Arthur Milton facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Clement Arthur Milton
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| Born | 10 March 1928 Bedminster, Bristol, England |
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| Died | 25 April 2007 (aged 79) Bristol, England |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test debut | 3 July 1958 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 18 June 1959 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 7 November 2022
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Arthur Milton (born March 10, 1928 – died April 25, 2007) was an amazing English sportsman. He was a professional cricketer and a footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire for many years. He also played six Test matches for the England national team.
In football, he played for famous clubs like Arsenal and Bristol City. He even played one match for the England football team. Arthur Milton was one of only twelve people to play for England at the highest level in both cricket and football. He was the last of these special athletes to pass away.
A cricket writer named Colin Bateman said Milton was a "stylish, relaxed run-maker." This means he looked very good when he scored runs in cricket.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Talent
Arthur Milton was born in Bedminster, a part of Bristol, England. He went to Cotham Grammar School in Bristol. From a young age, he was a natural at sports. He was the captain of the school teams for cricket, football, and rugby union.
He was also good at math. But Arthur chose to follow his dream of becoming a professional sportsman instead of going to university.
Cricket Career Highlights
Arthur Milton started his cricket journey playing for a local club called Stapleton Cricket Club. He was an all-rounder, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. Soon, he began playing for the Gloucestershire Second XI team.
His first professional cricket match, called a first-class debut, was in June 1948. He played for Gloucestershire against Northants. He continued to play county cricket for an incredible 26 years, until he retired in 1974. He played in 585 matches during this time.
Playing for England
Arthur was a reserve player, called the 12th man, for England in big matches. He was chosen for the Ashes series against Australia in 1953. He was also picked for a Test match against South Africa in 1955, but he got injured.
He finally got to play for the England Test team between 1958 and 1959. He played in six Test matches in total. His first Test match was on July 3, 1958, against New Zealand. He opened the batting and scored 104 runs without being out! This was a fantastic start. He was the first Gloucestershire player since the legendary W.G. Grace to score a century (100 runs) on his England Test debut.
Arthur Milton also made history in that match. He was the first England player to stay on the field for the entire Test match. He fielded while New Zealand batted, then batted for England and stayed not out, and then fielded again. England won that match easily.
He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1959. This is a very important award in cricket.
Later Cricket Success
Arthur Milton toured Australia with the England team that winter. He played in a couple of matches but struggled a bit and got injured. He played two more Tests against India in 1959, which were his last Test matches.
Even though he didn't play Test cricket again, he continued to be a star in county cricket. He took 79 wickets with his right-arm medium-pace bowling. His fitness from football made him a very fast fielder, and he took 758 catches! He was mainly known as a great opening batsman from 1951. He was also famous for his quick running between the wickets.
He scored over 32,000 runs in first-class cricket. He scored more than 1,000 runs in 16 different seasons. He played 1,017 innings for Gloucestershire, which is a record for the county team. In 1967, when he was 39, he had an amazing season. He scored seven centuries and over 2,000 runs. He was also the captain of Gloucestershire in 1968.
After he retired from playing, he became a coach at the University of Oxford.
Football Career Highlights
Arthur Milton joined Arsenal as an amateur player in April 1945. He became a professional player the next year. He had to pause his football career for two years for National Service, which was a requirement for young men in England. But he returned to Arsenal and played for their reserve team.
His first match for Arsenal's main team was on his 23rd birthday, March 10, 1951. He became a regular player for Arsenal, playing in midfield and on the wing.
Playing for England
Even though he had only played 12 league matches for Arsenal, Arthur was called up to play for the England national team. He earned his only international appearance, called a cap, in a 2–2 draw against Austria on November 28, 1951.
Arthur Milton helped Arsenal win the First Division title in the 1952–53 season. However, he soon faced competition for his place from other talented players.
In total, he played 84 matches for Arsenal and scored 21 goals. In February 1955, he moved to Bristol City for £4,000. He helped them get promoted to Division Two. After playing 15 matches for Bristol City, he decided to stop playing football in the summer of 1955. He wanted to focus completely on his cricket career.
Life After Sports
Arthur Milton married Joan, who was the daughter of his first landlady when he joined Arsenal. After his amazing sports career ended, Arthur became a postman in Bristol. He loved watching greyhound racing. He also enjoyed playing golf, snooker, and billiards.
In 2002, he received an honorary MA degree from Bristol University. Arthur Milton passed away on April 25, 2007, at the age of 79. He had a heart attack at his home in Bristol. He is remembered as a truly special sportsman who excelled at the highest level in two different sports.
Honours
- First Division: 1952–53
