Steve Atkinson (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Robert "Steve" Atkinson (born 8 December 1952 in Birtley
, County Durham
, England
) is an English-born cricketer
who has represented both the Netherlands and Hong Kong
in international competition.
A right-handed batsman, he also played minor counties
cricket
for Durham
and played for the second XIs of first-class counties Warwickshire
, Nottinghamshire
, Leicestershire
and Northamptonshire
.
in the first round of the Gillette Cup, playing the following month against Essex
in the same competition. He played in the Benson & Hedges Cup
for a Minor Counties North team in 1974, in addition to two matches for Durham in the Gillette Cup.
He next played List A cricket for Durham in the 1977 Gillette Cup against Northamptonshire
, and played for Minor Counties North in the following years Benson & Hedges Cup, also playing for Durham in the Gillette Cup the same year, and the subsequent three years.
He played his final List A match for Durham against Kent
in 1985, and all his subsequent List A matches were for a combined Minor Counties team. Also in 1985, he played his only first-class
match, for a combined Minor Counties team against Zimbabwe. The following year, he play for the Netherlands in the 1986 ICC Trophy
and scored 162 against Israel, the second highest score for the Netherlands in ICC Trophy competition and the fourth highest overall.
He continued to play for Durham for the next three years, though he eventually settled in Hong Kong
, where his son (who has played cricket for Hong Kong) was born in 1990. He played for Hong Kong at the 1994 ICC Trophy
. He now is the selector for Hong Kong's junior teams.
Birtley
Birtley can refer to several villages in England:*Birtley, Herefordshire*Birtley, Northumberland*Birtley, Shropshire*Birtley, Tyne and Wear*Birtley, Surrey...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
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...
) is an English-born cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who has represented both the Netherlands and Hong Kong
Hong Kong cricket team
The Hong Kong cricket team represents Hong Kong in international cricket. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1969....
in international competition.
A right-handed batsman, he also played minor counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
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...
for 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...
and played for the second XIs of first-class counties 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...
, 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...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
and 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...
.
Career
After making his debut for Durham in 1972, he made his List A debut against YorkshireYorkshire 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....
in the first round of the Gillette Cup, playing the following month 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 the same competition. He played in the Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
for a Minor Counties North team in 1974, in addition to two matches for Durham in the Gillette Cup.
He next played List A cricket for Durham in the 1977 Gillette Cup 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 played for Minor Counties North in the following years Benson & Hedges Cup, also playing for Durham in the Gillette Cup the same year, and the subsequent three years.
He played his final List A match for Durham against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1985, and all his subsequent List A matches were for a combined Minor Counties team. Also in 1985, he played his only first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match, for a combined Minor Counties team against Zimbabwe. The following year, he play for the Netherlands in the 1986 ICC Trophy
1986 ICC Trophy
The 1986 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in England between 11 June and 7 July 1986. It was the third ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, and as with the previous two tournaments, games between the 16 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and with white clothing and...
and scored 162 against Israel, the second highest score for the Netherlands in ICC Trophy competition and the fourth highest overall.
He continued to play for Durham for the next three years, though he eventually settled in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where his son (who has played cricket for Hong Kong) was born in 1990. He played for Hong Kong at the 1994 ICC Trophy
1994 ICC Trophy
The ABN-AMRO 1994 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament that took place in Kenya in February/March 1994. It was the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The UAE defeated the host nation Kenya in the final and the Netherlands finished 3rd with all 3 sides qualifing for their first...
. He now is the selector for Hong Kong's junior teams.