Famous Cricketers No 55 - Arthur Milton

582. Gloucestershire v Nottinghamshire, Wagon Works Ground, Gloucester, July 14, 15, 16 (Gloucestershire won by 176 runs) c G.Frost b R.A.White 90 354-9d 298 lbw b M.N.S.Taylor 22 262-6d 142 583. Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Bramall Lane, July 17, 19, 20 (Gloucestershire won by four wickets) b M.K.Bore 54 276-9d 225 1 c D.L.Bairstow b C.M.Old 0 201-6 251-5d 1 584. Gloucestershire v Essex, Bristol, July 24, 26, 27 (Match drawn) retired hurt 4 131 194 did not bat - 127-5d 585. Gloucestershire v Derbyshire, Chesterfield, August 21, 23, 24 (Gloucestershire won by 43 runs) st R.W.Taylor b I.R.Buxton 84 388-7d 245 st R.W.Taylor b I.R.Buxton 25 104-2d 204 586. Gloucestershire v Surrey, Bristol, August 25, 26, 27 (Surrey won by seven wickets) c and b R.G.D.Willis 4 179 344-8d c G.R.J.Roope b P.I.Pocock 16 236 72-3 1 587. Gloucestershire v Warwickshire, Edgbaston, August 28, 30, 31 (Gloucestershire won by an innings and 7 runs) retired hurt 67 335 141 187 588. Gloucestershire v Sussex, Bristol, September 8, 9, 10 (Match drawn) c G.A.Greenidge b M.A.Buss 53 335-6d 321 1 run out 9 182-8 226-5d SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Championship 11 20 3 700 90 41.17 - 7 10 Career 588 1026 123 30969 170 34.29 55 157 724 1972 Now into his 45th year Milton continued to be pressed into service by Gloucestershire, once again as an opening batsman, and he played in 14 matches scoring 637 runs at an average of 27.69. These runs included his 52nd century for the county, an innings of 117 against Worcestershire at Worcester described by Wisden as “masterly”. This century enabled him to overtake W.G.Grace’s record for Gloucestershire - only Hammond and Dipper had now scored more hundreds than he had for the county. His fielding was still as sharp as ever. He held seventeen catches during the season, failing to register catches in only two of the matches in which he took part. In the Gillette Cup he played in Gloucestershire’s second round defeat by Kent scoring 27. He played in nine of the John Player League games scoring l25 runs and taking three catches. A new one day competition, The Benson and Hedges Cup had its inaugural season in 1972. Milton played in two of the group matches and in the semi-final against Yorkshire. He scored only 12 runs in his three innings but held three catches to prove his continuing worth to the side. Gloucestershire lost the semi-final by seven wickets. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 589. Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Middlesbrough, May 10, 11, 12 (Yorkshire won by 126 runs) lbw b A.G.Nicholson 2 135 185 1 c J.H.Hampshire b R.A.Hutton 28 97 173 1 590. Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire, Northampton, May 17, 18, 19 (Gloucestershire won by six wickets) lbw b B.S.Crump 0 226 179 did not bat - 206-4 250 1 591. Gloucestershire v Sussex, Wagon Works Ground, Gloucester, June 21, 22, 23 (Gloucestershire won by 230 runs) lbw b A.A.Henderson 19 327-9d 184 c M.A.Buss b A.A.Henderson 42 170-2d 83 1 51