Paul Gibb facts for kids

Paul Antony Gibb (born 11 July 1913, died 7 December 1977) was an English cricketer. He played in eight Test matches for England between 1938 and 1946. Paul was a right-handed batsman. He also often played as a wicket-keeper. He played first-class cricket for teams like Cambridge University, Yorkshire, and Essex.

Paul Gibb's Early Cricket Days

Paul Gibb went to St Edward's School, Oxford and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He started playing first-class cricket for Cambridge University in 1935. He also joined the Yorkshire team that same year. In his first game for Yorkshire, he scored 157 runs and was not out. This was his first century in first-class cricket.

In 1935–36, Paul captained the Yorkshire team on a tour to Jamaica. This happened because their usual captain, Brian Sellers, was not available.

Wicket-keeping for Cambridge

In 1936, Paul sometimes played as a wicket-keeper for Cambridge. He filled in when Billy Griffith could not play. The next year, in 1937, Paul was chosen as Cambridge's main wicket-keeper. He was picked over Griffith, which was a bit of a surprise.

Later in 1937, Paul toured India with Lord Tennyson's team. He scored another century, 138 not out, in Ahmedabad. In 1938, he scored his highest ever first-class score: 204 runs for Cambridge University. This was against a team called Free Foresters.

Playing for England

In July 1938, England's main wicket-keeper, Les Ames, got injured. Paul Gibb was then chosen to play for England in a big match. This was the third Ashes game against Australia at Old Trafford. However, the match was called off due to rain before any play.

Paul was injured himself for the next Test match. So, Fred Price played as wicket-keeper instead. Paul did not play for England again until a tour to South Africa in 1938–39. He played in all five Test matches on this tour as a batsman. He opened the batting with Len Hutton.

Test Debut and Centuries

Paul made his Test debut against South Africa on 24 December 1938. In this game, he scored 93 runs and then 106 runs. This was his first Test century. He scored a second Test century in the fifth match of the series. This match was a "timeless Test" and lasted 10 days before being called a draw. Paul also helped with wicket-keeping in some parts of these matches.

Cricket During and After World War II

During World War II, Paul Gibb was a pilot for the Royal Air Force. He flew large planes called Catalinas and Sunderlands.

After the war ended, Paul played for England again in 1946. He was the wicket-keeper for the first two Test matches against India. But for the third match, a new player named Godfrey Evans took his place. Paul also scored another century for Yorkshire in 1946.

That winter, Paul went on a tour to Australia with the MCC. He played as wicket-keeper in the first Test match in Brisbane. But again, Godfrey Evans replaced him for the second match. After this, Paul did not play for England again. In his eight Test matches, he scored two centuries and three half-centuries.

Later Career and Life

After the Australia tour, Paul lost some of his cricket form. He did not play first-class cricket for four years. In 1951, the Essex team needed a wicket-keeper. They asked Paul to join them as a professional player. This was a big step, as he was the first Cambridge University cricket player to become a professional. Because of this, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) stopped his membership for a while.

Paul did very well for Essex. He scored four centuries in his first season with them. He played for Essex for six years, until 1956. During this time, he scored over 1,000 runs in four different seasons. In 1953–54, he toured India with a Commonwealth team. He scored 154 runs in a match in Jorhat.

After his playing career, Paul Gibb became a cricket umpire. He umpired first-class matches from 1957 to 1966. Later, he worked as a bus driver in Guildford, Surrey. He passed away suddenly in December 1977.