Ken Higgs

"For the American basketball player, see Kenny Higgs."Infobox Historic Cricketer


nationality = English
country = England
country abbrev = Eng
name = Ken Higgs
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Left-handed batsman (LHB)
bowling style = Right arm fast medium (RFM); right arm medium (RM)
tests = 15
test runs = 185
test bat avg = 11.56
test 100s/50s = 0/1
test top score = 63
test balls = 4,112
test wickets = 71
test bowl avg = 20.74
test 5s = 2
test 10s = 0
test best bowling = 6/91
test catches/stumpings = 4/0
FCs = 511
FC runs = 3,648
FC bat avg = 11.29
FC 100s/50s = 0/3
FC top score = 98
FC balls = 89,431
FC wickets = 1,536
FC bowl avg = 23.61
FC 5s = 50
FC 10s = 5
FC best bowling = 7/19
FC catches/stumpings = 311/0
debut date = August 26
debut year = 1965
last date = June 11
last year = 1968
source = http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1275/1275.html

Ken(neth) Higgs (born January 14 1937 in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England) was an English fast-medium bowler who was most successful as the opening partner to Brian Statham with Lancashire in the 1960s. He later played with success for Leicestershire.

Early career

In his junior days concentrating on soccer with Port Vale, Higgs did not take seriously to cricket until his late teens. Making progress during military service he began playing for his native county, Staffordshire, taking 46 wickets for 13.13 each in 1957. Jack Ikin, a Staffordshire native, recommended Higgs to Lancashire and he began playing for them in 1958.

Lancashire

Higgs caused instant notice taking 7 for 36 against Hampshire in his first County Championship match. He took over 100 wickets in each season from 1959 to 60 but was one of the few cricketers to take 100 wickets in a season at over thirty runs each in 1961 and he ceased to be an automatic choice.
In 1965, a wet summer, he took 102 wickets in County Championship matches and formed a formidable partnership with Statham. His best performance was 7 for 19 against Leicestershire. He was selected for the last Test at The Oval and took an excellent 8 for 143 against a formidable South African batting lineup, and was selected for the Ashes tour of 1965/1966 when he had a modest tour.

Test selection

In 1966, against the West Indies, Higgs established himself as England's first-choice opening bowler with 25 wickets for under 26 runs. At the Oval Higgs, only a tail-end left-hand batsman, made 63, then his highest first-class score and helped England effect a recovery from 7 for 166 to 529 all out.
Despite injury keeping out of two Tests against India, Higgs had a very good season in 1967, taking 95 wickets at 16.92. he was named one of "Cricketer Of The Year" by "Wisden". Disappointing in the West Indies Higgs lost his Test place after the First Test in 1968. Higgs retired from County Cricket at the end of the 1969 season and played for Rishton in the Lancashire League.

A Second Career with Leicestershire

After two years in the Lancashire League, Leicestershire captain, Ray Illingworth called Higgs out of retirement because of Graham McKenzie's expected unavailability with the 1972 Australians. Higgs played regularly until the end of the 1979 season for which he was appointed Captain. He was the fifth-highest Englishman in the bowling averages that season at the age of forty-two. In one-day cricket, Higgs played in Leicestershire's 1972 and 1974 successes in the Benson And Hedges Cup, taking a hat-trick in the 1974 Final. All together, Higgs took 308 List 'A' wickets for his adopted County. Ken Higgs was also, on his day a solid and reliable tail-end batsman who scored over 300 runs in a season six times. His highest First Class score of 98 was part of Leicestershire's record 228 run last wicket partnership with Ray Illingworth against Northamptonshire in 1977. After 1979, Higgs seldom played in first-class cricket, and he retired from one-day cricket after 1982. In 1986 he returned in an emergency at the age of 49, taking 5 for 22 against Yorkshire. He played once more, against Somerset, without taking a wicket. In all he took 100 wickets in a season five times, and over 90 twice. He took 42 List A wickets in both 1975 and 1977.

Coaching career

Higgs coached Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. he acted as Umpire in several Second XI fixtures.

External links

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1275/t_Bowling_by_Season.html Test bowling statistics]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1275/f_Bowling_by_Season.html All first-class bowling statistics]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/1/1275/a_Bowling_by_Season.html One-day bowling statistics]