John Brian Statham, (17 June 1930 – 10 June 2000) was an English professional cricketer from Gorton, in Manchester, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1968 and for England from 1951 to 1965. As an England player, he took part in nine overseas tours from 1950–51 to 1962–63. He was a right arm fast bowler and was noted for the consistent accuracy of his length and direction.
Statham is perhaps best remembered for the fast bowling partnerships he formed at international level with, first, Frank Tyson and then, more famously, with Fred Trueman. Unlike the latter, Statham did not make the ball swing in flight but, by pitching it on the seam, he could achieve very fast deviation off the pitch which accounted for many a batsman's wicket. In 1963, he briefly held the world record for the most wickets taken in Test cricket and, having been overtaken by Trueman, he ended his international career with 252. His first-class career tally of 2,260 wickets is nineteenth in the all-time list and he has the best (lowest) average of all the top twenty bowlers. His total of 1,816 wickets taken in first-class matches for Lancashire is the club record.
A natural athlete, Statham was an outstanding fielder who operated in deep positions, usually on the boundary where his running speed and the accuracy of his throwing were great assets. He batted left-handed, invariably as a tailender, and was occasionally effective when stubborn resistance was required. He captained Lancashire for three seasons from 1965 to 1967. He became a member of Lancashire's committee from 1970 to 1995 and was elected club president in 1997 and 1998. After his death in 2000, part of Warwick Road alongside Lancashire's Old Trafford Cricket Ground was renamed Brian Statham Way in his honour and the south end of Old Trafford is called the Brian Statham End.
Brian Statham was born on Tuesday, 17 June 1930 in his parents' home at 1, Chatham Road, Gorton, Manchester. They were John James Arnold Statham (1889–1962), a dental surgeon, and his wife, Florence, née Beevers (1889–1955). He was the youngest of four brothers. Brian was educated at Aspinal Primary School on Broadacre Road in Gorton and, through the years of the Second World War, Manchester Central Grammar School. He played for the school at both cricket and football but only played the latter outside school. He became disillusioned with cricket and developed a preference for tennis as a summer sport.
Statham left school in 1946, aged sixteen, and went to work as a clerk for an accountancy firm. He was playing football for Denton West F.C. as a left winger. He was offered trials by both Liverpool and Manchester City but these were vetoed by his father who was opposed to any of his sons pursuing a career in football. Statham's football team was managed by Eric Taylor who was also involved with Reddish & Gorton Cricket Club (R&G). In the spring of 1947, wanting to keep his players together through the summer, Taylor invited them to join the R&G and that revived Statham's interest in cricket. R&G were members of the Saddleworth & District League. In October 1947, after Statham's first season there, they renamed themselves Denton West Cricket Club in response to local boundary changes and joined the North Western League for the 1948 season. Statham continued to play for them in 1948.
Statham turned eighteen in June 1948 and became eligible for national service. He received his call-up in October and served eighteen months in the RAF until 1 May 1950. He was based at RAF Stafford and did clerical work for one of the aircraft maintenance units. He was able to travel home each weekend in the summer of 1948 to play for Denton West and he topped the North Western League's bowling averages for the season. He was invited to join Stockport Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League but initially turned it down because he was happy at Denton West. He later recalled earning his first money from cricket when a crowd collection was done on his behalf after one match in which he took eight for 15.
He played for RAF Stafford's station team through the 1949 season and took a total of 96 wickets at an average of three. He recalled that the pitches were so lively that even a good length ball would rise above the stumps. Statham responded to this by adding the yorker to his repertoire and that accounted for a high percentage of his victims from then on. Despite his success, Statham did not play for the full Royal Air Force cricket team. Had he done so, he would have encountered Peter May and Frank Tyson who represented the Royal Navy and the British Army respectively that summer.
Statham decided to accept Stockport's invitation for 1949 and played for them six times, when he could obtain weekend leave. It was in the Central Lancashire League that, for the first time, he encountered professional players. Stockport shared the 1949 league title with Milnrow Cricket Club, both teams amassing 48 points. An RAF corporal called Larry Lazarus, the sports NCO at Stafford, recognised Statham's potential as a fast bowler who could bowl straight. Lazarus was a Londoner and he wrote to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to ask if they had a ground staff vacancy which Statham could fill when his national service ended. MCC replied that Statham should first approach Lancashire as his native county club.
Statham contacted the club and found that they had received a report about him from the Central Lancashire League. He was invited to take part in a two-day trial match in April 1950 and this was successful, especially as he dismissed two first team batsmen, Winston Place and Alan Wharton. Lancashire offered him professional terms to begin in May after his national service ended. A civilian again, Statham joined the Old Trafford ground staff. His parents had no objection to him pursuing a cricket career. He began his new career by playing in Club & Ground matches and was soon chosen for the Second XI, who were the reigning Minor Counties champions. He played in their first five matches, taking 26 wickets at 14 runs apiece.
One of Lancashire's biggest worries in 1950 was finding a successor to their veteran pace bowler Dick Pollard and Statham's arrival solved that problem. Pollard retired from first-class cricket at the end of the season. Although Statham had not yet had any real coaching, he soon impressed the Lancashire coach Harry Makepeace who, only two weeks later, ensured his selection for the first team in the match against Kent at Old Trafford.
It began on Saturday, 17 June, Statham's twentieth birthday. Lancashire scored 271 on the Saturday (Statham, batting eleven, was last man out without scoring) and they reduced Kent to 62 for four at the close with Statham having taken the wicket of Arthur Fagg, caught by Alan Wharton for four. Statham later recalled that it was fluke dismissal. His captain Cyril Washbrook told him to maintain a good length against Fagg who was strong against short-pitched bowling and played the hook shot exceptionally well. Statham started well enough, conceding only a couple of singles in his first two overs but he then mistimed a delivery which pitched short and Fagg went to hook it. Fagg was, however, surprised by Statham's pace and he mishit his shot, the ball going off the splice of the bat and being caught by Wharton at forward short leg. Statham said Washbrook liked his speed but not his length.
Play resumed on the Monday and Kent were soon all out for 101 (Statham one for 13), the follow on being enforced by Lancashire captain Nigel Howard. In their second innings, Kent were dismissed for 97 and Lancashire won the match by an innings and 73 runs. Statham bowled opener Dicky Mayes for a duck and took one for eight. It was a promising start for a raw youngster who, according to Wisden, arrived at the ground with his boots in a brown paper parcel. The Manchester Guardian said that the debutant maintained excellent pace off the pitch and generally bowls at the stumps.