John Howarth

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = John Howarth


country = England
fullname = John Stirling Howarth
nickname =
living = true
dayofbirth = 26
monthofbirth = 3
yearofbirth = 1945
placeofbirth = Stockport, Cheshire
countryofbirth = England
dayofdeath =
monthofdeath =
yearofdeath =
placeofdeath =
countryofdeath =
heightft =
heightinch =
heightm =
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Right arm fast-medium
role = Bowler

club1 = Nottinghamshire
year1 = 1966–1970
clubnumber1 =
club2 = Minor Counties East
year2 = 1977
clubnumber2 =

type1 = First-class
debutdate1 = 6 August
debutyear1 = 1966
debutfor1 = Nottinghamshire
debutagainst1 = Warwickshire
lastdate1 = 7 July
lastyear1 = 1967
lastfor1 = Nottinghamshire
lastagainst1 = Indians
type2 = List A
debutdate2 = 13 May
debutyear2 = 1967
debutfor2 = Nottinghamshire
debutagainst2 = Northamptonshire
lastdate2 = 30 April
lastyear2 = 1977
lastfor2 = Minor Counties East
lastagainst2 = Middlesex
deliveries = balls
columns = 2
column1 = First-class
matches1 = 13
runs1 = 0
bat avg1 = 0.00
100s/50s1 = 0/0
top score1 = 0*
deliveries1 = 1242
wickets1 = 19
bowl avg1 = 33.78
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 3/30
catches/stumpings1 = 3/–
column2 = List A
matches2 = 5
runs2 = 9
bat avg2 = 4.50
100s/50s2 = 0/0
top score2 = 5
deliveries2 = 282
wickets2 = 8
bowl avg2 = 18.12
fivefor2 = 0
tenfor2 = n/a
best bowling2 = 3/30
catches/stumpings2 = 2/–

date = 30 September
year = 2008
source = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30416/30416.html CricketArchive

John Stirling Howarth (born 26 March 1945) is a former English county cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. A right-arm fast-medium bowler of some success, he is believed to hold the unfortunate record of most first class matches played without scoring a run.

Howarth was born in Stockport, Cheshire and played for Notts in the 1966 and 1967 English cricket seasons. In 13 first class games he took 19 wickets at an average just below 34.cite web|title=John Howarth|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/14991.html |publisher= cricinfo.com|accessdate=2006-07-11] He is, however, best known for his remarkable record of scoring no runs in this time. Steven Lynch, deputy editor of the Wisden Group, has investigated the matter and believes that a career of 13 first class matches without a run is the world record.cite web|last=Lynch|first=Steven|authorlink=Steven Lynch|title=Unmasked: the slowest batsmen, and the worst| url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/asksteven/content/story/252824.html| work=Ask Steven|publisher=cricinfo.com|date=2006-07-10|accessdate=2006-07-11] However, Howarth only batted seven innings in these matches (out of a theoretical maximum of 26, had he batted in two innings per game). In those he was dismissed four times for a duck, and finished not out without scoring on three other occasions, giving him a career best score of 0*. According to Lynch, the record for most innings in a career without scoring a run appears to belong to Seymour Clark, who played for Somerset County Cricket Club as a wicket-keeper and notoriously poor batsman in the 1930 season. In five matches he batted nine innings, with seven ducks and two scores of 0*. [cite web|title=Seymour Clark|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/10738.html |publisher= cricinfo.com|accessdate=2006-07-11]

Howarth, who also played for Minor Counties, had success in his one-day cricket career, although he was limited to 5 List A matches spread from 1967 to the 1977 season. He took 8 wickets at the low average of 18.12, with a strike rate of 35 balls per wicket and an economy rate of just 3.08 runs per over. His best bowling figures were 3/30, coincidentally identical to his first class best. Howarth also had (slightly) more success with his right-handed batting, being dismissed only twice in four innings for a total of nine runs at an average of 4.50. His highest score was 5.

Howarth's world record for matches played in a first class career without a run scored only came to light almost 40 years after his final first class match. Interested in his unusual career statistics, he wrote to Wisden editor Steven Lynch, who published his reply confirming Howarth's achievement in his "Ask Steven" column on cricinfo.com in July 2006. The column, entitled "Unmasked: the slowest batsmen, and the worst", answered a variety of submitted questions. "The slowest batsmen" in the title referred to a separate query about batsmen's strike rates in One Day Internationals, while "the worst" clearly referred to Howarth and Clark.

References

External links

*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/14991.html
*cricketarchive|ref=Archive/Players/30/30416/30416.html

Persondata
NAME=Howarth, John Stirling
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Howarth, John
SHORT DESCRIPTION=English county cricketer; fast-medium bowler for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
DATE OF BIRTH=March 26, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH=Stockport, Cheshire, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=