Richard Blakey
Encyclopedia
Richard John Blakey is a former English
cricket
er who played in two Tests
and three ODIs from 1992 to 1993.
for Yorkshire
, who made two Test appearances for England in 1992-93 during the tour to India. He was picked for his batting potential, but he made little impression and returned to the county game. As was the case for many keepers during the 1990s, the presence of Jack Russell and Alec Stewart
made difficult any further England appearances.
Blakey initially appeared in the Yorkshire team as a batsman in 1985, before replacing David Bairstow
as the gloveman for the county. He scored a double century for England A in Zimbabwe
on the 1989/90 tour, and a bright future as a specialist batsman seemed assured when he was named Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year
in 1987.
After a prolific first full county season with the bat, his batting form suffered with the extra responsibility he was given behind the stumps, and he began batting down the order. Blakey remained a Yorkshire stalwart in all forms of the game for a decade and a half until 2000, taking 778 catches and completing 57 stumpings in 348 first-class games, and scoring 14,674 runs at 31.42, but eventually lost his place to Simon Guy
and Gerard Brophy
.
His highest score, 223 not out, made from just 206 balls with 35 fours, came in 2003 against Northamptonshire
, and was a last reminder of what might have been had he been allowed to concentrate on his batting. He helped the second team for several seasons, being appointed Second XI captain and manager in 2004, before being released in 2006. He wrote an autobiography, cheekily entitled Taking It From Behind.
He was once bowled by the Scottish fast bowler, and football
team goalkeeper
, Andy Goram
, in a NatWest Trophy game.
His son, Harrison, is now an apprentice
at Huddersfield Town F.C.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in two Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and three ODIs from 1992 to 1993.
Life and career
Blakey was a fine wicket-keeperWicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
for Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, who made two Test appearances for England in 1992-93 during the tour to India. He was picked for his batting potential, but he made little impression and returned to the county game. As was the case for many keepers during the 1990s, the presence of Jack Russell and Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
made difficult any further England appearances.
Blakey initially appeared in the Yorkshire team as a batsman in 1985, before replacing David Bairstow
David Bairstow
David Leslie Bairstow was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England as a wicket-keeper. He also played football for his hometown club Bradford City.-Early life and education:...
as the gloveman for the county. He scored a double century for England A in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
on the 1989/90 tour, and a bright future as a specialist batsman seemed assured when he was named Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year
Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year
The Young Cricketer of the Year is an annual award voted by the Cricket Writers' Club for the best young cricket player in England and Wales, and has been awarded since 1950. Former recipients include Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Botham and David Gower....
in 1987.
After a prolific first full county season with the bat, his batting form suffered with the extra responsibility he was given behind the stumps, and he began batting down the order. Blakey remained a Yorkshire stalwart in all forms of the game for a decade and a half until 2000, taking 778 catches and completing 57 stumpings in 348 first-class games, and scoring 14,674 runs at 31.42, but eventually lost his place to Simon Guy
Simon Guy
Simon Mark Guy is an English first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire until his release by the county in August 2009....
and Gerard Brophy
Gerard Brophy
Gerard Louis Brophy is a first-class cricketer, presently contracted to Yorkshire. He has also played for Ireland, Free State, Northamptonshire and Transvaal in a well travelled career....
.
His highest score, 223 not out, made from just 206 balls with 35 fours, came in 2003 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...
, and was a last reminder of what might have been had he been allowed to concentrate on his batting. He helped the second team for several seasons, being appointed Second XI captain and manager in 2004, before being released in 2006. He wrote an autobiography, cheekily entitled Taking It From Behind.
He was once bowled by the Scottish fast bowler, and football
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
team goalkeeper
Goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, a goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal...
, Andy Goram
Andy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
, in a NatWest Trophy game.
His son, Harrison, is now an apprentice
Huddersfield Town F.C. Reserves and Academy
Huddersfield Town Development Squad and Academy are the "reserve" and academy teams for the League One club Huddersfield Town.The club have not entered a team into a reserves league since the 2009-10 season, and have been replaced by the Huddersfield Town Development Squad, playing a number of...
at Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...