Jim Parks obituary

The collection of Jim Parks to play his 2d Take a look at fit for England in 1960 marked the start of a pattern against the pre-eminence of wicketkeeper-batsmen in global cricket. Sooner than then, Take a look at aspects had typically opted for specialist keepers who weren’t essentially a lot excellent with the bat. Whilst Parks, who has died elderly 90, was once no slouch in the back of the stumps, he was once selected forward of technically higher exponents of the artwork. His next successes set the usual for individuals who adopted, from Alan Knott to Alec Stewart and Jonny Bairstow.

In his early years he was once now not even a wicketkeeper. At Sussex from 1949 onwards he were a batsman who may just bowl just a little – till one afternoon in 1958 he saved wicket for amusing all the way through the general consultation of a useless fit towards Middlesex. His captain, Robin Marlar, then presented Parks the process forward of the common keeper, Rupert Webb, whose profession batting reasonable was once simply 11.72, and was once because of retire.

The transfer labored for Sussex and was once additionally the making of Parks. His resolution to simply accept the gauntlets doubled his price in a single day, and for a lot of the following decade he was once a Take a look at common.

Born in Haywards Heath in Sussex, Parks got here from a cricketing circle of relatives: his father, Jim senior, performed one Take a look at for England and was once a Sussex all-rounder between 1924 and 1939. Younger Jim’s mom, Irene (nee Heaver), died of tuberculosis when he was once 4, and along with his father away for a lot of the yr he was once in large part introduced up by way of his maternal grandparents.

Enjoying cricket for Hove county college and Haywards Heath, Jim was once quickly showing at junior stage for Sussex and signed a freelance in 1949, elderly 18. He made his firstclass debut that yr, and the next one made a maiden century (159 now not out) towards Kent.

All through nationwide carrier within the RAF he seemed now not only for Blended Services and products however for Sussex, too. In his first complete season, 1953, Sussex had been runners-up to Surrey within the county championship. Via this time Parks’s bowling had taken a again seat and he had transform a recognised middle-order batsman. With a heat, sunny disposition or even temperament, he was once famous for his fantastic stroke-making and particularly for the wonderful thing about his duvet force. His county colleague Ted Dexter admired Parks’s recreation as “trendy, unaffected and unselfish”, however as Wisden famous, “regardless that he was once by no means uninteresting, his cricket lacked consistency”.

It was once due to this fact an sudden England debut that got here his approach on the age of twenty-two in 1954, towards Pakistan at Previous Trafford because of a overdue withdrawal. In his best innings he made 15.

When he was once subsequent introduced into the England set-up, to excursion South Africa in 1956-57, he was once hit by way of a ball in fielding apply at first of the commute, bringing on double imaginative and prescient that required a go back to Britain for remedy. He recovered, however then had pneumonia earlier than he may just rejoin the excursion.

His first complete fit in the back of the stumps was once towards Essex at Brentwood in 1958, when he used such a lot of unfamiliar muscle tissues that he seized up after the fit and may just now not stay wicket once more for any other six weeks. After a programme of workout routines he was once able to renew towards Yorkshire at Worthing.

In 1959 Parks now not best claimed 93 sufferers however scored 2,313 runs, averaging greater than 50 and hitting the season’s quickest hundred in 61 mins. Overpassed for England’s 1959-60 excursion of the West Indies, he accredited a wintry weather training process in Trinidad, which put him in a at hand place when accidents struck the England birthday party overdue within the collection. He was once requested to make the fast commute to sign up for them in British Guiana (now Guyana), the place he saved wicket and scored an exuberant 183 in a fit towards Berbice.

At the foundation of that efficiency Parks was once known as up for the 5th and ultimate Take a look at, in Trinidad, for which he was once decided on as keeper forward of the incumbent, Roy Swetman, whose batting talents had been restricted. Parks scored 43 and 101 now not out, along with his 2d innings instrumental in securing a draw for England, and a 1-0 win within the collection.

In 1960 he performed in all 5 house Exams towards South Africa, taking 16 catches. However with the bat his best rating was once 36, and it took till 1963 for him to be selected for the second one Take a look at towards West Indies at Lord’s, preserving his position for the remainder of the 5 fit collection. His protecting in the ones suits was once excellent, however crucially he additionally carried out smartly with the bat, scoring 57 within the 5th Take a look at at Leeds. Thereafter he performed in an extended series of Exams unfold over 8 successive collection – together with excursions to India, South Africa, Australia and the West Indies. At the 1963-64 excursion to India he averaged 42.20 in Exams, and within the 1965-66 Ashes collection he made 290 runs.

The final of his 46 Exams got here in 1968 towards West Indies in Barbados, through which time he was once 36.

He scored 1,962 Take a look at runs at a median of 32.16 and with two centuries, the best possible his 108 now not out in a successful reason towards South Africa in Durban in 1964. He additionally took 103 catches and 11 stumpings at Take a look at stage. His England successor was once Knott, any other top quality wicketkeeper-batsman.

Despite the fact that Parks was once made captain of Sussex in 1967, he realised that he was once an excessive amount of “one of the vital boys” to be a forceful chief and resigned earlier than the top of the next season. His breezy batting persisted to be of serious use in one-day cricket – he were a key think about his county successful the primary 65-over Gillette Cup ultimate in 1963, and the 60-over ultimate in 1964 – however by way of 1973, with Sussex reluctant to make a dedication to a participant who was once by way of now in his 40s, he joined Somerset beneath the captaincy of his buddy Brian Shut, who used him with luck as a batsman within the county championship and as a wicketkeeper in one-day video games.

Parks had yet another season in 1974 earlier than turning into a travelling consultant with the Whitbread brewery corporate, however retained his registration with Somerset till 1976 so he may seem within the extraordinary recreation when required, his final fit coming that yr towards Worcestershire.

In all Parks scored 36,673 runs at a median of 34.76, with 51 centuries. As a wicketkeeper he claimed 1,181 dismissals.

After 18 years with Whitbread he returned to Sussex as their advertising supervisor, and in retirement was once president of the county in 2013.

Parks was once married 3 times; his first two marriages, to Irene Younger and Ann Wembridge, resulted in divorce. He’s survived by way of his 3rd spouse, Jenny (nee Rogers), a trainer from Cardiff whom he married in 1973, and by way of two youngsters, Bobby (who performed cricket for Hampshire and Kent) and Louise, from his first marriage. A 3rd kid from that marriage, Andrew, died in 2004.