Jim Love

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Jim Love
England (Eng)
Jim Love
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling type Right-arm medium
Tests ODIs
Matches - 3
Runs scored - 61
Batting average - 20.33
100s/50s - -/-
Top score - 43
Balls bowled - -
Wickets - -
Bowling average - -
5 wickets in innings - -
10 wickets in match - n/a
Best bowling - -
Catches/stumpings -/- 1/-

As of 12 February 2006
Source: Cricinfo.com


James Derek Love (born April 22, 1955, Headingley, Yorkshire) is a former English cricketer who played in 3 ODIs in 1981.

Jim Love was tipped for stardom but like the player he most resembled, John Hampshire, he never quite fulfilled his potential on the national stage. A tall, fair haired middle order batsman he was particularly strong on the front foot and a powerful driver of the ball. He twice passed a thousand runs for a first class season but always flattered to deceive in the longer form of the game, averaging just 31.09 over the course of 250 matches in which he scored 10355 runs with a best of 170*. He scored 13 first class centuries. He developed a reputation in the one day arena but overall averaged only 26.67 with 4962 runs in 238 games with a best of 118 not out.

He played three ODIs for England against Australia in 1981 without doing enough to secure a permanent spot and his brightest hour was winning the Gold Award in the 1987 B&H final for an unbeaten 75 amid a clatter of wickets at the other end. The game proved to be a nail biter and Love, an uncomplicated biffer of the ball at his best, kept his head to block out the last ball and so win a tied game for his team on the basis of wickets in hand. Love was unfortunate that his career spanned the worst years of Yorkshire's in-fighting, and he suffered from playing in a largely unhappy side. He left at the end of 1989, playing Minor Counties cricket before joining the fast developing Scotland team as a player and administrator. He eventually became Scotland's director of cricket, but resigned in 2001 and now runs a pub in Yorkshire.