-
The first stage of the forum upgrades has now been completed but they remain in a degraded state and are still being worked on.
Please read this thread for more details.
New user registrations are currently disabled.
Fastest local bowler you have watched or faced?
- Thread starter Super K
- Start date
- Status
Going back to the '70's Alex Johnson and Stuart Young were both pretty rapid.
Introduction to senior cricket as the scorer filling in at 15 yrs old was at Felling in NWDL.Chris Pleasants coming in off long run up just before a trial at Northants.Smelt it and pleased it was last ball of the over.Chris Matthews at Shildon in 86 in Durham County League.Literally months before playing in Ashes.
herra soul mob
Striker
saw durham v yorkshire at cls ( ropery lane) 1979 gillette cup, side on view of wilkinson - he was rapid . dear me.
roadrunner
Central Defender
Winston Davis, fortunately that day was in the slips
. A few real quicks in DSL but they rarely bowled flat out as the pros were expected to bowl nigh on 20+ overs
. A few real quicks in DSL but they rarely bowled flat out as the pros were expected to bowl nigh on 20+ overs
Voice of fair play
Striker
Watched Stuart Wilkinson as a kid, quickest amateur bowler I have seen.
Made my DSL debut against him.
Hit the third ball of the game off the back foot through the covers for four - never got near the next three.
Keith Chapman was also very quick - he was especially dangerous when he would switch to round the wicket to the right-hander and run up directly behind the umpire, only stepping out in the last few strides before delivery.
Played in the same team as Patto. Very, very quick. One game when I wasn't playing it was alleged that a fast yorker had pitched in the bowlers footmarks and took off, clearing the sightscreen behind the keeper and slips (who were in close proximity to said sightscreen to begin with).
I never had the 'pleasure' of facing him in net practices, but teammates who did said it was absolutely terrifying.
Last edited:
Voice of fair play
Striker
Remember facing Ashley Day once and coming off the field and saying ‘he is quick’
Only for our West Indian pro to say ‘ He is not quick man!’
I said he is to me!
Then again I was only a second team player normally
Last edited:
To be fair, some of the West Indians who were around at that time - Philo Wallace and Jimmy Adams, for example - could play that level of bowling with ease. Even batting against the likes of Pat Thompson didn't faze them one iota - even on our standard of pitches.
The Red Telephone
Striker
Yeah I had 'a bad bout of hay fever' that day so missed school but was well enough to attend that match
.Wilki was 37 then and still was lively to say the least. Pity none of the Yorkshire players mentioned his famous hairpiece or he may have bowled even quicker!
A class bowler.
herra soul mob
Striker
aye, some game, remember durham started off really slow, romaines opened that day I think( were about 11 off 11 overs ) , so Wasim Raja and Lance Cairns came in around 5/6 and proceeded to launch ball out the ground on a few occasions.Yeah I had 'a bad bout of hay fever' that day so missed school but was well enough to attend that match
Wilki was 37 then and still was lively to say the least. Pity none of the Yorkshire players mentioned his famous hairpiece or he may have bowled even quicker!
A class bowler.
I'm sure Bairstow opened that day for Yorkshire and Wilkinson bowled him out early on ( crowd went mental ) Boycott came in about 4 and hit about 90 n/o or so and led them to victory.
The Red Telephone
Striker
It was Lance Cairns who got Bairstow and Kevin Sharp early on - had them 6/2.
Me and my mate were standing with a load of blokes on the hoy next to the pavilion and it was like The Fulwell when the 2nd wicket went down.
herra soul mob
Striker
ah right. aye, I was next to pavilion( got some seats at front ) , was a trip on from school, we had to wear our uniform ffs. some yorkshire fans next to us had about 4 ice boxes of colt 45. mortal at the end.It was Lance Cairns who got Bairstow and Kevin Sharp early on - had them 6/2.
Me and my mate were standing with a load of blokes on the hoy next to the pavilion and it was like The Fulwell when the 2nd wicket went down.
The Red Telephone
Striker
Like you mentioned I remember Wasim launching Chris Old for a six into Ropery Lane and then Cairns hit a couple (possibly off Carrick) halfway down Lumley Terrace which was some hit.
Voice of fair play
Striker
Yeah the quality around at the time (our pro was Derrick Parry) as well as the likes of the above and Clayton Lambert, Richie Richardson etc, what I thought was quick was probably medium paced to what they were used to facing!
Never faced Thompson and glad I didn’t!
Parry was a class act and a great pro for Horden for years - played against him on many occasions and can't ever recall him failing with either bat or ball. Superb.
Lambert was a bit special as well. I played in a testimonial game with him once, at Ashbrooke, and asked him how much his bats cost:
"Man, I don't know. Clayton don't pay for no bats."
Saw Hunter open the bowling for South Northumberland, as a young Durham player. The other opening bowler was the West Indian Reon King, who went on to be Durham's overseas the following season. Hunter bowled up the bank and was quicker than King.
Also saw Steven Lugsden play for Durham v Leicestershire at the Racecourse. Think he was 17yrs old. Came on first change, replacing Anderson Cummins, Durham's overseas, and was noticeably quicker than Cummins. Bowled a bouncer at James Whittaker that struck his helmet and went crashing into the sightscreen !!!
He would use it in evening cup ties saying it was too heavy to use in a Saturday game.
Also saw Steven Lugsden play for Durham v Leicestershire at the Racecourse. Think he was 17yrs old. Came on first change, replacing Anderson Cummins, Durham's overseas, and was noticeably quicker than Cummins. Bowled a bouncer at James Whittaker that struck his helmet and went crashing into the sightscreen !!!
Lambert used to have a huge unmarked bat in his bag. He called it his "Bully Bat". When asked about it he said it was one of Gordon Greenidge's "one day" bats.
He would use it in evening cup ties saying it was too heavy to use in a Saturday game.
Last edited:
- Status
