Peter Kippax

Peter John Kippax was a first class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Durham and Northumberland. A right handed batsman and leg spin bowler, he played just five first class matches but they spanned a remarkable 26 years. He made his debut in 1961 for Yorkshire and yet played his last first class match, for the MCC, in 1987.

Given Yorkshire's traditional and instinctive mistrust of leg spin bowling it is perhaps not surprising that he played only three times in his debut season of 1961, against Sussex, Leicestershire and Kent and just once in 1962 against the touring Pakistani team. The Yorkshire team, about to begin their total domination of the county championship during the sixties were well served with spinners in the shape of Ray Illingworth and Don Wilson and a hard grinding team which won through the philosophy of 'give 'en nowt' had little room for the more romantic art of leg spin.

After his rejection by Yorkshire he turned his attention to the leagues and, from 1975 to 1990, minor county cricket for Durham. Fifteen years after his last Yorkshire appearance he turned out for the Marylebone Cricket Club against the Tykes at Scarborough in September 1987, taking the wickets of centurians Ashley Metcalfe and Ian Swallow as well as Peter Hartley and Phil Robinson for a duck.

In his 8 first class innings he scored 40 runs, with a highest score of 9 for an average of 6.66 and took 12 wickets at 33 with a best of 5 for 74. In 13 list A one day matches for Durham and Northumberland he averaged a respectable 17 with the bat, scoring 187 runs with a best of 42 and took 20 wickets at just 19.35 with a best of 3 for 24.

He has run his own highly successful bat making business for over twenty five years, Peter Kippax Sports and now Kippax Willow, with his fine English willow bats being used by many Yorkshire county and league players.

He was born on October 15 1940 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. His father HG Kippax and sons SAJ Kippax and CRG Kippax are all notable cricketers in their own right.

References

* [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/16057.html Cricinfo Profile]

* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30800/30800.html Cricket Archive Statistics]

* [http://www.kippaxcricket.co.uk/index_new.html Kippax Willow]