PROFESSIONALS
To view first class records of our professionals, where available, click on the underlined names. Additional information about selected players appears below the list.
|
Year |
Professional |
Year |
Professional |
|
1937 |
BJ Tobin (Australia) |
1968 |
K Grieves |
|
1938 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1969 |
|
|
1939 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1970 |
RMO Cooke |
|
1940 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1971 |
C Barker |
|
1941 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1972 |
R Scarlett (West Indies) |
|
1942 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1973 |
R Scarlett (West Indies) |
|
1943 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1974 |
R Scarlett (West Indies) |
|
1944 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1975 |
A Mumford |
|
1945 |
J Holroyd (Lancs) |
1976 |
J Hemstalk |
|
1946 |
1977 |
A Pervez (Pakistan) |
|
|
1947 |
RB Rae |
1978 |
G Greenop |
|
1948 |
RB Rae |
1979 |
R Brown |
|
1949 |
W Walmsley (Australia) |
1980 |
NA Phillips (West Indies) |
|
1950 |
W Walmsley (Australia) |
1981 |
|
|
1951 |
KR Dollery (New Zealand) |
1982 |
K Boden |
|
1952 |
KR Dollery (New Zealand) |
1983 |
G Greenop (Cheshire) |
|
1953 |
F Hodgkiss |
1984 |
G Greenop (Cheshire) |
|
1954 |
W Dean (Yorkshire) |
1985 |
D Fitton (Lancs) |
|
1955 |
CL McCool (Australia) |
1986 |
N Hunter (Australia) |
|
1956 |
V Mankad (India) |
1987 |
|
|
1957 |
V Mankad (India) |
1988 |
R Berry (Lancashire) |
|
1958 |
V Mankad (India) |
1989 |
S Wundke (Australia) |
|
1959 |
V Mankad (India) |
1990 |
S Wundke (Australia) |
|
1960 |
S Durani (India) |
1991 |
S Wundke (Australia) |
|
1961 |
R Scarlett (West Indies) |
1992 |
S Wundke (Australia) |
|
1962 |
1993 |
||
|
1963 |
1994 |
S Vincent |
|
|
1964 |
G Warr |
1995 |
G Rashid |
|
1965 |
G Warr |
1996 |
M Jamsheed (Pakistan) |
|
1966 |
K Grieves |
1997 |
J Quereshi (Pakistan) |
|
1967 |
K Grieves |
1998 |
R Arshad (Pakistan) |
Accepted as one of the all time greats of cricket Vinoo Mankad was one of the greatest catches Stockport Cricket Club ever made, this came in 1956 when thy acquired the services of the legendary but now late lamented Vinoo Mankad, as their professional.
The Cricket Club recognised this ‘Keegan type coup’ when they praised the Cricket Committee for “their enterprise” in snapping up Mankad.
Unfortunately in the 1956 season, as in most when Mankad was at Stockport the weather was against them. The Secretary was moved to report at the Annual General Meeting ‘it is very discouraging for cricketers to play under such abnormal conditions’, and so restrictive to their talents.
From the 26 games played that summer, a total of 16 ended in draws with Stockport winning four and losing six of the others.
Facts and figures never tell the full story but in Mankad’s case they go to show what a fine player he really was. He had 72 innings for his country scoring 2109 runs with a highest score of 231 at an average of 31.47. He took 33 catches while his bowling accounted for 162 victims at an average of 32.32 and a personal cost of 5236 runs. His best bowling was 8 for 52.
Vinoo Mankad also shares India’s record for a third wicket stand of 211 with V.S. Hazore at Lords in 1952. Truly a great cricketer.
One of the players to benefit greatly in those days was the now Leicestershire opening batsman and ‘occasional’ Sunday wicket-keeper – Barry Duddleston. Barry said that Vinoo Mankad helped set him on the road to County cricket. A fine tribute to a fine cricketer.
Again in 1957 the weather was poor, but Mankad did enough to steer Stockport into fifth place in the Central Lancashire League with 49 points, one more than Stockport had achieved in winning the league in 1956.
Early in the 1957 season it seemed as though Stockport were set to lose Mankad because he had been offered a Stewards job with the Indian Airlines. Luckily the cricket section won the day with the offer of a two year contract. At that time the wages paid by the Cale Greeners amounted to the sum of £334.2s.9d a year. Mankad was professional again in 1958 but in 1959 had an unfortunate series of injuries which kept him out of many matches. First he broke a finger and then soon after his return was incapacitated by a broken thumb. Lancashire helped to find stand-ins, but it was to prove an unhappy ending to Mankad’s career at Stockport. In 1960 he moved on to Tongue and recommended Stockport to take a gamble on an unknown Indian called Salim Durani.
Before joining the Cale Green side he had already made his test debut against the Australians taking the place of an Indian here at that time – Patel – who was unable to play because of illness.
In another bad season for weather (who ever said the summers were better in the good old days) Durani scored 788 runs and captured 68 wickets, not a bad return for the princely sum of £457.12s.0d.
Stockport signed the huge West Indian
Reg Scarlett for the 1961 season but it was interesting to run through the list
of applications for the job. In the first list a certain Rohan Kanhai was
discarded while second time round Basil Butcher was not interviewed because of a
lack of bowling figures. If only we knew then what we knew then what we know
now. Two of the real old time cricketing greats.
(1980)