Peter Walker (cricketer, born 1936) facts for kids
Walker in 1976
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| Full name |
Peter Michael Walker
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| Born | 17 February 1936 Clifton, Bristol, England |
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| Died | 5 April 2020 (aged 84) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 9 June 1960 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 7 July 1960 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 17 April 2020
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Peter Michael Walker (born February 17, 1936 – died April 5, 2020) was an English cricketer. He played in three special matches called Test matches for the England cricket team in 1960. He was also honored with an MBE, which stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire. This award is given for great achievements or service to the community.
Contents
Peter Walker's Cricket Journey
Peter Walker was born in Clifton, Bristol, England. He also spent some of his school years in South Africa. He was a tall player who batted right-handed in the middle of the team's batting order. He also bowled left-handed, changing his speed between medium-fast and slow spins.
Peter was known for being an amazing fielder, especially at a position called short-leg. He played all his county cricket for Glamorgan. For a few years, he also played in South Africa during the English winters. He played for teams like Transvaal and Western Province.
Amazing Cricket Records
As a batsman, Peter Walker scored 1,000 runs in a season eleven different times. He often played well even when his teammates were struggling. In his seventeen years of first-class cricket, he scored thirteen centuries (100 runs or more in one game). His average score of 26 showed he was a steady player.
His bowling was helpful, even if it didn't always get lots of wickets. In 1961, he took 101 wickets. This helped him achieve a special cricket milestone called the "double." This means he scored 1,000 runs and took 100 wickets in the same season. He was also close to achieving this in 1959 and 1962.
Peter was one of the best fielders ever. He caught 697 balls in 469 matches during his career. In 1961, he took 73 catches. This was part of his incredible "treble" achievement. He was the first player in first-class cricket history to get 1,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 70 catches in a single season.
Playing for England
Peter Walker was chosen to play in three Test matches against the South Africa team in 1960. He batted lower down the order in these games and didn't bowl much. He played well enough that many thought he would get more chances to play for England.
However, at that time, England had many talented batsmen. There were also many good spin bowlers like David Allen, Ray Illingworth, and Fred Titmus. Because of this strong competition, Peter never played for England again after those first three Test matches. England won all three of those games.
Life After Playing Cricket
Peter stayed with the Glamorgan team until 1972. After he wasn't chosen to be the team's captain, he decided to retire from playing. He then started a new career as a cricket writer and broadcaster. For many years, he was a familiar voice on BBC Television, introducing their coverage of the Sunday League cricket matches.
In 1985, Peter Walker started his own company called Merlin Television. This company grew to be the biggest independent TV production company in Wales. After selling his company in 1996, he became the first chief executive of the new Cricket Board of Wales. He also played a big part in creating the National Cricket Centre for Wales. This important center is located at Glamorgan's home ground, Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
In 2009, Peter was elected as the President of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. This was a great honor, showing how much he was respected in the cricket world.
Honored for His Contributions
In 2011, Peter Walker was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He received this honor in the 2011 New Year Honours list for all his amazing work and contributions to cricket.
Peter passed away on April 5, 2020, at the age of 84, after having a stroke. He left behind a great legacy in the world of cricket.
