Alan Duff

Who was Alan Duff?

Alan Robert Duff was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket matches in the late 1950s and 1960s. Most of these were for Oxford University, but he also had a brief county cricket career for Worcestershire. Duff's profession as a teacher at Malvern College prevented his playing more often; he was also the co-author, with George Chesterton, of a coaching book for young cricketers, Your Book of Cricket.

Born in Dunsley, Kinver, Staffordshire, Duff made his first-class debut in June 1959 for Oxford University against Essex, and had a decent game in a heavy defear, scoring 53 and 4 with the bat and taking three wickets. A few days later he made 40 against Free Foresters, then later that same month hit 55 not out against Warwickshire. He had two games for Worcestershire's Second XI at the end of the season, and hit seventies in each one.

In 1960 Duff took 22 wickets, the most he managed in any season, including 4-24 for Oxford against Nottinghamshire. He played for the university for the first half of the season, then in July and early August appeared in four County Championship games for Worcestershire; in one of these, again against Nottinghamshire, he hit an unbeaten 50. He also turned out for MCC against Ireland at the end of the season.