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| > About Staffordshire County Cricket Club |
Staffordshire has a long and proud heritage of Minor Counties Cricket being the first county of the current twenty Minor County sides to have been formed in 1871, and becoming founder members of the Minor Counties Championship in 1895.
Since the commencement of competitive cricket in 1895, Staffordshire have won the championship on more occasions than any other current Minor County, having been crowned champions on no fewer that 10 occasions (and this may even be 11 as they were winners in 1914 but this success is disputed). Their record surpasses even Durham, the last of the Minor Counties to become a first class county, who recorded 7 championship successes, a total equalled by Devon and Lancashire II XI.
They have also won the Minor Counties Eastern Division title on 4 occasions, going on to win the outright championship in three of these years.
The introduction of the Minor Counties Knock-Out Trophy competition in 1983 has presented Staffordshire with further opportunities for silverware and they have won the competition twice and have been beaten finalists on two occasions, the latest of which was in 2009. In 1991 and 1993 they achieved the double by becoming champions and cup holders and are the only county to have achieved this feat twice. Devon is the only other county to have completed the double.
In addition to their unsurpassed playing record, Staffordshire is renowned for the number of players born within the county who have progressed into the first class game and gone on to play international cricket.
The greatest of these is Sydney Barnes who played for England whilst playing Minor Counties cricket for Staffordshire. In 1906 Sydney Barnes took the most ever wickets in a Minor Counties Championship season with 119 at an average of 7.83. In 1907 he took all 10 wickets in an innings against Yorkshire II finishing with figures of 10-26. In 1910 he had figures of 9-19 in the game against Lincolnshire. In 1911 he had match figures of 17-82 against Durham and had 16 wicket match hauls against Northumberland in 1909 and against the same county in 1931. Throughout his Staffordshire career, which lasted from 1904 until 1935, he played 177 championship matches taking 1,376 wickets at an average of 7.99. This total of wickets is the most ever in Minor Counties Championship Cricket by a player. He also scored 3 centuries and hit 19 half centuries in a total of 4,806 runs for the county at an average of 21.36.
Amongst other players who have represented the county to go on to play first class cricket in recent times are Jonathan Addison, Robert Bailey, David Banks, Kim Barnett, Joe Benjamin, David Boden, Jason Brown, Dominic Cork, Brian Crump, Stan Crump, Russ Flower, Mark Frost, Tony Frost, Peter Gibbs, Dean Headley, Ken Higgs, John Ikin, Nick James, Philip Oliver, Alan Richardson, David Steele, John Steele, Bob Taylor, Paul Taylor, Graham Warner and Dave Wheeldon.
In 1961 John Ikin scored the most runs in a season by a Staffordshire player with 1024 at an average of 64.00.
In 1992 Steve Dean recorded the highest ever batting average in a season for the county with an average of 96.42 for his 675 runs. In his career from 1982 until 2003 Dean scored a total of 10172 runs for the county in championship cricket. He has also scored the most runs for the county in the Knock-Out cup with 1409.
In 2009 Kim Barnett (126 no) and Liam Hughes (184no) established the current fifth wicket record partnership in Minor Counties Cricket of 300.
In 2005 Keith Bell became the first Staffordshire player to record centuries in both innings on his debut. In the match against Hertfordshire he scored 116 and 118no. Two other players have achieved hundreds in both innings of a championship game. Phil Oliver in 1988 against Norfolk scored 136no and 124. In 1992 Ross Salmon had scores of 100no and 102no against Bedfordshire.
The highest individual score by a Staffordshire player is 216 by Edmund Bourne against Surrey II in 1922.
Current county secretary Nick Archer captained the side from 1985 until 1995 and on three consecutive occasions captained the team at Lord’s in the Knock-Out Trophy final, lifting the trophy in 1991 & 1993. During his captaincy the county also won the championship on three occasions including the memorable double winning successes in 1991 and 1993. Their total of 326-7 in the final in 1993 against Wiltshire remains the highest score recorded in the final.
Wicket keeper Mark Humphries retired in 2003 after playing in 114 consecutive championship matches since making his debut in 1990. During his playing career for the county he also played in every competitive one day fixture.
Three Staffordshire players have been awarded the Wilfred Rhodes Trophy for the leading batting average since the trophy was first awarded in 1955. Phil Oliver was the recipient in 1988, Nick Archer in 1989 and Kim Barnett in 2003.
Paul Newman was presented with the Frank Edwards Trophy for the leading bowling average in 1993 with Alan Richardson receiving the trophy in 1998.
L.W. Hancock was the secretary of the county club, from 1934 until 1986 an incredible record. During the period from 1970 until 1983 he was also the secretary of the Minor Counties Cricket Association.
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