Famous Cricketers No 50 - Reg Simpson

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Gentlemen v Players 1 2 0 36 33 18.00 - - 1 Championship 21 40 0 1350 105 33.75 2 7 8 Other Notts matches 1 1 0 57 57 57.00 - 1 - Other matches 3 6 0 98 31 16.33 - - 1 Season 26 49 0 1541 105 31.44 2 8 10 Career 331 560 36 21831 259 41.66 52 105 129 Bowling O M R W BB Ave Season (6-ball) 0.2 0 4 0 - - Career (6-ball) 735.5 218 } 2071 57 3/22 36.33 (8-ball) 3.4 1 1956 The 1956 season saw Simpson return to the head of the Nottinghamshire averages scoring 1398 runs in the Championship at an average of 34.95. He started with a marvellous innings of 150 in just under four hours against Northamptonshire at Northampton but that was the only hundred he made all season and his final overall aggregate of 1485 runs at 33.75 was disappointing after such a start. However, a record of twelve fifties as well as the century in a total of 44 innings indicates a degree of consistency and, with England still searching for opening batsmen he must have been at the forefront of the selectors’ minds when he was selected to lead MCC against the Australians at Lord’s in May. Had he scored more than thirteen in this match it is quite possible that he would have opened the innings in the first Test at Trent Bridge. After all, 1956 saw the return to Test cricket of Cyril Washbrook and Denis Compton and, Peter Richardson apart, there were no other obvious candidates for an opening spot. As it was Colin Cowdrey was asked to open and did the job well enough to be assigned the position for the series. Simpson’s best chance of a Test recall had gone. In the Championship Nottinghamshire finished in eighth position. Highlights of the season were their two matches against Champions, Surrey. At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire won decisively by 187 runs and in the return match at Kennington Oval they dismissed Surrey for 87 and forced them to follow on for the only time that season. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 332. Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire, Northampton, May 5, 7, 8 (Match drawn) c and b H.R.A.Kelleher 150 278 380-8d lbw b F.H.Tyson 45 250 87-8 333. Nottinghamshire v Middlesex, Lord’s, May 9, 10, 11 (Match drawn) run out 50 119 240 c and b R.J.Hurst 47 205-7 122-6d 334. Nottinghamshire v Australians, Trent Bridge, May 12, 14, 15 (Match drawn) lbw b R.Benaud 36 345 547-8d 53-1 335. Nottinghamshire v Surrey, Trent Bridge, May 19, 21, 22 (Nottinghamshire won by 187 runs) lbw b G.A.R.Lock 9 220 117 1 c A.V.Bedser b T.H.Clark 17 212 128 336. Nottinghamshire v Oxford University, The Parks, May 23, 24, 25 (Match drawn) c M.J.K.Smith b J.A.Bailey 20 359-7d 309-9d 1 20-3 337. M.C.C. v Australians, Lord’s, May 26, 28, 29 (Match drawn) c P.J.P.Burge b R.G.Archer 13 203-9 413 1 338. Nottinghamshire v Kent, Gravesend, June 2, 4, 5 (Match drawn) c D.G.Ufton b J.Pettiford 83 308 218 c and b F.Ridgway 10 164-9 257 339. Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan, Cardiff, June 6, 7, 8 (Nottinghamshire won by seven wickets) b D.J.Shepherd 60 190 203 b A.J.Watkins 4 104-3 90 1 32