Peter Howard Parfitt (born 8 December 1936) 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. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The cricket correspondent Colin Bateman noted, "he was a stocky, powerful left-handed batsman, happy to take on the quicks, and he made a dramatic impact in Test cricket despite his misgivings".

Life and career

Parfitt was an all round sportsman, playing for

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

reserves at football, and cricket at

Minor Counties The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...

level, before Middlesex offered him a playing contract. Parfitt played for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

between 1956 and 1972, captaining the team from 1968 to 1970. He played in thirty seven Tests for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

between 1962 and 1972, and was one of the

Wisden Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in 1963. He made four centuries in five consecutive Tests 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 1962, but was used as a makeshift opener in the 1962–63 Ashes series in Australia and failed. A left-handed batsman, right-arm off-break bowler and fine fielder, he was judged to be one of the most exciting strokemakers of his generation. Parfitt took over the captaincy at Middlesex when Fred Titmus stood down, but was not pleased to have only two seasons in charge, before

Mike Brearley John Michael Brearley (born 28 April 1942) is a retired English first-class cricketer who captained Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. He captained the international side in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 18 and losing only 4 ...

took over the role. He scored almost 27,000 runs in first-class cricket. Parfitt retired from the sport at the age of 35, a decision he later regretted. After cricket he ran a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

on the

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 ...

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 ...

border, and later became involved in hospitality at Test matches. After selling that business, Parfitt became an after-dinner speaker.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parfitt, Peter 1936 births Living people England Test cricketers English cricketers English cricketers of 1946 to 1968 English cricketers of 1969 to 2000 Middlesex cricket captains Norfolk cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year People from Billingford, Breckland Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Combined Services cricketers Players cricketers Presidents of Middlesex County Cricket Club Sportspeople from Norfolk Middlesex cricketers D. H. Robins' XI cricketers T. N. Pearce's XI cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club Australian Touring Team cricketers