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Allan Watkins

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Not to be confused with Alan Watkins or Henry Watkins Allen.

Allan Watkins
Personal information
Full name
Albert John Watkins
Born(1922-04-21)21 April 1922
Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died3 August 2011(2011-08-03) (aged 89)
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingLeft-arm medium-fast
International information
National side
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 15 484
Runs scored 810 20,361
Batting average 40.50 30.57
100s/50s 2/4 32/108
Top score 137* 170*
Balls bowled 1,364 51,469
Wickets 11 833
Bowling average 50.36 24.48
5 wickets in innings – 25
10 wickets in match – –
Best bowling 3/20 7/28
Catches/stumpings 17/– 464/–
Source: Cricinfo

Albert John "Allan" Watkins (21 April 1922 – 3 August 2011) was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952.

Life and career

Born in Usk, Monmouthshire,[1] Allan Watkins made his debut for Glamorgan just three weeks after his seventeenth birthday in 1939, as World War II loomed. He served in the war as a firefighter in the Royal Navy.[2]

He was an all-rounder: a left-handed batsman, a medium to fast-medium left-arm bowler and a brilliant close fielder, particularly at short leg.[1] He was the first Glamorgan cricketer to score a century in Tests for England, and played for the county until 1961, when he was 39 years old and struggling with asthma.[2]

Watkins toured South Africa in 1948-49 and India and Pakistan in 1951-52 with the English Test team, and also participated in the 1955-56 'A' Tour to Pakistan. In 1953–54, he played with the Commonwealth XI in India, returning home early through injury.

He was voted Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year after a successful Test series there in 1951–52. During that series Watkins battled his way to a nine-hour-long, unbeaten 137, in Delhi, his best Test score. Watkins' best Test performances were overseas, as his five home Tests did not provide a single innings above fifty.[1] His other Test century came in the Fourth Test at Johannesburg in 1948–49, when he made 111.[3]

Watkins scored 1000 runs in an English season 13 times, and also took 100 wickets in 1954 and 1955, thus achieving the double in those two seasons.[2]

He also played football for Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle,[4] and Rugby union for Pontypool.[2] He played Minor Counties cricket for Suffolk in 1965 and 1966.[5]

Watkins went on to successfully coach school cricket, most notably at Oundle School and Framlingham College.[2] He died in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, on 3 August 2011, following a short illness.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 184. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wisden 2012, pp. 228–29.
  3. ^ "4th Test, England [Marylebone Cricket Club] tour of South Africa at Johannesburg, Feb 12-16 1949". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  4. ^ Plymouth Argyle : 1946/47 - 2008/09 ; at Newcastlefans.com Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Allan Watkins". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Allan Watkins dies aged 89". ESPNcricinfo. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
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