Famous Cricketers No 87 - J.H.Wardle

Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Test Matches 83.3 23 187 4 3-24 46.75 - - 125.25 37.32 Other matches 157 54 382 14 6-77 27.28 1 - 67.28 40.55 Tour 240.3 77 569 18 6-77 31.61 1 - 80.16 39.43 Career 10271.5 4133 20879 987 8-26 21.15 77 16 62.44 33.87 1954 Wardle had a very successful season in 1954 and Wisden highlights one of the reasons. In the report on Yorkshire’s season the Almanack states: “With the return of Appleyard and Trueman, Yardley could afford to use Wardle more for wicket-taking and less for run-saving”. It is a fact that he bowled 343 fewer overs than in 1953 and took his wickets at the rate of one every eight overs instead of one every eleven. Twice he took nine wickets in an innings with his nine for 25, the best figures of his career, inspiring an innings victory for Yorkshire in the Old Trafford Roses match. Against Sussex at Hull he took sixteen wickets in the match for 112 runs and, in all matches, he took five wickets in an innings thirteen times. Twice he took ten wickets in a match. He played in all four Test Matches against Pakistan, the only Test series in which he appeared in every match, and he topped the England bowling averages taking twenty wickets at just 8.80 each, including seven for 56 in the final Test at Kennington Oval. Altogether he took 155 wickets at an average of 15.80 and scored 537 runs at 15.34 including four fifties. He took twenty-four catches. At the end of the season he was selected to tour Australia and New Zealand with MCC in the winter of 1954/55. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 223. Yorkshire v MCC, Lord’s, May (1), (3), 4 (Match drawn) did not bat - 62-2 33.3 13 42 5 J.R.Gray c R.Appleyard 163 D.C.Morgan c J.V.Wilson W.S.Surridge lbw K.V.Andrew b R.G.Marlar b 224. Yorkshire v Oxford University, The Parks, May (5), 6, 7 (Match drawn) did not bat - 293-4d 5 3 11 2 A.P.Walshe st R.Booth 58 J.K.Fasken st R.Booth 41.5 18 85 5 M.C.Cowdrey c N.W.D.Yardley 239 J.A.Arenhold b J.M.Allan c J.V.Wilson D.K.Fasken b D.C.P.R.Jowett lbw 225. Yorkshire v Gloucestershire, Bristol, May 8, 10, 11 (Yorkshire won by 80 runs) c G.E.E.Lambert b B.D.Wells 0 281 28.5 11 65 4 C.A.Milton lbw 234 A.E.Wilson c F.S.Trueman C.J.Scott c R.Booth B.D.Wells b b G.E.E.Lambert 0 171-9d 17 6 24 4 C.A.Milton b 138 R.B.Nicholls c D.B.Close C.Cook b B.D.Wells lbw 226. Yorkshire v Somerset, Taunton, May 12, 13, 14 (Yorkshire won by 257 runs) b J.Lawrence 12 350 24 12 54 0 216 1 c B.G.Brocklehurst b J.Lawrence 10 171-7d 6 3 10 0 48 2 227. Yorkshire v Hampshire, Bradford, May 15, 17 (Yorkshire won by 228 runs) b G.Hill 3 195 14 7 16 3 J.R.Gray c R.Illingworth 72 L.Harrison b A.W.H.Rayment c R.Booth b R.A.Dare 9 194-8d 14 7 16 0 89 228. Yorkshire v Warwickshire, Headingley, May 22, 24, 25 (Match drawn) c I.M.King b J.D.Bannister 0 111 30.3 6 93 3 R.T.Spooner b 281-6d H.E.Dollery b R.E.Hitchcock b did not bat - 22-1 33