Fred Gibson (cricketer)

Alfred Leonard Gibson (13 February 1912 – 28 June 2013)[1] was a Jamaican-born English cricketer. Gibson was a right-handed batsman. On 13 February 2012, he became the 15th former first-class player to reach 100 years of age, and the 5th county cricketer to do so.[2]

Fred Gibson
Personal information
Full nameAlfred Leonard Gibson
Born13 February 1912
Devon, Middlesex County,
Jamaica
Died28 June 2013 (aged 101)
Manton, Rutland, England
NicknameFred
BattingRight-handed
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1946Leicestershire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 17
Batting average 5.66
100s/50s –/–
Top score 11
Balls bowled –
Wickets –
Bowling average –
5 wickets in innings –
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling –
Catches/stumpings –/–
Source: Cricinfo, 21 January 2013

Born at Devon, Jamaica, where he was taught cricket by the manager of a banana plantation and once played in a match featuring George Headley.[3] Gibson moved to England in 1944, accompanied by a friend,[3] where he joined the Royal Air Force and saw service in the later stages of World War II while stationed near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.[2][3] Following the war, Leicestershire County Cricket Club secretary Cecil Wood was given the task of building a team for the resumption of first-class cricket, with Gibson impressing Wood in friendly one-day matches against Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire in 1945. He was offered the chance to play for Leicestershire in 1946,[2] making two first-class appearances against Yorkshire in the County Championship at Headingley and Oxford University at the University Parks.[4] He scored a total of 17 runs in his two matches, at an average of 5.66, with a high score of 11.[5] He suffered arm and head injuries in a car accident midway through the 1946 season and was not reengaged by the county.[2]

He later married an English woman and worked as a technician for Rolls-Royce. Gibson is also noted as being one of the first black persons to be elected as a councillor in England when he was elected to represent Mountsorrel on the local council.[6] Gibson died at a nursing home at Manton, Rutland on 28 June 2013. At the time of his death he was the second-oldest surviving county cricketer, behind Cyril Perkins.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Obituaries – The Professional Cricketers' Association". Professional Cricketers' Association. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  2. Bolton, Paul (15 February 2012). "Century celebrations for old campaigner Gibson". The Wisden Cricketer. www.thecricketer.com. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. Holdridge, Richard (13 February 2012). "Fred brings up his hundred!". Leicestershire County Cricket Club. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  4. "First-Class Matches played by Fred Gibson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  5. "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Fred Gibson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  6. Jet. 3. Johnson Publishing Company. 21 July 1955. p. 10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.