricketer, who played in thirty Tests and twenty eight ODIs from 1977 to 1989. He was a wicket-keeper and a useful batsman in the lower middle-order...
were taken on the tour, Downton on Barrington's advice after playing only a few county games and he gave Edmonds was long practise sessions in the nets to improve his spin bowling. The team arrived in the wake of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
's military coup displacing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
and the country was in a state of high tension and disorder. In the First Test 40,000 Bhutto supporters rioted at the ground and the teams took refuge in their dressing rooms as the army restored order. The TCCB gave Barrington permission to cancel the tour if he saw fit and realising this the players urged him to let them go home for Christmas. In the Second Test England collapsed in the first innings to the leg-spinner Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir is a male Muslim given name. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Qadir. The name means "servant of the powerful", Al-Qādir being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names....
(6/44), but Barrington bowled his own leg-spin at Brearley and Boycott for an hour before the second innings and their 185 opening stand saved the game. The Third Test was surrounded by controversy as Pakistan wanted brought in their WSC players Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas
Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani , popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by that country. He is widely known as the "Asian Bradman", a reference to former Australian great Sir Donald Bradman...
, Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq Mohammad is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 57 Tests and 10 ODIs from 1959 to 1979. A right-handed batsman and a leg-spinner, he is one of the most successful Pakistani all-rounders and went on to captain his country in nineteen Test matches...
and 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...
to win a series victory in the last Test. This would have given them an edge over an England team with out its WSC veterans. Several England players lead by the vice-captain Geoff Boycott, Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
and Derek Randall
Derek Randall
Derek William Randall is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire, and Tests and ODIs for England in the late 1970s and early 1980s....
refused to play Pakistan with their Packer players and Barrington and Brearley tried to negotiate between the players, the TCCB and the Pakistani cricket authorities. Matters were made worst by Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley
John Michael Brearley OBE is a former cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2007–08.-Early life:...
breaking his arm and returning to England, leaving the uncompromising Boycott as captain and Willis as vice-captain. Fortunately, the Pakistani players could only play by breaking their WSC contracts, which they refused to do, and the Test was drawn. Barrington was out of his depth in these political matters, even though Willis later admitted that his determination for the Test to be played regardless was the right course.
New Zealand 1977–78
Geoff Boycott had now achieved his dream of becoming England captain, but failed to make the most of his opportunity in New Zealand. Although Barrington saw that the training facilities and grounds were poor compared to those in England he praised the New Zealanders for their efforts, but Boycott constantly complained and annoyed many locals who had worked hard to prepare for the England team's arrival. He became the first England captain to lose a Test to New Zealand when he put them in to bat in the First Test and saw England collapse to 64 all out in the last innings. Boycott made 1 and the other players resented his comments that they played like schoolboys. In the Second Test Barrington with the backing of the players told Boycott to declare so that England would have a chance of winning and by dismissing New Zealand for 105 they squared the series. The Third Test was drawn, but by arguing with Barrington in public and berating the New Zealand press corps Boycott made certain he would not be made England captain again. On their return to England Brearley soon resumed his role and Willis was made vice-captain; "No manager worked harder on behalf of his players nor was better appreciated. Certainly no player on that tour that I spoke to would dissent from this view".Australia 1978–79 and 1979–80
The tour of Australia in 1978–79English cricket team in Australia in 1978-79
The England cricket team toured Australia in the 1978-79 season to play a six-match Test series against Australia for The Ashes. England won the series 5-1, thereby retaining The Ashes....
was in direct competition with Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
's WSC
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...
and Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
was made the team manager to deal with the social calendar, finances and any cricket diplomacy. Barrington was made his assistant-manager in charge of the cricket, in effect a team coach. The two were old friends and Barrington was more than pleased to have some of the huge workload taken off his back; "I don't have to worry about accounts, banks, hotels, functions, team problems, press, Boycott, etc." The English WSC players were unavailable so youngsters like Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
, Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds is a former English cricketer and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive....
, David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
, Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
and John Emburey
John Emburey
John Ernest Emburey is a former English cricketer, who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England....
were on the tour with old hands like Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley
John Michael Brearley OBE is a former cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2007–08.-Early life:...
, Geoff Boycott, Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
and Bob Taylor
Bob Taylor (cricketer)
Robert William Taylor , known as Bob Taylor, is a former English cricketer who played as wicket-keeper for Derbyshire between 1961 and 1984 and for England between 1971 and 1984. He made 57 Test, and 639 first class cricket appearances in total, taking 1,473 catches. The 2,069 victims across his...
. This gave them an advantage over Australia who had no experienced players in their team, though they had the young batsmen Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
and Kim Hughes
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Tests between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a "rebel" Australian team in a tour of South Africa, who at the time were subject to a sporting boycott.A right-handed...
and the fast bowler Rodney Hogg
Rodney Hogg
Rodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47.-Career:...
, who took a record 41 wickets (12.85). The batting was poor throughout the series on both sides, a concern for Barrington, but England won 5–1 and there were no other problems. The Australian Board of Control
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
negotiated a deal with Packer and the following season both England and the West Indies toured Australia in 1979–80 with Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
as manager. Barrington disapproved of this new age of cricketing razzmatazz, though he was impressed with the floodlights at the SCG
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, but England lost all three Tests to a reunited Australian team.
West Indies and Australia 1980
With Mike Brearley no longer willing to tour a new England captain was needed and they had four choices; Geoff Boycott was the only regular with the experience, but he had spoilt his chances in New Zealand; Bob WillisBob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
was an injury-prone fast bowler whose appointment in 1982 was a surprise even though he had been vice-captain for four years; Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher is a former English cricketer, who played for Essex and England. He later became England's team manager. His nickname was "The Gnome of Essex", so christened by his Essex team-mate, Ray East, because Fletcher's winklepickers had begun to curl up at the toes due to wear...
, who had not played Test cricket for years, but had led Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
to the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1979; and charismatic the 24 year old Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
. Barrington advocated Botham, who at the time averaged 40.48 with the bat and 18.52 with the ball and was England's golden boy. In the end the appointment failed as Botham's form evaporated under the strain of captaincy and his first 17 Tests would be against the two toughest teams in the world; Australia and the West Indies. In 1980 the First Test was almost won when Willis took 5/65 and the West Indies struggled to a two wicket win. In a wet summer the rest of the Tests were drawn, as was the rain-affected Centenary Test
Centenary Test
Centenary Test refers to two matches of Test cricket played between the English cricket team and the Australian cricket team, the first in 1977 and the second in 1980. These matches were played to mark the 100th anniversaries of the first Test cricket matches played in Australia and in England ...
at the end of the season.
West Indies 1980–81
With its complicated political problems Alan SmithAlan Smith (cricketer)
Alan Christopher Smith, known as A. C. Smith is an English former Test cricketer, who appeared in six Tests for England. Primarily a wicket-keeper, Smith was also a capable right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm seam bowler...
was made the manager of the tour to the West Indies in 1980–81. Due to financial reasons there was no assistant manager, but Barrington was appointed after representations from the team, though Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge
Walter Stuart Surridge was a cricketer who played for Surrey. He was born at Herne Hill in south London, educated at Emanuel School, and died at Glossop in Derbyshire....
asked him not to go as the strain would be too much. He passed a medical, was eager for another tour and had been a teammate of Smith's in the 1962-63 Ashes series. He got on well with Botham, who wrote "He would fetch me a cup of tea...sit on the bench in the dressing room, raise a point and we would argue about it. A quarter of an hour later I'd find myself doing as he said". Substandard hotels and cricket facilities, torrential rain and local politics caused many problems. In St Vincent
Saint Vincent (island)
Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...
they had net practice surrounded by livestock and they struggled to get food at their hotel in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. Furthermore they were up against Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd
Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...
's powerful West Indian team including Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
, Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge
Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge MBE is a former member of the West Indies cricket team.Greenidge was an opening batsman for the West Indies. He began his Test career against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in 1974 and continued playing internationally until 1991. He was half of the West...
, Desmond Haynes
Desmond Haynes
Desmond Leo Haynes is a West Indian cricketer and cricket coach. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991. Haynes formed a formidable partnership with Gordon Greenidge for the West Indies cricket team in Test cricket during 1980s. Between them they managed 16 century stands, four in excess of...
, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...
, Joel Garner
Joel Garner
Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....
and Colin Croft
Colin Croft
Colin Everton Hunte Croft is a former West Indian cricketer. He provides expert analysis on the British Broadcasting Corporation's Test Match Special.-Cricket career:...
. In the First Test, Botham put the West Indies in to bat on a damp wicket that recovered and they made 426/9. England followed on and despite extra rain failed to hold out for a draw, Barrington wrote: "The boys tried hard, but one or two did not apply themselves. Hence the same old story. Lack of first-class batting and application". In Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
the Bourda
Bourda
The Bourda is a cricket ground in Georgetown, Guyana, used by the Guyanese cricket team for matches with other nations in the Caribbean as well as some Test matches involving the West Indies. Located in Bourda in Georgetown, Guyana, between Regent Street and North Road, it is home to the Georgetown...
cricket ground was flooded for days and an injury to Willis meant he had to be sent home and replaced by Robin Jackman
Robin Jackman
Robin Jackman is a former English cricketer, who played in four Tests and fifteen ODIs for England from 1974 to 1983. He was a seam bowler and useful tail-end batsman. During a first-class career lasting from 1966 to 1982, he took 1,402 wickets...
of Surrey. Jackman had played for Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
and after a week of increasing crisis, President Forbes Burnham
Forbes Burnham
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was the leader of Guyana from 1964 until his death, first as Premier from 1964 to 1966, then as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1980 and finally as President from 1980 to 1985....
decided that Jackman had to be deported under the Gleneagles Agreement
Gleneagles Agreement
The Gleneagles Agreement was unanimously approved by the Commonwealth of Nations at a meeting at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland. In 1977, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and...
. Barrington was incredulous, and in another malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
said, "The people wouldn't let old Forbes Burnham deprive them of their cricket: 10,000 to watch a practice match today; it could be a real evolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
if he tried it". The TCCB refused to have its team chosen by another country (ironically, it was the South African refusal to accept Basil d'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
that had led to their cricketing isolation) and the Second Test was cancelled. With all flights out of Guyana fully booked and Barrington now concerned for the team's safety, they even considered using a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
to rescue them. Fortunately, seats were made available and they flew to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
with great relief. There they had to wait to see if the tour would continue, but the Government of Barbados
Government of Barbados
Government of Barbados consists of: The Monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II ; The Prime Minister, The Hon. Freundel Stuart, and his Cabinet; as legislature, divided into two chambers , and an independent judiciary...
saw that Gleneagles applied to South African teams rather than individual players and allowed the Third Test to proceed. Ann came to join the team and Jackman was chosen for his Test debut. With the West Indies sent in to bat, Jackman took 3/65 and they were only saved by a century from Lloyd as they struggled to 265. England in turn were out for 122, with Barrington chain smoking on the balcony as the wickets fell, consoling each batsman as he returned to the dressing room. When the day was finished, he had dinner with Ann and some friends, but when they went to bed he had a heart attack at 10:30 pm on 14 March 1981.
Second heart attack
When Barrington had his second heart attack Ann quickly called the team physiotherapist Bernard Thomas from the next room and ran downstairs for help while he tried to resuscitate Ken. She found Alan SmithAlan Smith (cricketer)
Alan Christopher Smith, known as A. C. Smith is an English former Test cricketer, who appeared in six Tests for England. Primarily a wicket-keeper, Smith was also a capable right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm seam bowler...
in the crowded lobby and they called for a doctor and an ambulance, but by the time they arrived Barrington was already dead. They tried to keep the death a secret until his son Guy could be told at his boarding school, but his body had to be sent to the mortuary via the lobby and the news soon leaked. The England captain Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
was told and he and Smith informed each member of the team in the morning. They had a minute's silence
Moment of silence
A moment of silence is the expression for a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have recently died or as part of a commemoration ceremony...
at the team meeting before returning to the Kensington Oval
Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket...
, where Barrington had made his maiden Test century 21 years before. The news was announced at the ground and there was another one minute's silence at the beginning of play. The England team were distraught and Robin Jackman
Robin Jackman
Robin Jackman is a former English cricketer, who played in four Tests and fifteen ODIs for England from 1974 to 1983. He was a seam bowler and useful tail-end batsman. During a first-class career lasting from 1966 to 1982, he took 1,402 wickets...
said he couldn't bowl properly as he had tears in his eyes. Unsurprisingly they lost the Test by 298 runs, though Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
made a fighting 116 in their second innings. He later said
I had watched Ken Barrington – a great Test batsman – as a boy and when I broke into the England side in the late Seventies he became a father figure. In fact, he was a mentor to a lot of us then – myself, David GowerDavid GowerDavid Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
, Ian BothamIan BothamSir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
, Mike GattingMike GattingMichael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
. Ken was an England selector and assistant manager on the West Indies tour of 1981. There were no official coach in those days but it was to Ken that most of us turned. Unlike many retired pros, he never used the words, 'In my day...' On the first night of the Test, he suffered a heart attack in our hotel. I was woken the next morning at around 8am by tour manager Alan Smith and captain Ian Botham. I knew something was wrong, because Both was never up before then. They told me the news. I had tears in my eyes when we went out on to the pitch for the minute's silence and again when I was batting in the second innings. We needed over 500 to win and it soon became apparent that we weren't going to get them. But I kept thinking of him and managed to make a hundred. Kenny was a counsellor, a friend and an inspiration.
Funeral and memorial service
He didn't like conflict. It was quite an ordeal for him as manager when the team was confronted by incidents. There is a lot of real courage in someone who is sensitive, vulnerable, sometimes anxious, yet not giving up. This sensitivity made him understand younger players.
- David Sheppard
David SheppardDavid Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
, Bishop of LiverpoolBishop of LiverpoolThe Bishop of Liverpool is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool in the Province of York.The diocese stretches from Southport in the north, to Widnes in the south, and from the River Mersey to Wigan in the east. Its see is in the City of Liverpool at the Cathedral Church of...
The police wanted to keep the body for a post-mortem, but Thomas obtained a death certificate and was allowed to return the body to England. A British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
pilot who was in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
for the cricket arranged for Thomas and Ann to return on a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
with the entire upper deck reserved for them and Ken's body and they landed at Heathrow. He was cremated on 23 March 1981 in Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and 150 wreaths were received, including one from each cricket county. Surrey County Cricket Club
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...
arranged a memorial service at Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
in April 1981, which had last been done for Sir Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
in 1964. It was attended by 700 mourners including Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
and the England cricket team, who had just returned from the Caribbean, Lord Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
, the former prime minister, Hector Monro
Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm
Hector Seymour Peter Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm, AE, PC , was a Conservative & Unionist Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Dumfries for 33 years, from 1964 to 1997, and then a life peer in the House of Lords....
, the Minister for Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
, and many cricketers. The service was led by the ex-England captain David Sheppard
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
, now the Bishop of Liverpool
Bishop of Liverpool
The Bishop of Liverpool is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool in the Province of York.The diocese stretches from Southport in the north, to Widnes in the south, and from the River Mersey to Wigan in the east. Its see is in the City of Liverpool at the Cathedral Church of...
, and Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
sang "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
".
Legacy
Ken Barrington was a keen member of the Lord's TavernersLord's Taverners
The Lord’s Taverners is a thriving club, the official charity for recreational cricket and the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity whose objective is to 'give young people, particularly those with special needs, a sporting chance'.The Lord’s Taverners was founded in 1950 by a...
and in his honour they named the Under-13 Competition winner's silver cup the "Ken Barrington Trophy", and there are Ken Barrington Pavilions at Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Bookham, Dorset
Bookham, Dorset
Bookham is a hamlet in Dorset, England located south-east of the village of Buckland Newton....
. The largest memorial to his name is the Ken Barrington Indoor Cricket Centre at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. Surrey County Cricket Club
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...
decided in 1983 that as he loved to teach cricket to children they would build a training centre in his name. Prince Charles made the first donation and £1,250,000 was raised by public subscription. Delays in planning permission and further need for money mean that it was not opened until the 31 July 1991, but coincidence the same day as the Surrey vs Essex quarter-final in the NatWest Trophy. The centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, and Prime Minister John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, the last two keen cricket fans, the Essex and England captain Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
and of course, Ann and Guy Barrington. The centre contains Ken Barrington memorabilia.
Personality
In looks he was easily distinguishable from the crowd, his black crinkling hair neatly cut, telling of his services background; his hawk's eyes, his shrewdness, his Roman noseRoman NoseRoman Nose, a.k.a. Hook Nose , was a Native American of the Northern Cheyenne, and possibly the greatest and most influential warrior during the Plains Indian War of the 1860s...
, and jutting jaw, his fierce competativeness; his hairy forearms, expansive shoulders and deep voice, his physical strength; his infectious laugh, his sense of humour, and his craggy smiling face revealing a kindness and sensitivity that accompanied his more resolute qualities.
Thanks to his army upbringing Barrington was very neat in his dress and carefully ironed and packed his clothes, and took great care of his cricket equipment. While waiting to bat he would watch the play or prowl the dressing room with a cigarette and would reflect with another cigarette after his dismissal. He rarely drank and preferred to retire early, especially on nights preceded match days. He was brought into cricket when social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
and the hierarchy between amateur and professional
Amateur status in first-class cricket
Amateur status in first-class cricket had a special meaning, especially in England, in that the amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs...
was still the norm and retained some degree of politeness to his superiors, even at the end of his career. At home he could ill afford to hire mechanics or decorators and as a result become an accomplished car-repairman for his friends and colleagues, his own car was always kept spotless and in perfect working order, and was a keen DIY man. He was always careful with his money and frequently called up the management of a hotel if the room was not up to standard and argued if they charged too much. Barrington was a well known sayer of malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
s such as; "If you pitch it there you put the batsman in two-mans land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
", "That was good bowling in anyone's cup of tea", "The press went through the food like a swarm of lotuses
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
" and "high-philosophy
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
bullets".
Playing style
Ken's batsmanship displayed different qualities which were not so glamorous, perhaps, but no less essential: determination, courage, application and overwhelming dedication to the task in hand...How reassuring it would have been last summer to have seen that familiar figure once again – square-on stance, cap pulled down, sleeves rolled up, jutting jaw, ready for anything that bowlers could unleash.
- John Major
John MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
Ken Barrington started was a free-scoring off-side player, but determined to regain his place he opened his stance and became a defensive leg-side player. In the 1960s he was the backbone of the England team, whose batting had proved so fragile to the Australian bowling in the 1958-59 Ashes series, but he was a match-saver rather than a match-winner, always best in a crisis. The selectors, press and public thought that he surrendered the initiative too much to the bowlers, but a batsman of his calibre could not be ignored. He was a great worrier and had trouble sleeping during a Test match or if he was not out overnight, which lead in turn to exhaustion. As a batsman he was a nervous waiter in the dressing room and preferred to bat at number three to reduce the tension. He would smoke cigarettes to calm himself down and would watch closely to see how the wicket was playing. Barrington took his time walking out to the crease and the Australian wicket-keeper Wally Grout
Wally Grout
Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland.Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966...
said "Whenever I saw Ken coming to the wicket, I thought the Union Jack was trailing behind him". Once there he would inspect the pitch and subject it to "incessant prodding", and would hold up play if the captain changed the field so that he could inspect it. A nervous starter he would make 20–30 runs quickly enough, but gave chances to the bowlers, who tried to take advantage of this. Once settled he would slow down and would sink into lethargy until he neared his century, which four times in Tests he brought up with a massive pull for six. Yet there was method even in this, fielding captains tended to add close-fielders in the 'nervous nineties', so Barrington just hit the ball over their heads into the outfield.
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
wrote with feeling "Every so often you encounter a player whose bat seem about a yard wide. It's not, of course. It just seems that way. England's Ken Barrington was one. Our own Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry
William Morris "Bill" Lawry, AM is a former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Tests, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural One Day International match, played in 1971...
was another. Gee, they were hard to dislodge". This was not always appreciated by the selectors, spectators and the press; and he once met a man on a train who told him "I always switch off the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
when you come in". This lack of appreciation may have been affected by the fact that he scored most of his centuries overseas and that he could play entertaining strokes, but chose not to do so. He was controversially dropped from the England team after 57 Tests for taking over seven hours to make 137 against a weak New Zealand attack in 1965 in which he "almost brought the game to a standstill". But when quick runs were needed in the Fifth Test at Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1962–63 he surprised everyone by smashing a hundred off 122 balls and bringing up the century with a six into the stands. Though he rarely expressed open dissent he used to pull faces if he disagreed with an umpire or though that the light was too bad or the bouncers too frequent. His grimacing and nervous jump when receiving hostile fast bowling led some to believe that he was afraid, but he stood up to Wes Hall
Wes Hall
Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969...
, Chester Watson
Chester Watson
Chester Donald Watson is a Jamaican cricketer. Watson played seven Tests for the West Indies in the early 1960s....
, Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith
Charles Christopher Griffith is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s...
and Peter Pollock
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
even if injured.
His square stance made the cover drive difficult and Barrington eliminated it from his scoring strokes, even so bowlers attacked the off-stump "It wasn't that he was weak there, but merely he was less strong" as Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
explained. Barrington never lost his ability as a spinner, and it made him very effective against spin bowling, especially that of Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud
Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
. His Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
team mate Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
wrote "His concentration was such that when facing slow bowlers, he would actually watch the ball spinning in the air and play it accordingly". His one weakness that he was not a good runner, he seldom wanted to relinquish the strike and thought quick singles tired a batsman out. Sometimes a keen batting partner would rush up the wicket only to find Barrington entrenched at the crease and waiting for him to scramble back. John Edrich
John Edrich
John Edrich, MBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Surrey and England. He earned a reputation as a dogged and fearless batsman, and his figures show that he was amongst the best players of his generation...
called him "the worst in the world", and his West Country accent
West Country dialects
The West Country dialects and West Country accents are generic terms applied to any of several English dialects and accents used by much of the indigenous population of South West England, the area popularly known as the West Country....
meant that "won" (one or run) and "wait" sounded too much alike. His greatest strength was that he was a good tourist, averaging 69.18 in Tests abroad, though his home average of 50.71 was hardly negligible. He also made 14 of his 20 Test hundreds in foreign fields, which led to his being appreciated by overseas more than he was at home, where his good humour when playing to the crowd won him widespread admiration in Australia and hero-worship in India.
As a selector Barrington watched some 80 days of county cricket each year to check new talent and help choose the team. From 1976 he was the manager or assistant-manager in every England tour. In those days a manager led the social side of the tour with speeches and dinners, which initially caused him some difficulty, relations with the local cricketing authorities, umpires and the TCCB as well as coaching and training the side. His strengths were that he had toured these countries before, had contacts, a natural good humour and was an excellent ambassador for the game he loved. As a coach few were better at fielding practice and helping batsmen with their technique in the nets. While he did not coach bowlers so well he could guide them through the weaknesses of the opposition batsmen and general strategy. Although he often grumbled to his team and off the cuff to the English press he was always diplomatic in his official statements. He was an avuncular figure popular with the England players who held him in great respect and called him 'the Colonel', but could also tease him and "eagerly awaited the traditional Barrington reaction of hands on hips, eyes cast in the air and a resigned shake of the head".
| Test batting averages of batsman who have made 1000 Test runs Source | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Team | Birth and death | Matches | Innings | Not Out | Runs | Highest score | Average | 100s | 50s | Ct Caught Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition... |
| 1 | D.G. Bradman | 1908–2001 | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 | 32 | |
| 2 | S.G. Barnes Sid Barnes Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War... |
1916–1973 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 1072 | 234 | 63.05 | 3 | 5 | 14 | |
| 3 | R.G. Pollock Graeme Pollock Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level.... |
1944–present | 23 | 41 | 4 | 2256 | 274 | 60.97 | 7 | 11 | 17 | |
| 4 | G.A. Headley George Headley George Alphonso Headley was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before the Second World War. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for West Indies and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Headley also represented Jamaica and played professional club cricket in... |
1909–1983 | 22 | 40 | 4 | 2190 | 270* 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... |
60.83 | 10 | 5 | 14 | |
| 5 | H. Sutcliffe Herbert Sutcliffe Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars... |
1894–1978 | 54 | 84 | 9 | 4555 | 194 | 60.73 | 16 | 23 | 23 | |
| 6 | E. Paynter Eddie Paynter Edward "Eddie" Paynter was an English cricketer: an attacking batsman and excellent fielder. His Test batting average of 59.23 is the fifth highest of all time, and second only to Herbert Sutcliffe amongst Englishmen; against Australia alone Paynter averaged an extraordinary 84.42.Born in... |
1909–1979 | 20 | 31 | 5 | 1540 | 243 | 59.23 | 4 | 7 | 7 | |
| 7 | K.F. Barrington | 1930–1981 | 82 | 131 | 15 | 6806 | 256 | 58.67 | 20 | 35 | 58 | |
| 8 | E.D. Weekes Everton Weekes Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE is a leading former West Indian cricketer. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of West Indian cricket.-Youth and early career:... |
1925–present | 48 | 81 | 5 | 4455 | 207 | 58.61 | 15 | 19 | 49 | |
| 9 | W.R. Hammond Wally Hammond Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England... |
1903–1965 | 85 | 140 | 16 | 7249 | 336* 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... |
58.45 | 22 | 24 | 110 | |
| 10 | I.J.L. Trott Jonathan Trott Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott is a South African-born England Test cricketer. Domestically, he plays for Warwickshire and he has also played in South Africa and New Zealand... |
1981–present | 23 | 38 | 4 | 1965 | 226 | 57.79 | 6 | 7 | 11 | |
Test centuries
Ken Barrington made 20 Test centuries, two short of the England record held by Wally HammondWally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
, Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
and Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
. He made hundreds against all the Test teams of his era, but less than a third in England, which partially accounts for his greater reputation abroad than at home. Barrington's granite-like hundreds ensured that England only lost one Test in which he made three figures, but also won eight, belaying his reputation as a match-saver rather than a match-winner, and most of them by huge margins; four by an innings, one by 256 runs and three by 10, 9, and 8 wickets. Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests, against Pakistan and Indian in 1961–62 and Pakistan and the West Indies in 1967–68 and he was the first England batsmen to make a hundred on the six Test cricket grounds with one each at Old Trafford, Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, Lords, Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
.
| Ken Barrington's 20 Test centuries | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Century Century (cricket) In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for... | Test | Opponents | Season | Venue | City | Country | Result | ||
| 1 | 128 | First Test | 1959–60 | Kensington Oval Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket... |
Bridgetown Bridgetown The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael... |
 Barbados |
Match Drawn | |||
| 2 | 121 | Second Test | 1959–60 | Queen's Park Oval Queen's Park Oval Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the... |
Port of Spain Port of Spain Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population... |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
win by 256 runs | |||
| 3 | 139 | First Test | 1961–62 | Gaddafi Stadium Gaddafi Stadium Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World... |
Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a... |
 Pakistan |
win by 5 wickets | |||
| 4 | 151* 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... |
First Test | 1961–62 | Brabourne Stadium Brabourne Stadium The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent... |
Bombay Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... |
 India |
Match Drawn | |||
| 5 | 172 | Second Test | 1961–62 | Modi Stadium | Kanpur | India |
Match Drawn | |||
| 6 | 113* 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... |
Third Test | 1961–62 | Feroz Shah Kotla Feroz Shah Kotla The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C... |
Delhi Delhi Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census... |
India |
Match Drawn | |||
| 7 | 132* 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... |
Fourth Test | 1962–63 | Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide... |
Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
 Australia |
Match Drawn | |||
| 8 | 101 | Fifth Test | 1962–63 | Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian... |
Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
Australia |
Match Drawn | |||
| 9 | 126 | First Test | 1962–63 | Eden Park Eden Park Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable... |
Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... |
 New Zealand |
win by an innings and 215 runs | |||
| 10 | 256 | Fourth Test | 1964 | Old Trafford Cricket Ground | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
 Kingdom of England |
Match Drawn | |||
| 11 | 148* 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... |
First Test | 1964–65 | Sahara Stadium Sahara Stadium Kingsmead Kingsmead is a cricket ground in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It operates under the sponsorship-based name of Sahara Stadium Kingsmead where Sahara is the trademark of a sponsor from the IT industry. Its stated capacity is 25,000, although grass terracing makes up part of the viewing area.... |
Durban Durban Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... |
 South Africa |
win by an innings and 104 runs | |||
| 12 | 121 | Second Test | 1964–65 | New Wanders Stadium Wanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating... |
Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... |
South Africa |
Match Drawn | |||
| 13 | 137 | First Test | 1965 | Edgbaston Cricket Ground Edgbaston Cricket Ground Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England... |
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Kingdom of England |
win by 9 wickets | |||
| 14 | 163 | Third Test | 1965 | Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie .... |
Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... |
Kingdom of England |
win by an innings and 187 runs | |||
| 15 | 102 | Fourth Test | 1965–66 | Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide... |
Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
Australia |
win by an innings and 9 runs | |||
| 16 | 115 | Fifth Test | 1965–66 | 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... |
Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... |
Australia |
Match Drawn | |||
| 17 | 148 | First Test | 1967 | Lord's Cricket Ground 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... |
London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Kingdom of England |
Match Drawn | |||
| 18 | 109* 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... |
Second Test | 1967 | Trent Bridge Cricket Ground Trent Bridge Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of... |
Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... |
Kingdom of England |
win by 10 wickets | |||
| 19 | 142 | Third Test | 1967 | Kennington Oval | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Kingdom of England |
win by 8 wickets | |||
| 20 | 143 | First Test | 1967–68 | Queen's Park Oval Queen's Park Oval Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the... |
Port of Spain Port of Spain Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population... |
Trinidad and Tobago |
Match Drawn | |||