Ronald Aspinall
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Ronald Aspinall was a capable right handed batsman and penetrative right-arm fast-medium bowler who played 36 times for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1946 and 1950, taking 131 wickets and scoring 763 runs. His career was dogged by ill luck, losing his early career to the Second World War and then having retirement forced on him by injury. After a highly successful season in 1948 his cricket was marred by a succession of leg problems, but his average of 20.38 with the ball compares well with his contemporaries and he scored his runs at a useful 19.07.
He enjoyed his most successful game in 1947 against Northamptonshire, taking 8 for 42 and then 6 for 23 to dismiss the home team for 146 and 118 to hand Yorkshire victory by 351 runs, 32 of which he scored himself in posting his career best with the bat. In 1948 he played against Don Bradman's 'Invincibles' in the so called 'Sixth Test' and had the honour of dismissing the great man himself in Australia's second innings, caught by Len Hutton for 86, as well as Sid Barnes, Doug Ring, Ernie Toshack and Keith Miller.
Aspinall was heading the national bowling averages in May 1949 when a severe heel problem sidelined him for the rest of the campaign. He never returned to full fitness and retired in 1950 after further injury problems at the age of 32. Like many before him he played minor county cricket after leaving the first class scene, turning out for Durham for 7 seasons, and serving as a highly respected umpire on the county scene for 21 years from 1960 to 1981.
Ronald Aspimall was born on the 26th of October 1918 in Almondbury, Huddersfield, Yorkshire and died, aged 80, in the town of his birth.
