Famous Cricketers No 93 - Keith Fletcher O.B.E.

1981 Fletcher demonstrated his astute cricket brain when the umpires, in the final John Player League match of the season, reduced the match by six minutes (two overs) and called the Essex innings closed after thirty-eight overs. Fletcher questioned the action, pointing out that the loss should be shared by both sides. Returning to the field for one more over N.Philip took nineteen runs from it. Essex won the game and with it the John Player League for the first time. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 264. Essex v Glamorgan, Swansea, May 9, BHZ (55 overs) (Glamorgan won by 82 runs) * c N.G.Featherstone b R.C.Ontong 18 124 206-9 1 265. Essex v Somerset, Taunton, May 10, JPL (40 overs reduced to 30 overs) (Essex won by 9 runs) * b I.T.Botham 3 139-8 130-7 1 266.$ Essex v Somerset, Chelmsford, May 16, BHZ (55 overs) (Essex won by 38 runs) * run out 62 278-5 240 267. Essex v Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Chelmsford, May 21, 22, BHZ (55 overs) (Essex won by eight wickets) * not out 15 121-2 120 1 268. Essex v Gloucestershire, Chelmsford, May 24, JPL (40 overs) (No result) * did not bat - 28-2 269. Essex v Kent, Dartford, May 30, BHZ (55 overs) (Kent won by eight wickets) * c Asi Iqbal b K.B.S.Jarvis 51 161† 0.4 0 5 0 162-2 270. Essex v Kent, Chelmsford, May 31, JPL (40 overs reduced to 16 overs) (Essex won on faster scoring rate) * not out 6 33-3 49-2 271. Essex v Worcestershire, Worcester, June 14, JPL (40 overs reduced to 38 overs) (Essex won by five wickets) * not out 61 151-5† 149-7 272. Essex v Sussex, Ilford, June 21, JPL (40 overs) (Sussex won by three wickets) * run out 21 215-8 216-7 2 273. Essex v Leicestershire, Leicester, June 28, JPL (40 overs reduced to 39 overs) (Essex won by four wickets) * c G.J.Parsons b P.Booth 23 125-6 121-9 274. Essex v Warwickshire, Edgbaston, July 5, JPL (40 overs) (Essex won by 103 runs) * c W.Hogg b A.M.Ferreira 2 239-4 136 275. Essex v Hertfordshire, Hitchin, July 11, NWT1 (60 overs) (Essex won by 191 runs) * not out 51 306-8 115 276. Essex v Lancashire, Southend-on-Sea, July 19, JPL (40 overs reduced to 39 overs) (Essex won by 64 runs) * c J.Simmons b N.V.Radford 56 217-5† 153-6 277. Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford, July 26, JPL (40 overs) (Essex won by 73 runs) * did not bat - 250-3 177 1 278. Essex v Derbyshire, Chelmsford, August 2, JPL (40 overs) (Essex won by 32 runs) * c G.Miller b C.J.Tunnicliffe 14 142 110 1 279. Essex v Sussex, Hove, August 5, NWTQF (60 overs) (Essex won by 25 runs) * c I.A.Grieg b Imran Khan 2 195-9 170 280. Essex v Hampshire, Southampton, August 16, JPL (40 overs) (Hampshire won by seven wickets) * not out 9 194-4 198-3 281. Essex v Derbyshire, Derby, August 19, 20, NWYSF (60 overs) (Derbyshire won by losing fewer wickets) * b P.G.Newman 4 149 149-8 282. Essex v Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, August 23, JPL (40 overs reduced to 39 overs) (Essex won by 19 runs) * c G.Sharp b T.M.Lamb 20 212-6 193-4 283. Essex v Glamorgan, Colchester, August 30, JPL (40 overs reduced to 38 overs) (Essex won by seven wickets) * c B.J.Lloyd b Javed Miandad 18 134-3 133-7 95