Harold Gibbons

Who was Harold Gibbons?

Harold Harry Ian Haywood Gibbons, sometimes known as "Doc" Gibbons, was an English cricketer: a right-handed opening batsman and occasional right-arm bowler who was the first man to win a county cap for Worcestershire, as well as a reliable fielder in the deep.

Gibbons made his first-class debut for Worcestershire against the touring New Zealanders at New Road in June 1927, making 19 and 17, and taking 2-27 in the first innings, which was to remain his best bowling. He retained his place for the rest of the season, but did not set the world alight. However, the next year was another matter, as he scored four hundreds, including an unbeaten 200 against the West Indians in July. In this year, he was capped by his county: the first cap Worcestershire had awarded.

He continued to play a key role for his county up until the Second World War, forging a very useful opening partnership with Cyril Walters in the early 1930s. Most years Gibbons averaged in the thirties, and in 1933 he passed 2,000 runs in a season for the first time, but in 1934 he had the best summer of his career, scoring 2,654 runs at 52.03 with eight centuries; this remains the highest season's aggregate for the county. Indeed, a purple patch in late May and early June of that year produced successive scores of 93, 7, 88, 104, 157, 70*, 100 and 129.