Famous Cricketers No 83 - Ian Botham

18. Somerset v Derbyshire, Derby, August 31, September (2), 3 (Match drawn) c A.Ward b S.Venkataraghavan 30 168 20 8 28 2 M.H.Page b 200-8d G.Miller lbw - - - - 63-2 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Championship 16 26 3 400 59 17.39 - 1 13 Other Somerset matches 2 3 0 41 32 13.66 - - 2 Season 18 29 3 441 59 16.96 - 1 15 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Championship 260.3 66 640 27 5/59 23.70 1 - 57.88 40.94 Other Som matches 30.3 6 99 3 2/76 33.00 - - 61.00 54.09 Season 291 72 739 30 5/59 24.63 1 - 58.20 42.32 1975 Botham continued his progress in 1975 when he was the leading wicket taker for Somerset in the Championship with 58 wickets at an average of 26.32. He bowled more overs than anyone else and took another five wicket haul, five for 69 against Lancashire at Old Trafford. He made the highest score of his career so far, 65, against Derbyshire at Bath. His other fifty, 54 against Kent at Folkestone, included a six and eleven fours, a demonstration of the power of his hitting. His fielding was brilliant and he held eighteen catches. Very few matches went by without his contributing something either with the bat, with the ball or in the field. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 19. Somerset v Sussex, Taunton, April 30, May 1, 2 (Match drawn) b A.W.Greig 0 308-8c 15 5 30 3 J.D.Morley c and b 240-9c 1 M.A.Buss b C.E.Waller b did not bat - 175-1d 9 0 32 0 167-6 20. Somerset v Northamptonshire, Northampton, May 7, 8, 9 (Northamptonshire won by seven wickets) c D.S.Steele b J.C.J.Dye 0 206 11 3 19 0 254-9d 2 c W.Larkins b R.M.H.Cottam 2 146 6.2 3 16 0 101-3 21. Somerset v Middlesex, Lord’s, May 14, 15, (16) (Match drawn) c J.M.Brearley b T.M.Lamb 2 246 27 4 66 1 G.D.Barlow b 270-6c - - - - 21-0 22. Somerset v Gloucestershire, Bristol, May 24, 26, 27 (Somerset won by ten wickets) did not bat - 374-5d 21 7 37 3 A.W.Stovold c D.B.Close 168 1 R.D.V.Knight b D.A.Graveney c D.B.Close not out 4 5-0 17 5 53 2 A.W.Stovold lbw 209 D.R.Shepherd c B.C.Rose 23. Somerset v Oxford University, The Parks, May 28, 29, 30 (Somerset won by 128 runs) c V.J.Marks b D.N.Brettell 44 259 20 4 53 3 J.K.Pickup b 149 A.R.Wingfield Digby lbw N.D.Botton b not out 33 202-7d 22 6 54 1 P.B.Fisher c G.I.Burgess 184 24. Somerset v Derbyshire, Bath, June 7, 9, 10 (Somerset won by five wickets) lbw b P.E.Russell 65 249 11.3 3 17 2 R.W.Taylor lbw 156 K.Stevenson lbw not out 26 151-5 23 4 55 1 A.Hill b 241 2 25. Somerset v Surrey, Bath, June 11, 12, 13 (Match drawn) c R.D.Jackman b P.I.Pocock 21 291 19 5 46 3 R.D.Jackman b 258 A.R.Butcher lbw P.I.Pocock c J.M.Parks st L.E.Skinner b Intikhab Alam 16 237-6 13 3 29 1 T.M.G.Hansell lbw 277-9d 7