Fred Titmus

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Fred Titmus bigraphy, stories - English Test and County cricketer

Fred Titmus : biography

24 November 1932 – 23 March 2011

Frederick John Titmus MBE (24 November 1932 – 23 March 2011), Retrieved 23 March 2011 was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. He was the fourth man after W.G. Grace, Wilfred Rhodes and George Hirst to take 2,500 wickets and make 20,000 runs in first class cricket.p184, Titmus Although he was best known for his off spin (though at first he bowled medium pace as well), he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions. Outside of cricket, Titmus was also an able footballer; at one stage he was contracted to Watford as a professional, having earlier played for Chelsea as a junior., Wisden, Retrieved 25 April 2009

Recalled to the Test team

His form in 1962 – 136 wickets and 1,238 runs – saw Titmus recalled to Test cricket, and he played in the third and fourth Tests against Pakistan. For his performances that year (including a career-best nine for 52 against Cambridge University) he was made one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1963 version of the Almanack. Titmus went to Australia for the 1962-63 Ashes series and made his highest first-class century of 137 not out vs South Australia. He played in all five Tests, and took more wickets than any other English bowler; 21 at 29.33, including a Test career best 7 for 79 in the Third Test and 5 for 103 in the Fifth, both at Sydney, and making 59 not out in the Fourth Test at Adelaide.

For five years Titmus remained an automatic choice for England, and he produced some outstanding displays, not least in India in 1963/64, when in the course of a five-Test series (packed into just six weeks) he picked up 27 wickets to help relieve the monotony as every game finished in a draw. In 1964 he opened the batting against Australia with Geoff Boycott at Trent Bridge after John Edrich was injured. Meanwhile he continued to be invaluable for Middlesex, racking up 100 wickets in most years and contributing handy knocks with the bat, as well as captaining the county side between 1965 and 1968. He toured Australia again for the 1965-66 Ashes series; making 258 runs (64.50), but taking only 9 wickets (57.44) and in the Third Test at Sydney he took 4/40 as England spun their way to their biggest victory in Australia since 1912.

Career highlights

Tests

  • Test debut: v South Africa, Lord’s, 1955
  • Last Test: v Australia, Adelaide, 1974/75
    • Highest score: 84* v India, Bombay, 1963/64
    • Best bowling: 7–79 v Australia, Sydney, 1962/63

One-day internationals

  • ODI debut: v New Zealand, Dunedin, 1974/75
  • Last ODI: v New Zealand, Wellington, 1974/75
    • Highest score: 11 v New Zealand, Dunedin 1974/75
    • Best bowling: 3–53 vs New Zealand, Wellington 1974/75

First-class

  • First-class debut: Middlesex v Somerset, Bath, 1949
  • Last first-class match: Middlesex v Surrey, Lord’s, 1982
    • Highest score: 137* for MCC v South Australia, Adelaide, 1962/63
    • Best bowling: 9–52 for Middlesex v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, 1962

List A limited overs

  • List A debut: Middlesex v Gloucestershire, Bristol, 1963
  • Last List A match: Middlesex v Essex, Lord’s, 1976
    • Highest score: 41 for Middlesex v Sussex, Lord’s, 1973
    • Best bowling: 5–25 for Middlesex v Essex, Lord’s, 1971

Teams

International

  • England

English county

  • Middlesex
  • Surrey

South African province

  • Orange Free State

Other first-class

  • Combined Services
  • DH Robins’ XI
  • India Prime Minister’s XI
  • International Cavaliers
  • International XI
  • MCC
  • Players
  • South of England
  • TN Pearce’s XI

Early years

Titmus was in his school’s first XI by the age of thirteen, and when sixteen he wrote to Lord’s, the ground being very close to his home, to ask for a trial. He was quickly accepted onto the MCC groundstaff, and in June 1949 he was plucked straight from the groundstaff to make his first-class cricket debut against Somerset at Bath. Although he did little in the match, his selection for the first team at such a young age was a clear sign of his potential.