Michael Bore

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Michael Kenneth Bore (born June 2, 1947 at East Hull, Yorkshire) was a right handed batsman and left arm medium pace bowler who played for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

Bore made his debut for Yorkshire in 1969 as the great County Championship side of the sixties began to break up. He played for his native county until 1977 when he moved to Nottinghamshire where he played past the age of 40 until 1988. A doughty campaigner on the county circuit he took 372 first class wickets at 30.22 with a best of 8 - 89. He conceded just 2.43 runs per over, bowling a canny mixture of accurate swing and seam. He was a noted rabbit with the bat, with a highest score of just 37* in 158 innings and an average of 8.24. He took 139 wickets in one day cricket.

One of the few instances of an all run six occurred off Mike Bore's bowling in a Surrey v Yorkshire Sunday League match at the large Oval ground in 1974. Robin Jackman cut Mike Bore to the long third man boundary where the fielder gave up the chase, thinking the ball a certain four. It stopped short of the boundary however and a relay throw was aimed at Intikhab Alam's end as he tried to complete a tight third run. The throw defeated wicketkeeper David Bairstow and the fielders backing him up and whistled through wide mid on, allowing Jackman to call for another two runs. The mid on fielder hurled the ball at the stumps in another wild attempt to run out Intikhab, the throw again beat Bairstow and, though Intikhab had run well past the stumps, he was able to turn and complete a sixth run, much to Mike Bore's despair, before the original third man fielder returned the ball to the stumps. Jackman was dismissed shortly afterwards and collapsed to his knees in mock exhaustion on his way back to the dressing room, much to the delight of the large crowd.

Mike Bore played an important role in the remarkable climax to the 1984 County Championship, which saw Essex and Nottinghamshire neck and neck at the top of the table. Essex had won their final game against Lancashire in two days but if Mike Bore's Nottinghamshire could beat Somerset the title would belong to Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire were set 297 in 60 overs by Ian Botham and thanks to a brilliant 98 from skipper Clive Rice began to reel in the target but they still needed an unlikely 36 from the last three overs. The last pair were at the wicket, with one of them being the archetypal non batsman, Mike Bore. Clive Rice and Mike Bore recalled the game in 2006 for Cricinfo.

Rice: If you knew Mike, then believe me, every run he made was an unexpected bonus. I wasn't daring even to watch. No one was allowed to move inside the dressing room. Everyone stayed in their seats as we got closer and closer.

Mike Bore: If it was pitched on the off stump, I thought, I'll hit it straight. If it's on my legs, I'll sweep it.

Remarkably Bore found the middle of the bat time and again and was on 17 when the last over started, with another 14 runs needed to win the County Championship. Stephen Booth bowled the first ball of the season's last over and Bore smashed it to the boundary. The second ball was flogged to the rope in turn and the third was slogged for two. Nottinghamshire needed just 4 more runs from three balls to complete a remarkable win with Bore playing the innings of his life. Bore calmly blocked the 4th ball from Somerset's young left arm spinner and Andy Pick, Nottinghamshire's number 11, walked down the pitch to ask "What did you do that for?" "It wasn't in the right place." Bore replied.

The next delivery was in the slot however and Bore launched a mighty blow towards the stands. The crowd and the entire Nottingham team were on their feet and Bore thought, as soon as he'd hit it, "That's it, we've won."

The only man standing between Mike Bore and the County Championship was young Richard Ollis of Somerset who ran in and caught the ball above his head, just ten feet from the boundary. In that one ball course of the title had changed, the Championship belonged to Essex and Nottinghamshire's hopes were crushed. They had lost by just 3 runs and the innings of Mike Bore's life had been in vain. As Mike Bore related in an interview with Simon Lister "We were stunned. We got in the car and I don't think we spoke a word until we were well past Gloucester. No matter how many times I lie in bed and replay that ball I never score those four runs."

He currently works as a coach in the Nidderdale League and is active in the East Yorkshire Cricket Development Group for Yorkshire CCC. He has played league cricket for a number of teams in the north of England and is a sought after coach in the area.