Philip John Whitcombe

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Philip Whitcombe


country = England
fullname = Philip John Whitcombe
dayofbirth = 11
monthofbirth = 11
yearofbirth = 1928
placeofbirth = Worcester
countryofbirth = England
living = true
batting = Right-hand
bowling = unknown
club1 = Worcestershire
year1 = 1949–1952
club1 = Oxford University
year1 = 1950–1952
type1 = First-class
debutdate1 = 18 June
debutyear1 = 1949
debutfor1 =
Worcestershire
debutagainst1 = Cambridge University
lastdate1 = 29 August
lastyear1 = 1952
lastfor1 =
Worcestershire
lastagainst1 = Hampshire
deliveries = balls
columns = 1
column1 = FC
matches1 = 34
runs1 = 1,156
bat avg1 = 24.59
100s/50s1 = 1/7
top score1 = 104
deliveries1 = 8
wickets1 = 1
bowl avg1 = 10.00
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 1-8
catches/stumpings1 = 30/9
date = 27 September
year = 2007
source = http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/33/33780/33780.html CricketArchive

Philip John Whitcombe (born 11 November 1928) is a former English cricketer who played 34 first-class matches between 1949 and 1953. 26 of these were for Oxford University, and eight for Worcestershire. He was a wicket-keeper, though he did play in some games as a batsman only.

Whitcombe made his first-class debut for Worcestershire against Cambridge University at Worcester in June 1949. In a drawn game, he held three catches and scored 4 and 8*. The following season, he appeared seven times for Oxford and claimed 11 dismissals, as well as scoring three half-centuries, the highest of which was 68 against MCC at Lord's. He did not, however, play in the Varsity Match.

In 1951, he made ten first-class appearances, all for his university. He had a fine match, albeit in a losing cause, against Hampshire at Basingstoke in late June: opening the batting in both innings, he hit 42 and 104, his only first-class century. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/19/19797.html |title=Hampshire v Oxford University in 1951 |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=CricketArchive] However, his highest score in 15 other innings that summer was a mere 35, and though he did play in the Varsity Match this time he failed twice, making 10 and 5. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/19/19840.html |title=Oxford University v Cambridge University in 1951 |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=CricketArchive] His 18 dismissals (14 caught; four stumped) was the best season's aggregate of his career.

Whitcombe played the first half of 1952 for Oxford, making nine appearances for them, then turned out on seven occasions for Worcestershire in August. He made 60 in two successive innings for the university, but for his county failed on all but his first and last appearances. He scored 73 for Worcestershire against Essex at New Road, and later, in what proved to be his final first-class game, he hit 37 and 89* against Hampshire at Bournemouth.

He played all but one of his Worcestershire matches in 1952 as a batsman, with Hugo Yarnold usually behind the stumps. For Oxford Whitcombe kept wicket, although playing for the university against Lancashire in May, he took his only first-class wicket when with the match lost he came on to bowl (Fred Jones taking the gloves) and had Malcolm Hilton stumped for 11. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/20/20142.html |title=Oxford University v Lancashire in 1952 |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=CricketArchive]

After his first-class career was over, Whitcombe played a few times in the 1960s for a representative Club Cricket Conference side against touring teams, and once against MCC. The first of these matches was a single-innings affair at Blackheath between the CCC and the Australians in July 1961. The tourists put out a strong side including five players who had appeared in the immediately preceding third Test (captain Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry, Norm O'Neill, Peter Burge and Garth McKenzie). Benaud set the CCC a target of 150 in 100 minutes, and Whitcombe's 71 ensured that they squeaked home with a single minute to spare. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/105/105911.html |title=Club Cricket Conference v Australians |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=CricketArchive]

Notes

External links

* [http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/33/33780/33780.html Statistical summary] from CricketArchive
* [http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/33/33780/statistics_lists.html Lists of matches and detailed statistics for Philip Whitcombe] from CricketArchive
*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/22898.html