Ole Mortensen

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Ole Mortensen bigraphy, stories - Danish cricketer

Ole Mortensen : biography

29 January 1958 –

Ole Henrik Mortensen (born 29 January 1958 in Vejle, Jutland) is a former Danish cricketer, probably the best his country has produced. A fast-medium right-arm bowler, in a first-class career with Derbyshire that ran from 1983 to 1994 he took 434 wickets at a good average of 23.88.

He was 25 when he went to England to play cricket in 1983. He immediately established himself in the Derbyshire side and took 66 wickets at 24.31. Wisden that year described him as "accurate, hostile and, above all, a bowler of unquenchable spirit".Wisden 1984, p. 340. It was his most successful season, and also included his best innings and match figures, when in his seventh first-class match he took 6 for 27 and 5 for 62 to help Derbyshire beat Yorkshire by 22 runs at Sheffield.Wisden 1984, p. 608. In 1988 injury restricted him to 12 matches, but he topped the national first-class bowling averages with 34 wickets at 13.64. He was especially economical in one-day cricket, and in 1990, when Derbyshire won the Refuge Assurance League 40-over competition, he was the most economical bowler in the whole competition.

His batting was negligible. The only time he exceeded 40 he made 74 not out against Yorkshire at Chesterfield in 1987, putting on 151 for the ninth wicket with Reg Sharma (who made his only first-class century).

For Denmark, Mortensen appeared in four ICC Trophy tournaments (1979, 1986, 1990 and 1994), claiming 63 wickets at a mere 10.41 apiece, including a return of 7-19 in a one-sided match against Israel (who were bowled out for 45) in Nairobi in 1994.

Mortensen earned the nickname "Stan" while playing for Derbyshire, a reference to the famous England football player of the 1940s and 50s, Stan Mortensen.

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