Barry Wood (cricketer)
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Barry Wood (born 26 December 1942) is an English former
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
er, who played 12 Test matches for the
England cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engl ...
as an opening
batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...
, as well as 13 One Day Internationals. He played
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...
for
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
in 1964, for
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
from 1966 to 1979, and for
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
from 1980 to 1983, where he was the captain for three seasons.


Life and career

Wood was born in
Ossett Ossett is a market town in the City of Wakefield metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated between Dewsbury, Horbury and Wakefield. At the 2011 Census, the population was ...
,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, England. He made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 1964 but, due to limited opportunities, transferred to Lancashire in 1966, where he became the first ever Yorkshireman to score two Roses hundreds (reaching his century with a six on both occasions) in the same season against his native county. In the 1970s, by winning more Man of the Match gold awards than any other player in the history of the game, he was arguably the most valuable player of a
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
team that were the undisputed one day kings of English cricket. This record was finally broken by
Graham Gooch Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, h ...
. That side was captained by Jack Bond and included a number of international players:
Clive Lloyd Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd (born 31 August 1944) is a Guyanese-British former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team. As a boy he went to Chatham High School in Georgetown. At the age of 14 he was captain of his school cricket team ...
, David Lloyd and
Peter Lever Peter Lever (born 17 September 1940) is a former English cricketer, who played in seventeen Tests and ten ODIs for England from 1970 to 1975. A fast-medium opening bowler, he took 41 wickets, and was a handy lower-order batsman with a top scor ...
. This team won six trophies in six years – the Players County League in 1969, the
John Player League The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect large numbers of matches being played on days ...
in 1970 and the Gillette Cup in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1975. Wood's highest first-class score was 198 v Glamorgan and he still holds the record at Lancashire for a fifth wicket partnership of 249 with Andy Kennedy against
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...
at
Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...
in 1971. Wood's good form for Lancashire led to his selection for his first Test against Australia at
The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
in 1972. Against a fearsome Australian bowling attack, spearheaded by the great
Dennis Lillee Dennis Keith Lillee, (born 18 July 1949) is Australian retired cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation".
, he made a very fine score of 90 which led to his selection for a tour of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. However, he had a lean time in the subcontinent and was dropped from the side. He was selected as a replacement in a
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
tour but failed again. The lateness of his selection was a contributing factor as he completed a 63-hour trip from the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
just before the first Test. In 1975, he played Tests against Australia, standing up to the menacing duo of Lillee and
Thomson Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson Mic ...
scoring a half century. His final Test was against
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in 1978. In his prime, Wood was widely regarded as the finest player of
fast bowling Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', or ''pacemen''. ...
in the country. Wood played thirteen One Day Internationals between 1972 and 1982, including playing in the inaugural World Cup in 1975. His One Day International batting record was better than his record in Tests, and he was a handy bowler as well, taking nine wickets. In addition, he was one of the best fielders in the gully and in the outfield was the pioneer of many of the dives which are now part and parcel of the modern game. He was the first person to be dismissed by the first ball in an ODI match, bowled by Andy Roberts at
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
on 26 August 1976. Somewhat surprisingly recalled four years after his last international match, aged 39, in 1982, he made his highest One Day International score, 78 not out, against India on his first game back, also winning the
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
award; but he was dropped after the next match and did not play for England again. Wood and controversy seemed closely linked, and an example of this was the 1975 pay dispute which resulted in Lancashire's international players at that time (Wood, Lever and Frank Hayes) being suspended – Lever and Hayes for three games and Wood for six games. He also left the club in controversial circumstances when, shortly after receiving a record testimonial cheque of £62,429 in 1979, he again entered into a pay dispute marking the end of his Old Trafford career. Wood moved to
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
in 1980, but only after a protracted dispute with the TCCB in which they attempted to block his registration. However, in a ballot by the P.C.A, his fellow professional players backed him overwhelmingly in a vote of 154 for and 31 against, and his transfer was duly completed. He became captain in 1981 and led them to victory in the Nat West Trophy final against
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, which was the first silverware the club had won in its entire history. He was captain again in the 1983 season but resigned midway through, and this would prove to be his last first-class season, when Derbyshire came ninth in the Championship.Barry Wood at Cricket Archive
/ref> He was then professional for Barnoldswick C.C.in the Ribblesdale league for the remainder of that season following the departure of their professional, Trevor Franklin, who joined the New Zealand squad and who subsequently scored a century at Lords against England. Wood subsequently played for Cheshire from 1986 to 1989, where he had the dubious distinction of recording five consecutive noughts. However, he also produced many fine performances, most notably in the historic win over Northamptonshire in the first round of the Nat West Trophy in 1988. Described as the greatest game in Cheshire's history, Wood took 2–39 and scored 40 before being run out to earn his record-breaking 21st and final Man of the Match gold award. He was 46 years old at the time. The following season (aged 47, and ten years after his last game for the club), an injury to
Wasim Akram Wasim Akram HI (; born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, and several crit ...
led to him being recalled as twelfth man for Lancashire in their championship match versus Warwickshire at Old Trafford, whereupon he took a superb catch in the gully to dismiss
Andy Moles Andrew James Moles (born 12 February 1961) is an English cricket coach and former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Warwickshire and Griqualand West. He has served as head coach of numerous international teams, including Hong Kong, Ke ...
. Wood played as professional for Saddleworth league club Shaw during the summers of 1989 and 1990. Wood's son, Nathan Wood, played for
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, Cheshire and
Young England {{about, the Conservative political group, imaginary military society, Edward Oxford Young England was a Victorian era political group with a political message based on an idealised feudalism: an absolute monarch and a strong Established Church, ...
. Wood was also a fine footballer and played midfield for Ossett Town in the Yorkshire League in the mid-1960s and for Bradford (Park Avenue) in the Northern Premier League in the 1970s and also Stalybridge Celtic


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Barry 1942 births Living people People from Ossett Derbyshire cricket captains England cricket captains England Test cricketers England One Day International cricketers English cricketers Cheshire cricketers Lancashire cricketers Cricketers at the 1975 Cricket World Cup Yorkshire cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Eastern Province cricketers Cricketers from Yorkshire