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English
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England
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ENG
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Charlie Parker
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Cricket_no_picpng
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Right-hand bat
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Slow left-arm orthodox
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1
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3
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-
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-/-
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3
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168
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2
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1600
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-
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-
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2/32
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-/-
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635
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7951
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1047
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-/10
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82
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157059
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3278
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1946
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277
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91
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10/79
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247/-
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23 July
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1921
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23 July
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1921
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(born
October 14 ,
1882 in
Prestbury ,
Gloucestershire , died
July 11 ,
1959 in
Cranleigh ,
Surrey ) was an English
Cricketer who stands as the third highest wicket taker in the history of first class cricket, behind only
Wilfred Rhodes and
Tich Freeman .
Parker took no serious attention to cricket in his childhood, preferring to concentrate on
Golf . He only took to cricket around 1900 and was recommended to Gloucestershire by
W. G. Grace in
1903 . However, he played only twice in first-class cricket before 1907. From then on, he played regularly, and despite several excellent performances, he was always overshadowed by
George Dennett until
World War I put a halt to county cricket. By 1914, Parker had not taken 100 wickets in a season and his last two years had been very expensive, suggesting that his was to be an insignificant career.
In 1919, with Dennett serving as an
Officer in the Army, Parker was forced to become Gloucestershire's chief bowler. He took more wickets than ever before in a season, but he was still expensive even when the dry weather was taken into account. However, from 1920 Parker became one of the best
Left Arm Spin Bowlers in England. A little quicker than most of his type (thus harder to hit), on rain affected or crumbling pitches he was almost unplayable due to his vicious spin which could hit off stump from outside leg. Though helped by appalling batting sides for much of his success, Parker took 125 wickets in 1920, 167 in 1921, 206 in 1922, 204 in 1924, and headed the first-class averages with 222 in 1925.
This success reflected Parker's ability to get through huge amounts of bowling - ''over 85 percent of Gloucestershire's overs'' (from one end) in
1927 and even more overs in 1926.
Among his best feats were 9 for 36 against Yorkshire in 1922, 10 for 79 against Somerset in 1921, 17 for 56 against Essex in 1925, and 16 for 109 against Middlesex in 1930. That year he took 7 for 54 against the Australians in a famous tied match, and from 1929 to 1931 formed with
Tom Goddard the most lethal bowling combination in county cricket, aided by the brilliant close fielding of
Wally Hammond .
In 1931, though already ''forty-eight'' - an age at which most cricketers even in that era had already retired - Charlie Parker equalled
Jack Hearne's record of taking 100 wickets by June 12, and his total aggregate was the second highest of his career. However, age finally caught up with Parker in 1932 after a promising beginning. Though he still spun the ball considerably, he lost his accuracy of length and consequently was very expensive. Because Gloucestershire had no support for him and Goddard, Parker continued to play until 1935, but never recovered his former powers.
Because Australian wickets of the 1920s and 1930s were totally unresponsive to his bowling, Parker was never even considered for a tour there. He did tour with private parties to the West Indies and on
Lord Tennyson's 1924/1925 tour of South Africa - seen as at worst a very good "second eleven" - when his bowling proved suitable for the matting wickets but he did so little bowling in the five Representative Matches that he only took 11 wickets for 198 runs. In fact, he played only one Test, at
Old Trafford in 1921, where he took 2 for 32 on a wicket too slow to be difficult - though he was discarded at the last minute in 1926 and 1930.
As a batsman, he rarely accomplished much, though he nearly did the
Match Double against Leicestershire in 1921 and Somerset in 1922.
After he retired in 1935, Parker became an
Umpire until
World War II . Following the war, he coached cricket at
Cranleigh almost up to his death on
July 11 1959 .
