Lives in Cricket No 52 - Schooled in Cricket (2nd edition)

135 seven wickets in each innings to help Lincolnshire to a comfortable win. Skipper for that year J.H. Taylor felt that it was entirely good bowling that won Lincolnshire the match as several catches had been spilt. This is verified by the statistics. Of these 14 wickets, four were bowled, three stumped, two lbw, two caught and bowled, one caught wicketkeeper and only two caught by outfielders! This is not altogether untypical of Johnny as a bowler as he comprehensively destroyed batsmen throughout his career – though he would get plenty of wickets caught by outfielders as well, of course. He bettered that Bedford feat at Park Avenue, Bradford, on May 29 and 30, 1963 when – besides scoring 86 in the first innings – he took seven for 57 and – Lincolnshire having forced the Tykes to follow on – he took his best ever innings figures for the county of eight for 82 in the second innings, which also gave him his best match figures for the county. However Lincolnshire only had time for 12 overs to try for the 78 runs needed to win in the second innings and an early order collapse caused them to fall six runs short as the match was drawn. Nevertheless this match was a personal victory for Johnny. He had batted The Lincolnshire link – a further decade in a different form of county cricket Johnny second from left on the front row for Lincolnshire at Sleaford.