Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

capturing nine Australian wickets for 31 at Scarborough in 1890 when appearing for Lord Londesborough’s XI. Briggs had equalled the ‘all ten’ accomplished by Lancashire’s Chesterfield-born fast bowler William Hickton almost 30 years before in the match against Hampshire, also at Old Trafford. Hickton, whose figures were a county record 10 for 46, played in only 24 matches for Lancashire between 1867 and 1871 before joining his native county, Derbyshire, for whom he played a further 34 games between 1871 and 1878. The only other Red Rose bowler to bowl out an entire side was Bob Berry and again Worcestershire were the fall guys. Berry, a left-arm slow bowler like Briggs, and who died in December 2006 at the age of 80, took 10 for 102 at Blackpool in Coronation year, 1953. Berry played twice for England, taking nine wickets on his debut match in 1950 against the West Indies on a spin-friendly Old Trafford surface. But he found it difficult to hold down a regular place in the Lancashire side and joined Worcestershire, where had three of his most successful seasons. He ended his career at Derbyshire, joining them in 1958 and thus became the first man to be capped by three counties. After his ‘all ten’, Briggs took his good form into the next match, against Middlesex at Lord’s, ending with 7 for 87 in the Middlesex first innings to set up another Lancashire win. He scored two fifties against Kent to add to his six wickets but didn’t play against Yorkshire at Park Avenue, Bradford, returning to take 5 for 60 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and then 5-35 against Middlesex at Old Trafford. And he continued his impressive run with the ball with 4 for 9 as Somerset were bowled out for 40 at Aigburth and 6 for 95 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Lancashire were in contention for the championship for most of the season, but ultimately failed in their quest for top spot. Surprisingly, Briggs was promoted up the order to open the innings against Leicestershire at Grace Road and he didn’t let the Red Rose down, scoring 43. Even more surprisingly, he donned the wicket-keeper’s gloves in the closing stages of this match as it ebbed away to a draw to allow Charles Smith to bowl the only four overs of his Lancashire career. Smith, who even managed a wicket, had, in fact, opened the innings with Briggs on the first day. The Leeds-born keeper played 168 times for Lancashire in ten seasons, bagging 437 victims (318 caught; 119 stumped). But despite his rare batting ‘promotion’, Briggs was still winning matches with the Seizure at the Music Hall 84