Born on this day were:
Belinda Clark (1970-), Australian women's captain who led Australia to victory in the 1997 World Cup, during which she became the first player, man or woman, to hit a double century (229 against Denmark at Mumbai) in ODI cricket (Australia batted for more overs than Denmark scored runs! They were all out for 49, losing by 363 runs);
Mohammad Akram (1974-), Pakistani pace bowler; and
Eoin Morgan (1986-), England batsman who holds the unique distinction of scoring ODI hundreds for two different countries (Ireland & England).
In 1872 the great Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam sahib of Nawanagar (1872-1933), was born. He scored 62 and 154 not out on his debut for England, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1896. He made ten centuries and headed the national averages that season. He also scored a century in his first Test in Australia, 175 at Sydney in 1897-98, the highest score for England at the time. His partnerships for Sussex with the equally classical C.B. Fry were one of the reasons this was known as the Golden Age of batting. In 1896 he became the first man to score two first-class centuries on the same day (100 and 125 not out) for Sussex against Yorkshire at Hove. India's domestic first-class championship, the Ranji Trophy, is named after him.
In 1948 in his last first-class innings in England, for the Australians against H.D.G. Leveson-Gower's XI at Scarborough, Don Bradman made 153. He shared a stand of 225 with Sid Barnes before the rain-affected match ended in a draw.
In 1948 playing for East v West at Kingston-on-Thames, Middlesex leg-spinner Jim Sims took 10 for 90 in 18.4 overs (13 in the match) to bowl East to victory by 223 runs.
In 1978 playing for National Bank against Punjab at Lahore, Taslim Arif became the first Pakistani wicket-keeper to make ten dismissals in a first-class match. Punjab were dismissed for 74 and 143 and lost by an innings. Taslim's haul remained a national record until Wasim Yousufi made 11 dismissals for Peshawar against Bahawalpur at Peshwar in 1997-98.
In 1986 Geoff Boycott played in his last first-class match – at Scarborough for Yorkshire against Northants. He was run out on 61. His 8,114 Test runs were a world record at the time, and he scored 48,426 first-class runs at 56.83, the highest average among batsmen who scored over 30,000 runs.
In 1989 West Indian Jeffrey Stollmeyer (32 Tests, 2,159 runs at an average of 42.33) was murdered in his home in Florida. An outstanding cricketer, football and cricket administrator, he captained the West Indies cricket team (1952-55) and subsequently became the president of the West Indies Cricket board of Control (1977-1982). Stollmeyer was a former president of the West Indian Tobacco Sports Foundation and when he died in very tragic circumstances, the Sports Foundation decided to honour his memory by making an award annually to the Outstanding Sports Administrator (1990-93) and from 1994, to the Outstanding Sporting Association.
Belinda Clark (1970-), Australian women's captain who led Australia to victory in the 1997 World Cup, during which she became the first player, man or woman, to hit a double century (229 against Denmark at Mumbai) in ODI cricket (Australia batted for more overs than Denmark scored runs! They were all out for 49, losing by 363 runs);
Mohammad Akram (1974-), Pakistani pace bowler; and
Eoin Morgan (1986-), England batsman who holds the unique distinction of scoring ODI hundreds for two different countries (Ireland & England).
In 1872 the great Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam sahib of Nawanagar (1872-1933), was born. He scored 62 and 154 not out on his debut for England, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1896. He made ten centuries and headed the national averages that season. He also scored a century in his first Test in Australia, 175 at Sydney in 1897-98, the highest score for England at the time. His partnerships for Sussex with the equally classical C.B. Fry were one of the reasons this was known as the Golden Age of batting. In 1896 he became the first man to score two first-class centuries on the same day (100 and 125 not out) for Sussex against Yorkshire at Hove. India's domestic first-class championship, the Ranji Trophy, is named after him.
In 1948 in his last first-class innings in England, for the Australians against H.D.G. Leveson-Gower's XI at Scarborough, Don Bradman made 153. He shared a stand of 225 with Sid Barnes before the rain-affected match ended in a draw.
In 1948 playing for East v West at Kingston-on-Thames, Middlesex leg-spinner Jim Sims took 10 for 90 in 18.4 overs (13 in the match) to bowl East to victory by 223 runs.
In 1978 playing for National Bank against Punjab at Lahore, Taslim Arif became the first Pakistani wicket-keeper to make ten dismissals in a first-class match. Punjab were dismissed for 74 and 143 and lost by an innings. Taslim's haul remained a national record until Wasim Yousufi made 11 dismissals for Peshawar against Bahawalpur at Peshwar in 1997-98.
In 1986 Geoff Boycott played in his last first-class match – at Scarborough for Yorkshire against Northants. He was run out on 61. His 8,114 Test runs were a world record at the time, and he scored 48,426 first-class runs at 56.83, the highest average among batsmen who scored over 30,000 runs.
In 1989 West Indian Jeffrey Stollmeyer (32 Tests, 2,159 runs at an average of 42.33) was murdered in his home in Florida. An outstanding cricketer, football and cricket administrator, he captained the West Indies cricket team (1952-55) and subsequently became the president of the West Indies Cricket board of Control (1977-1982). Stollmeyer was a former president of the West Indian Tobacco Sports Foundation and when he died in very tragic circumstances, the Sports Foundation decided to honour his memory by making an award annually to the Outstanding Sports Administrator (1990-93) and from 1994, to the Outstanding Sporting Association.
