Paul Horton
Encyclopedia
Paul James Horton is a cricketer for Lancashire County Cricket Club
in England and Matabeleland Tuskers
in Zimbabwe.
Horton was born and raised in Sydney, Australia before moving to Liverpool, England, (the native home of his parents) as a teenager. His first season of cricket in England was played at Winstanley
, a team based in Billinge, Wigan
, with which he impressed and got noticed by the Lancashire youth. The following season he played his club cricket at Sefton in Aigburth
, Liverpool as this league was of a higher standard. He then joined the Lancashire youth set up and captained the U17 and U19 teams.
in a drawn match; he was dismissed by Grant Flower
two overs
before the end of the day. After failing to cement a place in the Lancashire team Horton spent the winter of 2006/07 playing grade cricket
in Australia to improve his batting. He spent the season playing for Ginninderra
Cricket Club in Canberra. He also represented the Canberra Comets
in the second tier Cricket Australia Cup which is a state second XI competition one level below first class status. After several seasons of impressing in second XI cricket, Horton finally broke through and established himself in the first team.
In May 2007 Horton hit his maiden century for Lancashire with 139 in a County Championship
match against Worcestershire
; his effort came on the final day of a drawn match and he spent 12 overs marooned in the 90s. A few weeks later in August, Horton bettered that with a 149 against their great rivals Yorkshire
; this came in a partnership of 258 with Stuart Law
for Lancashire's highest partnership for any wicket in first-class cricket against Yorkshire, beating the previous record of 247 set by Graham Lloyd
and Ian Austin
in 1997. Also in August the same year, Horton set another career best of 152 against Hampshire
in a drawn match. A successful 2007 season for Horton was recognised by the club when he received his Lancashire Cap and was named Lancashire Player of the Year at the end of the season. He finished the season with 1,034 championship runs at an average of 49.23. As a result of his on field exploits, Horton was named the BBC North West Sports Awards Newcomer for 2007.
In May 2008, Horton scored 108 against a Durham
bowling attack including Steve Harmison
, who had been dropped from the England side, before being run out
. His century was part of a Lancashire victory by 232 runs as James Anderson
and Andrew Flintoff
shared 16 wickets in the match. Horton scored his sixth first class century, and his second against Yorkshire, in May 2008. He scored 152, equalling his best score, and shared a partnership of 258 with Mohammad Yousuf who went on to score 205* as the match was drawn, equalling Lancashire's record for any partnership against Yorkshire. In July 2008, Lancashire captain Stuart Law expressed the view that Horton was playing well enough to play for England but that his batting could still improve After a series of good performances in the Lancashire's first-class side, Horton stated that he wanted to play more one day cricket. On 25 August 2008, Horton scored his maiden list A half-century. Batting at number three, he top scored for Lancashire with 56 from 75 balls against Sussex
.
Over the 2008/09 winter season, Horton played club cricket in Australia; he captained Gosnells
cricket team in Western Australia
. In March, Horton was part of the Lancashire squad which toured the United Arab Emirates
and took part in the Pro ARCH Trophy. He scored a century against Sussex, and finished as the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament. Horton began the 2009 English season by scoring a century in Lancashire's opening first-class match. Opening the batting against Durham University
, he scored 105 runs from 182 balls before being stumped. On 26 April 2009, Horton scored his maiden listA century after missing the first one-day game of the season through injury; opening the batting with Tom Smith
, he scored 100 off 108 balls as Lancashire won by 6 wickets. Despite registering several low scores in the opening matches of Lancashire's county championship campaign, Horton' one-day form was good and he scored his second listA century on 4 May. Becoming only the fourth Lancashire player to score centuries in successive one-day matches, Horton scored 111 not out
from 144 balls as Lancashire beat Derbyshire
by 8 wickets.
. He described his role in the squad as "... to get runs in all forms of the game and also bring an approach and a dedication to the game that rubs off on the rest of the squad. To have that added responsibility on my shoulders can only make me a better person and a better cricketer in the forthcoming season for Lancashire." In a match against the Mountaineers
in November, Horton scored his first T20 half-century, beating his previous best of 44. He set another personal best two months later in a match against Southern Rocks
; Horton scored his maiden first-class double-century. The innings of 209 beat his previous highest score of 173.
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...
in England and Matabeleland Tuskers
Matabeleland cricket team
Matabeleland cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Matabeleland province in Zimbabwe. They competed in the Logan Cup from 1994 until the format was revamped in 2007....
in Zimbabwe.
Horton was born and raised in Sydney, Australia before moving to Liverpool, England, (the native home of his parents) as a teenager. His first season of cricket in England was played at Winstanley
Winstanley, Greater Manchester
Winstanley is a area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. The area serves primarily as a residential suburb, and has a total population of 15,849.-Transport:...
, a team based in Billinge, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, with which he impressed and got noticed by the Lancashire youth. The following season he played his club cricket at Sefton in Aigburth
Aigburth
Aigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Mossley Hill, and Garston.-History:...
, Liverpool as this league was of a higher standard. He then joined the Lancashire youth set up and captained the U17 and U19 teams.
Lancashire
Horton joined the Lancashire first team squad in 2003. He came close to scoring his maiden first class century in July 2005 when he scored 99 batting at number four against EssexEssex 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 drawn match; he was dismissed by Grant Flower
Grant Flower
Grant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his handy left arm spin and fine batting skills. He was a fitness fanatic who spends hours in the gym, and was also regarded as a brilliant fielder who was usually seen in the gully...
two overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
before the end of the day. After failing to cement a place in the Lancashire team Horton spent the winter of 2006/07 playing grade cricket
Grade cricket
Grade cricket is the name of the senior inter-club or district cricket competitions in each of the Australian states. The term may refer to:*Brisbane Grade Cricket *South Australian Grade Cricket League*Sydney Grade Cricket...
in Australia to improve his batting. He spent the season playing for Ginninderra
Ginninderra
Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, Australia's National Capital...
Cricket Club in Canberra. He also represented the Canberra Comets
Canberra Comets
The ACT Comets are a cricket team that represent the Australian Capital Territory. They were participants in the Australian domestic limited-overs Mercantile Mutual Cup competition. They did not, however, field a team in the four-day Sheffield Shield competition...
in the second tier Cricket Australia Cup which is a state second XI competition one level below first class status. After several seasons of impressing in second XI cricket, Horton finally broke through and established himself in the first team.
In May 2007 Horton hit his maiden century for Lancashire with 139 in a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match 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...
; his effort came on the final day of a drawn match and he spent 12 overs marooned in the 90s. A few weeks later in August, Horton bettered that with a 149 against their great rivals 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....
; this came in a partnership of 258 with Stuart Law
Stuart Law
Stuart Grant Law OAM is an Australian-born cricketer. He is also the head coach of Bangladesh national cricket team, as from July, he succeeded fellow Aussie Jamie Siddons, who left shortly after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
for Lancashire's highest partnership for any wicket in first-class cricket against Yorkshire, beating the previous record of 247 set by Graham Lloyd
Graham Lloyd
Graham David Lloyd is a former attacking right-handed batsman and all-round fielder for Lancashire who played a handful of One Day Internationals for England....
and Ian Austin
Ian Austin (cricketer)
Ian David Austin was an English cricketer.He made his first-class debut for Lancashire County Cricket Club in 1987 and remained with that county for his entire career, scoring 3,778 runs at 27.98 and taking 262 wickets at 30.35 with his medium-pace seamers in...
in 1997. Also in August the same year, Horton set another career best of 152 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...
in a drawn match. A successful 2007 season for Horton was recognised by the club when he received his Lancashire Cap and was named Lancashire Player of the Year at the end of the season. He finished the season with 1,034 championship runs at an average of 49.23. As a result of his on field exploits, Horton was named the BBC North West Sports Awards Newcomer for 2007.
In May 2008, Horton scored 108 against a Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham 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 Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
bowling attack including Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
, who had been dropped from the England side, before being run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
. His century was part of a Lancashire victory by 232 runs as James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
and Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
shared 16 wickets in the match. Horton scored his sixth first class century, and his second against Yorkshire, in May 2008. He scored 152, equalling his best score, and shared a partnership of 258 with Mohammad Yousuf who went on to score 205* as the match was drawn, equalling Lancashire's record for any partnership against Yorkshire. In July 2008, Lancashire captain Stuart Law expressed the view that Horton was playing well enough to play for England but that his batting could still improve After a series of good performances in the Lancashire's first-class side, Horton stated that he wanted to play more one day cricket. On 25 August 2008, Horton scored his maiden list A half-century. Batting at number three, he top scored for Lancashire with 56 from 75 balls against Sussex
Sussex 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...
.
Over the 2008/09 winter season, Horton played club cricket in Australia; he captained Gosnells
Gosnells, Western Australia
The City of Gosnells is a Local Government Area in the southeastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located northwest of Armadale and about southeast of Perth's central business district...
cricket team in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. In March, Horton was part of the Lancashire squad which toured the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and took part in the Pro ARCH Trophy. He scored a century against Sussex, and finished as the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament. Horton began the 2009 English season by scoring a century in Lancashire's opening first-class match. Opening the batting against Durham University
Durham University Centre of Cricketing Excellence
Durham MCC University is a cricket coaching centre based at Durham University in Durham, County Durham, England and the name under which the university's cricket team plays....
, he scored 105 runs from 182 balls before being stumped. On 26 April 2009, Horton scored his maiden listA century after missing the first one-day game of the season through injury; opening the batting with Tom Smith
Tom Smith (cricketer)
Thomas Christopher Smith, , is a cricketer who currently plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club. He has also been a member of the England Academy team. In 2008, he played for Leicestershire on loan because he was unable to break into Lancashire's first team. He is an all-rounder, bowling...
, he scored 100 off 108 balls as Lancashire won by 6 wickets. Despite registering several low scores in the opening matches of Lancashire's county championship campaign, Horton' one-day form was good and he scored his second listA century on 4 May. Becoming only the fourth Lancashire player to score centuries in successive one-day matches, Horton scored 111 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
from 144 balls as Lancashire beat 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...
by 8 wickets.
Matabeleland Tuskers (2010–11)
In late 2010, Horton was signed by Zimbabwean side Matabeleland TuskersMatabeleland cricket team
Matabeleland cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Matabeleland province in Zimbabwe. They competed in the Logan Cup from 1994 until the format was revamped in 2007....
. He described his role in the squad as "... to get runs in all forms of the game and also bring an approach and a dedication to the game that rubs off on the rest of the squad. To have that added responsibility on my shoulders can only make me a better person and a better cricketer in the forthcoming season for Lancashire." In a match against the Mountaineers
Mountaineers cricket team
The Mountaineers is one of five cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Manicaland and Mashonaland East area. They play their home matches at Mutare Sports Club in Mutare.-Squad:...
in November, Horton scored his first T20 half-century, beating his previous best of 44. He set another personal best two months later in a match against Southern Rocks
Southern Rocks
The Southern Rocks is one of five Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Masvingo and Matabeleland South area. They play their home matches at Masvingo Sports Club in Masvingo.-Squad:...
; Horton scored his maiden first-class double-century. The innings of 209 beat his previous highest score of 173.
Statistics
| First-class | List A | T20 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Matches | Runs | Average | 100/50 | Matches | Runs | Average | 100/50 | Matches | Runs | Average | 100/50 |
| 2002 | 0 | – | – | –/– | 2 | 49 | 24.50 | 0/0 | 0 | – | – | –/– |
| 2003 | 1 | 2 | – | 0/0 | 0 | – | – | –/– | 0 | – | – | –/– |
| 2004 | 1 | 22 | 22.00 | 0/0 | 4 | 46 | 23.00 | 0/0 | 0 | – | – | –/– |
| 2005 | 6 | 350 | 38.88 | 0/2 | 1 | 46 | 46.00 | 0/0 | 1 | 11 | 11.00 | 0/0 |
| 2006 | 4 | 227 | 45.40 | 0/2 | 3 | 2 | 1.00 | 0/0 | 4 | 17 | 8.50 | 0/0 |
| 2007 | 14 | 1,116 | 48.52 | 3/5 | 8 | 153 | 19.12 | 0/0 | 0 | – | – | –/– |
| 2008 | 16 | 1,087 | 47.26 | 3/7 | 8 | 128 | 16.00 | 0/1 | 0 | – | – | –/– |
| 2009 | 17 | 881 | 31.43 | 2/4 | 16 | 569 | 40.64 | 2/2 | 9 | 166 | 18.44 | 0/0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 634 | 22.64 | 1/3 | 13 | 383 | 38.30 | 0/4 | 17 | 270 | 20.76 | 0/0 |