Frank William Shipston (29 July 1906 – 6 July 2005) was an English

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 striki ...

er. Born in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, Shipston's father (also Frank Shipston) had played several matches for the

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Nottinghamshire. The club's limited overs team is called the ...

in the

Second XI Championship The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever ...

. Shipston made his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire against

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

in the final round of the

1925 English cricket season 1925 was the 32nd season of County Championship cricket in England. There was no Test series and the focus was ostensibly upon the County Championship (won by Yorkshire), except that the season was dominated by Jack Hobbs who scored a then-recor ...

, having previously only played at second XI level. Prior to debuting, he had worked as a miner in Yorkshire and at Langworth in Lincolnshire, as well as on Nottinghamshire's groundstaff.Oldest ex-county cricketer dies at 98
– '' Nottingham Evening Post''. Published 14 July 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2012. He was a regular player at county level until the end of the 1933 season, when he joined the Nottinghamshire Police at the urging of Captain Popkess, who wanted ex-professional cricketers to boost the police cricket team.World's oldest living first-class cricketer dies
– ESPNcricinfo. Published 28 July 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2012. Overall, Shipston played 49 first-class matches, all for Nottinghamshire, scoring 1,183 runs at an average of 18.48. His highest first-class score, 118 not out, was achieved against Hampshire during the 1932 season, a match which Nottinghamshire won by an innings and 53 runs. Shipston was a close friend of

Harold Larwood Harold Larwood, MBE (14 November 1904 – 22 July 1995) was a professional cricketer for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team between 1924 and 1938. A right-arm fast bowler who combined unusual speed with great a ...

during his cricket career, with the two rooming together when Nottinghamshire played away from home. From the 1950s, Shipston occasionally umpired at county and second XI level, umpiring 24 first-class matches during the

1956 County Championship The 1956 County Championship was the 57th officially organised running of the County Championship. Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has ...

, and continuing to umpire into the 1970s. He also was employed by Nottinghamshire as a coach from 1957 to 1966. On the death of Harry Forsyth in July 2004, Shipston became the oldest living first-class cricketer,Ryan, Christian (2004)
Ted Martin dies at 101
– ESPNcricinfo. Published 15 June 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2012. a position he held until his death in Wollaton in July 2005, when he was succeeded by Syd Ward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipston, Frank 1906 births 2005 deaths British police officers English cricket coaches English cricketers English cricket umpires People from Bulwell Cricketers from Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire cricketers People from Wollaton