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Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth CBE (8 June 1932 – 25 December 2021) was an English cricketer, cricket commentator and administrator. He is one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in first-class cricket. He played for Yorkshire (1951–1968 and 1982–1983), Leicestershire (1969–1978) and England (1958–1973) and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.
Illingworth was born in Pudsey, West Riding of Yorkshire on 8 June 1932. As a teenager he played at Farsley Cricket Club.
As a teenager he had assisted his local club ground, Bradford League Club for domestic club matches by preparing grounds. His father was a cabinet-maker and joiner. His father also worked shifts at a munitions factory during the World War II. His father then returned to the business of cabinet making and Ray often helped his father with repairs, upholstery and French polishing.
He left school at the age of 14 and started playing for Farsley Cricket Club main XI shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. He turned out for Farsley First XI at the age of 13. He was known for his knock of an unbeaten 148 in a Priestley Cup final which was contested as part of Bradford Premier League. He was called up for national service at the age of 18 when he was on the verge of potentially being selected to county cricket level. He also went on to ply his trade playing for the RAF and for the Combined Services during the time when he was on national service.
Illingworth was a keen student of the game. He had a realistic approach, and "only liked to gamble on certainties."
As a bowler, he was not a sharp spinner of the ball, relying on accuracy and subtle variations of flight, but his arm ball was particularly effective, many of his victims being caught at slip, playing for spin that was not there.[citation needed] In county cricket, he took 2072 wickets.[citation needed] He bowled 408 balls without reward in three Tests against New Zealand in 1973 but conceded only 1.91 runs an over in his Test career.[citation needed]
His middle-order batting was based around stern defence; a fifth of his innings, mostly at number 6 or 7 in the order, finished not out. He scored 24,134 first-class runs in all, with a best of 162, at an average of 28.06.[citation needed] Against the Rest of the World in 1970, Illingworth topped the England averages with 476 runs (52.89) and six half-centuries.[citation needed]
The Yorkshireman was 'tough, combative, grudging, shrewd, and an instinctive reader of the game', and an experienced, no-nonsense captain who expected his team to play like professionals. David Gower wrote 'no matter how highly Ray might regard you as a player he would not have you in his team, come hell or high water, unless he was utterly convinced that you could do the job he had allocated to you'. He managed 'difficult' players like Geoff Boycott and John Snow well, and they responded with their best Test form. 'Most of all, because he insisted on his "own side", he was able to get the best out of his players, both mentally and physically. He built up a tremendous team spirit which stood us in good stead on numerous occasions', and they tended to close ranks and treat the opposition, umpires, press and public as the enemy, an attitude that became prevalent amongst Test teams in the 1970s.
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Ray Illingworth
Raymond Illingworth CBE (8 June 1932 – 25 December 2021) was an English cricketer, cricket commentator and administrator. He is one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in first-class cricket. He played for Yorkshire (1951–1968 and 1982–1983), Leicestershire (1969–1978) and England (1958–1973) and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.
Illingworth was born in Pudsey, West Riding of Yorkshire on 8 June 1932. As a teenager he played at Farsley Cricket Club.
As a teenager he had assisted his local club ground, Bradford League Club for domestic club matches by preparing grounds. His father was a cabinet-maker and joiner. His father also worked shifts at a munitions factory during the World War II. His father then returned to the business of cabinet making and Ray often helped his father with repairs, upholstery and French polishing.
He left school at the age of 14 and started playing for Farsley Cricket Club main XI shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. He turned out for Farsley First XI at the age of 13. He was known for his knock of an unbeaten 148 in a Priestley Cup final which was contested as part of Bradford Premier League. He was called up for national service at the age of 18 when he was on the verge of potentially being selected to county cricket level. He also went on to ply his trade playing for the RAF and for the Combined Services during the time when he was on national service.
Illingworth was a keen student of the game. He had a realistic approach, and "only liked to gamble on certainties."
As a bowler, he was not a sharp spinner of the ball, relying on accuracy and subtle variations of flight, but his arm ball was particularly effective, many of his victims being caught at slip, playing for spin that was not there.[citation needed] In county cricket, he took 2072 wickets.[citation needed] He bowled 408 balls without reward in three Tests against New Zealand in 1973 but conceded only 1.91 runs an over in his Test career.[citation needed]
His middle-order batting was based around stern defence; a fifth of his innings, mostly at number 6 or 7 in the order, finished not out. He scored 24,134 first-class runs in all, with a best of 162, at an average of 28.06.[citation needed] Against the Rest of the World in 1970, Illingworth topped the England averages with 476 runs (52.89) and six half-centuries.[citation needed]
The Yorkshireman was 'tough, combative, grudging, shrewd, and an instinctive reader of the game', and an experienced, no-nonsense captain who expected his team to play like professionals. David Gower wrote 'no matter how highly Ray might regard you as a player he would not have you in his team, come hell or high water, unless he was utterly convinced that you could do the job he had allocated to you'. He managed 'difficult' players like Geoff Boycott and John Snow well, and they responded with their best Test form. 'Most of all, because he insisted on his "own side", he was able to get the best out of his players, both mentally and physically. He built up a tremendous team spirit which stood us in good stead on numerous occasions', and they tended to close ranks and treat the opposition, umpires, press and public as the enemy, an attitude that became prevalent amongst Test teams in the 1970s.