Stan Nichols
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Morris Stanley Nichols (6 October 1900 – 26 January 1961) was the leading
all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
in English cricket for much of the 1930s.


Career

In his youth primarily a football goalkeeper who played for some time with Queen's Park Rangers, Nichols' prowess at cricket during the summer brought him to the attention of the
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
committee during the early 1920s, who recommended him as a left-handed batsman. He was engaged for 1924 but did not gain a regular place in the first eleven that year. The following year, however, Nichols gained a regular place as a promising fast bowler and batted very low in the order. He did nothing sensational apart from playing the primary role in dismissing
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
for 43 on a bad wicket at Southend in late July. 1926 was Nichols' breakthrough year, for he took 114 wickets in
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 officiall ...
and, though he at this point often tried to bowl too fast and was sometimes wayward, his strong build meant he could bowl for long spells without tiring. Against Kent on a somewhat difficult wicket, he took ten wickets, whilst in the return with that county, he scored 57 batting at number eleven. In 1927 Nichols took 124 wickets for 23 runs each, with several strong performances: including nine for 59 against
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
at Chelmsford; eight for 46 against
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 ...
at Southend; and nine for 32 (4 for 12 and 5 for 20) against
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
at Colchester. He scored 940 runs that year, but though 1928 saw a maiden century against Hampshire, he took fewer than 70 wickets for over 35 runs apiece. 1929, however, saw Nichols establish himself as a strong all-rounder. His hard-hitting left-handed batting had become strong in front of the wicket, whilst reducing his pace made his bowling less wayward and more effective. So highly though of was Nichols that the following year he played 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 ...
in the
Ashes series The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Te ...
of 1930 but did little; however, his batting in two Representative Matches (since canonised as
Tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
) in
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had been successful. With
Larwood Larwood is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Harold Larwood (1904–1995), British cricketer * Jacob Larwood (1826–1918), Dutch author *Marek Larwood (born 1976), English comedian and actor See also *Harwood (name) Harwood is ...
, Bowes and
Gubby Allen Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen CBE (31 July 190229 November 1989) was a cricketer who captained England in eleven Test matches. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. A fast bowler and hard-hitting ...
the first-choice pace bowlers by this time, Nichols had little opportunity in the following years for playing in home Tests or Ashes tours; however his county form, apart from a decline in his bowling in 1934 due to injury, remained consistent and he was rewarded by a '' Cricketer of the Year'' nomination in the 1934 '' Wisden'' after his batting and bowling gave Essex their best season since 1897. On the matting wickets 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 ...
, his bowling proved highly effective in England's first Test tour of that country. 1935, with Larwood and Voce refusing to be considered due to the Bodyline controversy of the previous three years, Farnes injured and Allen having work commitments, gave Nichols his chance to establish himself as an England player, whereupon he took six for 35 against South Africa in the First Test at Trent Bridge, and played a further 3 tests in that series. That summer also saw Nichols produce his best cricket to date with 157 wickets and over 1400 runs in all matches, including an all-round feat in a defeat of
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
at Huddersfield. In this match, Nichols took 11 for 54 and made 146, and Yorkshire lost by an innings and 204 runs. 1936 saw Nichols make his only double century, against Hampshire, and take nine for 32 against
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
at Trent Bridge, whilst 1937 and 1938 were seasons of consistent achievement culminating in an all-round performance of 159 and fifteen for 163 against
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
in the latter season. His haul of wickets in 1938 – 171 – surpassed his best and placed him within three of being leading wicket takers in England, whilst continued good form in 1939 saw Nichols obtain a Test recall against 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 Greater A ...
in the last Test before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
put a stop to county cricket. When first-class cricket resumed in 1946, Nichols was forty-five and struggling with fitness. He played for several years in the Birmingham and District League until his health declined beyond his ability to play even one-day-a-week cricket and he retired to the
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
resorts in the English Midlands. He died early in 1961 in
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Stan England Test cricketers English cricketers Essex cricketers London Counties cricketers Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Wisden Cricketers of the Year 1900 births 1961 deaths People from the Borough of Brentwood Players cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers North v South cricketers Sportspeople from Essex English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 Association football goalkeepers H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers C. I. Thornton's XI cricketers L. H. Tennyson's XI cricket team English footballers