Tommy Greenhough

Infobox Historic Cricketer


nationality = English
country = England
country abbrev = ENG
name = Tommy Greenhough
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Legbreak googly
tests = 4
test runs = 4
test bat avg = 1.33
test 100s/50s = -/-
test top score = 2
test balls = 1129
test wickets = 16
test bowl avg = 22.31
test 5s = 1
test 10s = -
test best bowling = 5/35
test catches/stumpings = 1/-
FCs = 255
FC runs = 1913
FC bat avg = 8.39
FC 100s/50s = -/1
FC top score = 76*
FC balls = 42176
FC wickets = 751
FC bowl avg = 22.37
FC 5s = 34
FC 10s = 5
FC best bowling = 7/56
FC catches/stumpings = 84/-
debut date = 4 June
debut year = 1959
last date = 18 August
last year = 1960
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/13446.html

Tommy Greenhough [Asked by a honey-toned interviewer how he ought to pronounce his name — "Greenho", "Greenhow" or "Greenhough" —, he indifferently replied, "I'm not rightly bothered."] (Thomas Greenhough; born November 9, 1931, Rochdale, Lancashire) was a Lancashire cricketer.

After the retirement of Doug Wright, Eric Hollies and Roly Jenkins, together with the disappearance from the county scene of Bruce Dooland and Gamini Goonesena, Greenhough stood as the last county leg spinner of any standing in an era when overgrassed pitches and bowling tactics changing rapidly from the enterprising attack of the 1940s to rigid containment rapidly removed this style of bowling from prominence. Greenhough had nothing like the spin of Wright or Jenkins, but could disguise his googly exceptionally well though he bowled from a quite long run-up for a slow bowler. During 1959 and 1960 Greenhough formed an extremely valuable complement to Brian Statham - at the time probably the greatest post-war English bowler - but for the remainder of his career a succession of injuries and form lapses that prevented him reaching the potential those two seasons suggested.

Greenhough first played for Lancashire as early as 1951 after coming from League club Fieldhouse, but until 1956 he played very little for the first eleven. That season, however, he took 66 wickets for less than eighteen runs apiece and formed a remarkable trio of spinners with Roy Tattersall and Malcolm Hilton. In 1957, however, he seemed to lack spin and in 1958 he played only eight games out of 28 for the first eleven. It was thus a surprise that in the dry summer of 1959 Greenhough was able to not only displace both Tattersall and Hilton, but even leap into the Test side against India. Although he did very well even when India's lack of class batting is taken into account, Greenhough was soon reported for persistently running down the pitch during his follow-through. Once he had corrected this problem he bowled as well as before. Greenhough's form in 1959 suggests that, had he not been correcting his run-up, he would probably have been the leading first-class wicket-taker and a strong contender for "Cricketer of the Year" honours.

In 1960 Greenhough took 111 wickets for Lancashire and played one Test against South Africa, but 1961 was wiped out by the first of a succession of finger injuries. Even when he had recovered, he again ran into the problem of lacking spin despite a few good performances as the only recognised slow bowler in a now-weak county side. Despite more finger trouble keeping him out of the Lancashire side for most of 1964, he was awarded a benefit that season and showed when he returned that he still had considerable skill, achieving a career-best seven for 56 against Worcestershire in the last county match, plus seven for 108 against MCC in the previous game.

In 1965 Greenhough, though fitter, failed to maintain the promise shown late in 1964, and at the end of July 1966 he was unceremoniously dumped by the county. After being discarded, Greenhough moved back to the South Lancashire League, and was honoured by his original club Fieldhouse with a testimonial in 1977.

External links

* [http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1106/f_Bowling_by_Season.html First-class bowling in each season]

Notes