Eric Bryant (cricketer)

Leonard Eric Bryant (2 June 1936 – 28 November 1999), played first-class cricket for Somerset between 1958 and 1960.

Eric Bryant
Personal information
Full name
Leonard Eric Bryant
Born(1936-06-02)2 June 1936
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Died28 November 1999(1999-11-28) (aged 63)
Brent Knoll, Somerset, England
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBowler
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1958–1960Somerset
FC debut31 May 1958 Somerset v Sussex
Last FC29 July 1960 Somerset v Derbyshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 22
Runs scored 133
Batting average 8.86
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 17
Balls bowled 2,288
Wickets 34
Bowling average 27.73
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 5/64
Catches/stumpings 10/–
Source: CricketArchive, 6 July 2008

A left-handed lower order batsman and a slow left-arm spin bowler whose action was allegedly modelled on that of Tony Lock,[1] Bryant played 15 matches for the Somerset side that finished third in the County Championship in 1958, equalling the best-ever finish by the county to that time. He took only 25 wickets, but that included five in an innings – five for 64 – against Worcestershire to win the match where Australian Colin McCool made his highest score in English cricket.[2] Wisden noted that Bryant "showed promise".[3]

However, he played only a handful matches in the drier summer of 1959 and in his first first-class game of 1960, against Gloucestershire at Bath, he was no-balled five times by umpire Hugo Yarnold for throwing.[4][5] Though he reappeared in two further matches that summer without incident, he was not re-engaged by Somerset at the end of the season and did not appear again in first-class cricket.

References edit

  1. ^ David Foot and Ivan Ponting. Somerset Cricket: A Post-War Who's Who (1993 ed.). Redcliffe Press. p. 19. ISBN 1-872971-23-7.
  2. ^ "Worcestershire v Somerset". www.cricketarchive.com. 9 July 1958. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  3. ^ "Somerset in 1958". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1959 ed.). John Wisden. p. 512.
  4. ^ "Somerset v Gloucestershire". www.cricketarchive.com. 4 June 1960. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Somerset in 1960". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1961 ed.). John Wisden. p. 540.