Ian Hall (cricketer)

Ian Hall (born December 27, 1939) was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed opening batsman who played for Derbyshire between 1959 and 1972 (cap 1961).

Hall made his debut first-class appearance, at Lord's, in the encouraging 1959 season, when he hit an average of just over 30, along with his first century innings, against Hampshire. He is still the youngest player to make a century for Derbyshire (19 yrs 226 dys). He is also the youngest player to make 1,000 runs in a season (1960) for Derbyshire (20 yrs 255 dys). He became a regular opening batsman in the team throughout the heady days of the early 1960s, keeping his regular opening batting partnership with John Eyre and later with (Peter Gibbs) (Derbyshire cricketer)] cricketer}.

Derbyshire were to struggle with the bat during the latter part of the decade, and Hall's batting average was to dip with it, achieving, at the low point of his career, just one half-century, and in the meantime posting his personal worst first-class average, in 1969.

As Hall was to be made a regular fixture once again at the beginning of the 1970s, Derbyshire's fortunes went up, though he was only to last in the first team until 1972. During Derbyshire's disastrous 1972 season, Hall retired from first-class cricket to take a B.A. degree at Birmingham University, being replaced in Derbyshire's upper order by Anthony Borrington. He later achieved an M.A. at Loughborough University and became a lecturer in sports science at Leicester Polytechnic.

Hall was also an England Schoolboy and Youth international footballer. He played professional football for Derby County (1959-62) and Mansfield Town (1962-68) making over 200 Football League appearances, before severing an achilles tendon in 1967, which brought his full-time career to an end. He continued to play part-time professional football for Tamworth and Burton Albion until 1974.

From 1978-80, Hall was secretary of Scarborough Cricket Club. He later became a cricket/football commentator and summariser for BBC Radio Derby (1990-2004)

Ian Hall is the author of Cricket at Scarborough (1992), 'Journey Through a Season' (1997)," 'Voices of the Rams (2000) and The Legends of Derby County"' (2001), all published by Breedon Books Ltd.

External links

* [http://cricketarchive.com/Players/29/29888/29888.html Ian Hall] at Cricket Archive