Alan Paul Pridgeon (born 22 February 1954) is a former English cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, taking 530 first-class and 273 List A wickets for the county between the early 1970s and the late 1980s. He was capped by the county in 1980. He played football in the winters as a centre-half for Stourbridge F.C.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alan Paul Pridegon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 February 1954 Wall Heath, Kingswinford, Staffordshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1989 | Worcestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Shropshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 22 November 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editBorn at Wall Heath, Kingswinford, Staffordshire, he was educated at Summerhill Secondary Modern School.[2]
After playing club cricket first for Himley, then in the Birmingham League for Stourbridge, he was offered a trial by Worcestershire.[1] He made his first-class debut against Cambridge University at Fenner's in May 1972, though he had an unsuccessful match, taking no wickets and not batting in either innings.[3] He had to wait until the middle of July to play again, bowling Barry Dudleston of Leicestershire to claim the first wicket of his career.[1]
Pridgeon was given only occasional opportunities for the next three seasons, but in 1976 things turned his way: Brian Brain and Keith Wilkinson left the club, while Jim Cumbes spent the summer in the United States playing football.[1] Pridgeon was rarely out of the first team during that famously hot summer. Indeed, his 1,200 deliveries in List A cricket were the most he sent down in any one season.[4] In late May he claimed what was to remain his career-best bowling return in taking 7/35 against Oxford University, three further successes in the second innings bringing him his only ten-wicket match haul.[5]
He dropped out of the side after the first half of 1977, but returned to play a full part in the 1978 season. In late July of that year, he achieved his best bowling performance in a one-day match, taking 6/26 against Surrey in the John Player League.[6] At the time, this was the second-best return for Worcestershire in a List A game (behind Jack Flavell's 6/14 against Lancashire in 1963).[7] However, in 1979 he was once again mainly a Second XI player.
From 1980, when he was capped, until 1984 Pridgeon commanded a regular place in the Worcestershire side. In 1983 he took 72 first-class wickets, the most he would manage in a single summer; he also topped 50 in 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1986. In 1984 he made his one half-century, hitting 67 against Warwickshire.[8] However in 1985 his fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse. Neal Radford had arrived from Lancashire, and he and Phil Newport were ahead of Pridgeon in the pecking order; he ended up playing just one first-class match (and that against Cambridge University) and no List A games at all.
Pridgeon bounced back in 1986 to play a full part in the season, but although he took a County Championship best of 7/44 against Leicestershire in 1987,[9] his appearances gradually diminished as his career began to wind down. He did, however, take part in the county's Championship-winning seasons of 1988 and 1989, and in 1988 he took 30 List A wickets, his most of any year. In 1989, his final season of first-class cricket, he was awarded a benefit season in the latter year, which raised £154,720.[1]
On leaving Worcestershire, Pridgeon took up a coaching role at Shrewsbury School.[1] However, he continued to play cricket, turning out for Shropshire in 1991 and 1992 while playing at club level for Wroxeter.[2] In June 1991 he made his sole List A appearance for them, playing (though taking no wickets) against Leicestershire in the NatWest Trophy.[10]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e f Hatton, Les (2001). Worcestershire County Cricket Club. 100 Greats. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7524-2194-0.
- ^ a b Percival, Tony (1999). Shropshire Cricketers 1844-1998. A.C.S. Publications, Nottingham. p. 37. ISBN 1-902171-17-9.Published under Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
- ^ "Cambridge University v Worcestershire in 1972". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "ListA Bowling in Each Season by Paul Pridgeon". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Oxford University v Worcestershire in 1976". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Worcestershire v Surrey in 1978". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Most Wickets in an Innings for Worcestershire". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Worcestershire v Warwickshire in 1984". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Leicestershire v Worcestershire in 1987". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- ^ "Leicestershire v Shropshire in 1991". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 November 2008.