Charlie Parker (cricketer)
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 England (ENG) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |
| Bowling type | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 1 | 635 |
| Runs scored | 3 | 7951 |
| Batting average | - | 10.47 |
| 100s/50s | -/- | -/10 |
| Top score | 3* | 82 |
| Balls bowled | 168 | 157059 |
| Wickets | 2 | 3278 |
| Bowling average | 16.00 | 19.46 |
| 5 wickets in innings | - | 277 |
| 10 wickets in match | - | 91 |
| Best bowling | 2/32 | 10/79 |
| Catches/stumpings | -/- | 247/- |
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Test debut: 23 July 1921 |
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Charles Warrington Leonard "Charlie" Parker (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. He nearly completed what would have been a unique feat in taking five wickets in five balls in first class cricket. He hit the stumps five times in consecutive balls in his benefit match for Gloucestershire v Yorkshire at Bristol in 1922 but the second was called a no-ball.
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.
