Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

Lancashire stalwarts Richard Barlow and Alec Watson. Unsworth only played twice for Lancashire and, like other good club professionals who were employed to give amateurs practice in the nets, he found it difficult to take wickets in a competitive environment. He was given two matches by Lancashire but failed to impress and went back to club cricket, playing for Liverpool sides, Everton, Anfield, New Brighton and Huyton. The highlight of his career was his appearance for Eighteen of the Stanley Club against the Australian touring side at Stanley Park, Blackpool. For Briggs it was a different story, with Barlow more or less taking the youngster under his wing and allowing him to lodge at his home. Writing about Briggs’ performance in the benefit game in his book, ‘Forty Seasons of First-Class Cricket’, Barlow says: ‘He [Briggs] made seven runs and showed very good form. He was also very smart in the field, his favourite place being cover-point. Briggs also bowled a little and though he did not take any wickets, we liked his delivery; in short, both Watson and I were very favourably impressed with his good all-round play.’ Luckily for Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, who had wanted young Briggs to play in a Colts match for them, refused to pay his expenses from Widnes and, even though he was subsequently asked by Nottinghamshire captain Richard Daft if he would re-consider, Briggs’ family turned down the approach. So Nottinghamshire’s parsimony provided rich pickings for Lancashire. Soon afterwards, on Barlow’s recommendation, he was given a trial with Lancashire Colts and although not pulling up any trees, Lancashire had faith in Briggs’ abilities and Barlow’s judgment and, weighing in at a meagre 9st 10lb and standing just 5ft 5in tall, Briggs was to make his first-class debut in a three-day match at Trent Bridge in his native county of Nottinghamshire, starting on 26 May, 1879. At 16 years 235 days, he was the youngest player to appear for Lancashire – a record which remained with Briggs until Peter Marner made his debut for the county in 1952 against Sussex at Hove, at the age of 16 years 150 days. Briggs top scored in Lancashire’s only innings, with 36 in a total of 125, in a match that ended in a draw. His bowling performance was less auspicious with figures of 0 for 8 from four four-ball overs in Nottinghamshire’s first innings and a similarly fruitless spell of 0 for 13 from six overs in the home side’s second innings. In fact, Briggs was employed mainly as a fielder in those early days – he was a magnificent cover point, a position in which many great From Widnes to Old Trafford 15