Paul Pridgeon

Who is Paul Pridgeon?

Alan Paul Pridgeon is a former English cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Worcestershire, taking 530 first-class and 273 List A wickets for the county between the early 1970s and the late 1980s. He was capped by the county in 1980. He played football in the winters as a centre-half for Stourbridge F.C.

After playing club cricket first for Himley, then in the Birmingham League for Stourbridge, he was offered a trial by Worcestershire. He made his first-class debut against Cambridge University at Fenner's in May 1972, though he had an unsuccessful match, taking no wickets and not batting in either innings. He had to wait until the middle of July to play again, bowling Barry Dudleston of Leicestershire to claim the first wicket of his career.

Pridgeon was given only occasional opportunities for the next three seasons, but in 1976 things turned his way: Brian Brain and Keith Wilkinson left the club, while Jim Cumbes spent the summer in the United States playing football. Pridgeon was rarely out of the first team during that famously hot summer. Indeed, his 1,200 deliveries in List A cricket were the most he sent down in any one season.