Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

Blackburn, at the time of his death. His funeral was paid for by the Lancashire club. There are two other Sutton-Lancashire links in the shape of George Wharmby and Charles Shore . Wharmby played for Lancashire in 1894 after playing four times for Nottinghamshire, while Shore, who started his career with Nottinghamshire, made one appearance for Lancashire and two for Liverpool and District before moving on to play in the Minor Counties with Norfolk. Much more recently there was Tim Robinson , who captained the Trent Bridge side and played for England in 29 Tests and 26 one-day internationals. He made his Test debut against India at Mumbai in November 1984 and in the second Test of that tour scored a match-winning 160 at Delhi. He made two more big hundreds against Australia in the next series and looked on the cusp of greatness but didn’t really recover from the working over he was given by West Indian pacemen Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall and was never the same player again. He wasn’t selected for the national side after he chose to tour South Africa with Mike Gatting’s rebel side in 1989. Latest off the Sutton ‘production line’ is Leicestershire’s wicketkeeper-batsman Tom New who at the close of the 2006 season had made 18 first-class appearances for the Grace Road side, deputising for regular wicket-keeper Paul Nixon. New started his cricket with Mansfield Hosiery Mills CC in nearby Huthwaite and later captained the England youth team in the Costcutter Cup. His father, Martin, played in goal in 21 League games for Mansfield Town between 1978 and 1980. He also played in four other games, including three Anglo-Scottish Cup ties in one of which – coming on as a substitute against Partick Thistle – he was the Stags’ hero, saving two penalties in a penalty shoot-out which Mansfield won 3-1. Swindon-born New, who started his football career as an apprentice with Arsenal, later played for Barnsley, Nuneaton Borough and Burton Albion. He was also an England schoolboy international. Cricketers from Sutton-in-Ashfield 98