| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 8 January 1936 Woore, Shropshire, England |
|||
| Batting style | Left-hand | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm medium | |||
| Role | All-rounder | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | England | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1953–70 | Northamptonshire | |||
| 1955 | Combined Services | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | FC | OD | ||
| Matches | 294 | 31 | ||
| Runs scored | 12000 | 474 | ||
| Batting average | 27.64 | 18.96 | ||
| 100s/50s | 12/61 | 0/2 | ||
| Top score | 174* | 84* | ||
| Balls bowled | 14983 | 87 | ||
| Wickets | 172 | 1 | ||
| Bowling average | 36.00 | 72.00 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | 4 | – | ||
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | – | ||
| Best bowling | 7/25 | 1/18 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 161/– | 9/– | ||
| Source: Cricinfo, 28 July 2009 | ||||
Albert Lightfoot (born 8 January 1936, in Woore, Shropshire, England) was a Cricketer for Northamptonshire. Lightfoot showed promise throughout his career, joining Northamptonshire in 1953, and was awarded a Cap for the county that he spent his entire career at in 1961. He also made First-Class appearances for the Combined Services (in 1955), TN Pearce's XI (1962), a 'Players' team (1962 also), and AER Gilligan's XI (1963). Albert Lightfoot shone during his 294 First-class matches and also played in 31 One-Day matches from 1963 up until his retirement, a format he never quite adapted to with bat or ball. Lightfoot bowled for the last time in 1968, before retiring altogether in 1970.
Northamptonshire's very own Shropshire lad gave valuable service for nearly twenty years, before extending his stay at the County Ground as head groundsman between 1973 and 1978. When Lightfoot was signed in 1953, it was principally as a medium-fast bowler, he soon emerged as a talented left-handed batsmen, with his breakthrough being a maiden century against Surrey at The Oval in 1958 helping Raman Subba Row add a record-breaking 376 for the sixth wicket. However many Northamptonshire fans who witnessed his career will be quicker to mention the one run that he didn't make rather than the 12,000 that he did. Against Richie Benaud's 1961 Australians, Northamptonshire mounted a spirited challenge after being left to score 198 for victory in two and a half hours, and Lightfoot's gallant half-century helped reduce the target to four runs off the final over. With one ball to go, the scores were level. Alan Davidson bowled to Malcolm Scott who missed, but set off for a bye to acting wicketkeeper Bobby Simpson; Lightfoot, inexplicably, stayed put at the non-strikers end, Scott was run out, and Australia escaped with a draw. It is possible that Lightfoot stayed in the team at times when his batting average drooped due to his ability to 'bowl a bit'. Despite such droops, he managed some very productive batting seasons, in particular 1962 when he scored 1,795 runs for Northamptonshire including 5 hundreds. He also managed some career reviving season's in 1968 and 1969, reaching 1,000 runs in each. In the years in between colleagues felt that it was a lack of 'drive' which held him back. He took a benefit in 1970, having already told the club that he would not be staying in the game for the following season, only to swap his bat for a heavy roller at the County Ground three years later. (this passage was adapted from the book '100 Greats: Northamptonshire County Cricket Club')