Martin Horton

Summary

Martin John Horton (21 April 1934[1] – 3 April 2011) was an English cricketer, who played in two Tests in 1959. He was born in Worcester, England, and played the bulk of his first-class cricket for his native county.

Martin Horton
Personal information
Full name
Martin John Horton
Born(1934-04-21)21 April 1934
Worcester, England
Died3 April 2011(2011-04-03) (aged 76)
Worcester, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm offbreak
International information
National side
Test debut4 June 1959 v India
Last Test18 June 1959 v India
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 2 410
Runs scored 60 19,945
Batting average 30.00 29.54
100s/50s 0/1 23/112
Top score 58 233
Balls bowled 238 54,352
Wickets 2 825
Bowling average 29.50 26.94
5 wickets in innings 0 40
10 wickets in match 0 7
Best bowling 2/24 9/56
Catches/stumpings 2/– 166/–
Source: CricInfo, 7 November 2022

Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted that Horton was, "a versatile all-rounder who could bat anywhere in the top six and who twice took more than 100 wickets in a season with his off-spin...".[1]

Life and career edit

Horton made his debut for Worcestershire in 1952, and was an integral part of the side which won the County Championship in 1964 (for the first time in the county's history) and 1965.[1] He passed 1,000 runs in a season on 11 occasions, scoring 2,468 runs in 1959, the year he won his two Test caps. He scored a half century against India in his first Test and took 2 for 24 in his second. He was dropped from the side, never to return. He achieved the double in 1955 and 1961, and he took 9 for 56 against the 1955 South Africans. In nearly two decades of cricket, he took 825 first-class wickets in all and scored 23 centuries with the bat.

In late 1966, Horton moved to New Zealand to begin a five-year contract as the national team's coach,[2] a position he eventually held for seventeen seasons. He also played four seasons in the Plunket Shield with Northern Districts from 1967–68 to 1970–71.[3] He returned to England in 1983 to become cricket coach at the Royal Grammar School, a post he held until 1996. He also became chairman of Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

Horton died following a long illness in April 2011.[4]

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ a b c Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 91. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
  2. ^ "N.Z. Cricket Coach: Horton is Appointed". Press: 23. 19 October 1966.
  3. ^ Wisden 2012, pp. 200–1.
  4. ^ Williamson, Martin. "Former England allrounder Martin Horton dies". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
Sources
  • Daily Telegraph obituary Retrieved 10 Apr 2011

External links edit