Johnny Wardle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Johnny Wardle

Wardle in 1954
Personal information
Full name	John Henry Wardle
Born	(1923-01-08)8 January 1923 Ardsley, Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	23 July 1985(1985-07-23) (aged 62) Hatfield, Doncaster, Yorkshire, England
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm unorthodox
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 333)	11 February 1948 v West Indies
Last Test	20 June 1957 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1946–1958	Yorkshire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 28 412 Runs scored 653 7,333 Batting average 19.78 16.08 100s/50s 0/2 0/18 Top score 66 79 Balls bowled 6,597 102,626 Wickets 102 1,846 Bowling average 20.39 18.97 5 wickets in innings 5 134 10 wickets in match 1 29 Best bowling 7/36 9/25 Catches/stumpings 12/– 257/–
Source: CricketArchive, 2 March 2020

Johnny Wardle (born January 8, 1923 – died July 23, 1985) was a talented English cricket player. He was known for his amazing spin bowling. His career in Test cricket lasted from 1948 to 1957. Johnny Wardle played for Yorkshire, the England national team, and later for Cambridgeshire.

Early Life and Cricket Start

John Henry Wardle was born in Ardsley, near Barnsley, England. He went to Wath Grammar School from age 11 to 15.

Wardle came from a family of miners. He started playing cricket during the Second World War. He became very good as a spin bowler and a strong hitter. Because of his skills, Yorkshire signed him. They were looking for a new player after Hedley Verity, a great bowler, died in the war.

Bowling Style and Skills

Wardle was a very unique and skilled bowler. He mainly bowled with his left arm in a classic spin style. But he could also bowl in a very unusual way, using his wrist. This made the ball turn and bounce much more.

This special skill made him a top choice over other bowlers. Wardle was the only English bowler to master this rare style. It helped him achieve great success, especially in South Africa in 1956–1957. That season, he took 100 wickets outside of England.

Batting Prowess

Johnny Wardle was also a strong left-handed batsman. He had a solid build that allowed him to hit the ball with great power. When he batted against opposing spin bowlers, he often showed that hitting aggressively was better than playing defensively. This was unusual for cricket in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early Career at Yorkshire

Wardle played only one match in 1946. The next year, in 1947, he was chosen for a tour of the West Indies. This tour was led by Gubby Allen. Wardle didn't do very well on that trip.

However, his skills improved a lot in 1948. In 1949, an injury kept him out for part of the season. But when he played, he was very effective on wet pitches. His bowling helped Yorkshire try to win the County Championship title that year.

Rising to Prominence

In 1950, Wardle played in a home Test match for the first time. He hit the ball well against the spin bowlers Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine. These two bowlers had caused trouble for England.

Yorkshire's bowling team was not as strong as it used to be. So, Wardle had to work very hard. He bowled more balls than almost any other bowler since 1934. He also bowled 741 maiden overs, showing how accurate he was. That season, he took 172 wickets, which was his best ever.

Test Cricket Challenges

In 1951, Wardle found it hard to get a Test spot. Other great spin bowlers like Jim Laker and Roy Tattersall were also competing. In 1952 and 1953, Wardle's workload was incredibly high. He bowled over 20,000 balls in those two seasons. This was one of the highest totals ever.

In August 1952, he bowled 165 overs in just two games. Even though Yorkshire had a tough year in 1953, Wardle performed well. He took 4 wickets for only 7 runs in a game at Old Trafford. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He also toured the West Indies again.

During this tour, he didn't get many chances to bowl in Tests. But he showed his batting skills with scores of 39 and 66. His innings of 66 was very important. He and Len Hutton made a 105-run partnership. This helped England win the match and save the series.

International Success

By 1954, with Fred Trueman and Bob Appleyard back, Yorkshire became strong again. Wardle could now bowl more aggressively. He took 16 wickets against Sussex. He also bowled so well against Pakistan that he was chosen for the tour to Australia that winter.

In Australia, he took 5 wickets for 79 runs and 3 wickets for 51 runs on a wet pitch in Sydney. In 1955, he used both off-breaks and googlies. This helped him take almost 200 first-class wickets and 15 Test wickets.

In the wet summer of 1956, Tony Lock was chosen over Wardle for the Test team. But Wardle, mainly using his wrist-spin, confused all the South African batsmen that winter. He did this even on pitches that didn't help spin bowlers much. In the second Test in Cape Town, he took 7 wickets for only 36 runs. This helped dismiss South Africa for just 72 runs. On that tour, Wardle took 90 first-class wickets, averaging only 12 runs per wicket.

Later Career and Retirement

The year 1957 was not as good for Wardle. His high workload seemed to be catching up to him. Lock also became the preferred Test bowler after Wardle struggled at Lord's. In 1958, Wardle played well. However, he had disagreements with the Yorkshire committee.

Things got worse when Wardle said he would write an article for the Daily Mail. This article would criticize how Yorkshire County Cricket Club was run. Even though he was chosen for the upcoming Ashes tour, the MCC immediately withdrew their offer. Yorkshire then dropped Wardle from their team and never called him back. When Wardle wanted to play for Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire refused to let him.

Wardle later admitted that many of his problems were his own fault. He even helped another Yorkshire bowler, Geoff Cope, fix his bowling action.

Wardle wrote his autobiography, Happy Go Johnny, in 1957. After leaving Yorkshire, he played cricket as a professional in the Lancashire League for Nelson and Rishton. He also played for Cambridgeshire until 1969.

Both Yorkshire and the MCC later made Wardle an honorary life member. He then managed a country club near Doncaster.

Johnny Wardle passed away in July 1985, at the age of 62. He died in Hatfield, Doncaster, after an operation for a health issue. A book about his life, Johnny Wardle: Cricket Conjuror by Alan Hill, was published in 1988.