John Hampshire facts for kids

John Harry Hampshire (born 10 February 1941 – died 1 March 2017) was a famous English cricketer and umpire. People often called him Jack. He played for the England team in eight Test matches and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1969 and 1975.

He also played first-class cricket for Yorkshire from 1961 to 1981. Later, he played for Derbyshire from 1982 to 1984. He was a successful captain for Tasmania in Australia. In 2016, he became the President of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He held this role until he passed away.

A cricket writer named Colin Bateman said that John Hampshire excited English cricket fans. This was because he scored a century (100 runs) in his very first Test match at Lord's. This was a special achievement for an England player.

Early Life and Family Connections

John Hampshire was born on 10 February 1941 in Thurnscoe, England. He came from a family who loved cricket.

His father, also named John, played for Yorkshire in 1937. John's younger brother, Alan, also played for Yorkshire in 1975.

John Hampshire's Cricket Career

John Hampshire started playing for his home team, Yorkshire, when he was 20 years old in 1961. He played for them for twenty years.

Playing for England

Between 1969 and 1975, John played 8 Test matches for England. He scored 403 runs in these matches.

In his very first Test match against the West Indies at Lord's, he scored an amazing 107 runs. This made it seem like he would have a brilliant career in Test cricket. He was the first English player to score a century on his Test debut at Lord's.

However, he was dropped from the team after just one more match. He only played a few more Test matches for England after that.

Playing for County Teams

John Hampshire captained the Yorkshire club for two seasons, from 1979 to 1980. He left Yorkshire in 1981.

In 1982, he joined Derbyshire and played there for three years. He also played for Tasmania in Australia for five years. He was part of Tasmania's team that won the Gillette Cup in 1978–79.

His Batting and Fielding Skills

John Hampshire was a strong batsman, especially good at hitting the ball off his front foot. He scored a total of 28,059 runs in 577 first-class matches. This included 43 centuries, with his highest score being 183 runs not out.

He also scored 7,314 runs in 280 one-day matches. His best score in a one-day match was 119 runs. He was also a brave fielder close to the wicket. He caught 446 balls in his first-class career. He could also bowl leg spin and once took 7 wickets for 52 runs against Glamorgan in 1963.

Umpiring Career

After he stopped playing cricket, John Hampshire became a cricket umpire in 1985. He was chosen to umpire Test matches in 1989. In 1999, he joined the ICC panel of umpires.

His first Test match as an umpire was at Old Trafford during the 1989 Ashes series. He was a highly respected umpire until he retired in 2005. He umpired 21 Test matches and 20 One-day Internationals.

He even umpired the final of the last Benson and Hedges Cup in 2002. This was special because he had played in the first final of that same competition 30 years earlier in 1972.

Coaching Career

John Hampshire also coached the Zimbabwe team. He coached them in their very first Test match against India in 1992.

His Passing

John Hampshire passed away on 1 March 2017, at the age of 76. He had been ill for a long time.

See also

• List of Test cricket umpires
• List of One Day International cricket umpires