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

150 team in style again taking six for 43 in a win at relegated Holmsbridge. He was fourth in the league averages with the Indian spinner, Dilip Doshi, top with 112 wickets at the remarkable 6.83 each. Johnny was only the second player to take 100 wickets two years running in the league’s history. His 119 wickets were only eight behind an all time record set by Bill Denniss in 1935. (Denniss did this incredible feat twice! – both in seasons 1935 and 1936 and again in 1940 and 1941 and in 1935 set the record of 127 wickets in a season.) For Johnny to take so many wickets at an average of 10.86 was a great enough feat for a leg spinner even without considering his age. Johnny was appointed pro’ for 1974 but then Honley decided on a change of captaincy, which meant captaincy would fall to an amateur, a less qualified cricketer and someone without his great experience. When the club officials told him of the proposed change Johnny was ‘a little upset’ but was prepared – at first reaction – to continue playing. He may have been hurt more than he realised at the time by the decision or perhaps by the fact that he hadn’t been consulted in advance over a possible change. Also – despite what may have seemed like his Peter Pan impersonations – he wasn’t literally getting younger. He wrote a letter to the club which must have been received around December 1973 announcing that he was leaving the club and was retiring from being a pro’ in league cricket. A special meeting of the club was called for February 3, 1974. The meeting accepted his decision and thanked him for his services. The meeting decided that the club would advertise for a new pro’. In the end it was a 38-year-old spin bowler and all-rounder Keith Mohan who had the unenviable task of succeeding Johnny. This was not yet the end of Johnny’s cricket-playing career and we will see that he was to continue to have further successes without let-up, but it did mark the end of his professional playing career – aged 62. Seven more successful seasons in league cricket