Graham Dilley
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Graham Roy Dilley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Dartford, Kent, England | 18 May 1959|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 5 October 2011 Leicester, England | (aged 52)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Dill, Picca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 483) | 14 December 1979 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 11 July 1989 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 51) | 28 November 1979 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 21 May 1988 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1977–1986 | Natal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1987–1992 | Worcestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 17 November 2008 |
Graham Roy Dilley (18 May 1959 – 5 October 2011)
Dilley is perhaps best remembered for his
Early life
Dilley was born and raised in
He was married and divorced twice and had four children, including Chris Pennell, who has played rugby union for England and Worcester Warriors,[5][6][7] whilst his youngest son, Jonathan, has played cricket for both Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Second XIs.[8] Kent cricketer Graham Johnson was a brother-in-law.
Early cricket career
A fast bowler with Dilley made his first-class cricket debut for Kent at the age of 18 in 1977, against Cambridge University. He failed to take a wicket, and was not selected again until the following season when was again wicketless against the touring Pakistanis. Seven wickets in his third first-class match, against Middlesex, followed, although he took only one wicket in two further matches later in the season. He was, however, selected for England Young Cricketers against their West Indian counterparts.
In 1979, Dilley played 31 senior games for Kent, including taking four wickets for the cost of 41 runs (4/41) in a World Cup warm-up match against the New Zealanders. He finished with 49 first-class wickets at an average of 23.48 runs per wicket.
England selection
The
A fortnight later, Dilley appeared in his first Test match, making him the youngest cricketer to play for England in 30 years.[9] England captain Mike Brearley showed confidence in his young bowler and he again opened the bowling. He took two wickets on debut. Australia finished their innings on 244 all out. In England's reply Dilley scored an unbeaten 38 runs, the second-highest score of the innings as England were all out for 228. He batted for 206 minutes, facing 57 balls. The game featured a memorable item on the second-innings scorecard:[6][10][11]
- Lillee c Willey bDilley 19
Although he also played in the second Test, he was replaced by John Lever for the third and final match of the series. Dilley took only seven wickets on that tour – "£7,000 for seven wickets" as the tour manager Alec Bedser commented.[1]
In 1980, Dilley was not selected until the
Nothing that he had done before, from the moment he made his Test debut as the youngest Englishman for 30 years, until the day he retired from competitive cricket – not even the five for 68 he took in Brisbane in the winter of 1986–87 that catalysed a victory in match and Ashes series – would ever topple Headingley from the pinnacle of his achievements. It remains one of the most celebrated passages in the history of British sport.[12]
Mike Selvey, writing in 2011
Dilley began the
Despite his part in the win at Headingley, Dilley did not play in the fourth Test, nor in the two that followed, being replaced variously by John Emburey, Paul Allott and Mike Hendrick. He did get picked for the subsequent 1981/2 India tour, having pulled out of Graham Gooch's rebel tour of South Africa, something he later regretted for financial reasons.[13]
Injury and recovery
Despite being in and out of the side, Dilley's future as an international player seemed reasonably bright by 1983, and he played a full part in England's
Between 1986 and 1988, Dilley took 83 Test wickets at an
In the drawn series against
Later career
For the 1987 season, Dilley moved to Worcestershire.[1] His new county were about to begin the most successful period in their history, winning four trophies in the next three years. Despite further injury problems, he proved a key bowler as Worcestershire won the 1988 and 1989 County Championships; it was during this period that he wrote, with team-mate Graeme Hick, an account of one of the title-winning seasons, entitled Hick'n'Dilley Circus.
Dilley recorded his best match figures in a Test match at Lord's in 1988, match figures of 9/128 (comprising 5/55 and 4/73) against the West Indies, although England lost the match.[17] However, Dilley's international career was beginning to wind down by the end of that season, and his final Test was at Edgbaston in the 1989 Ashes series. He made certain that he would not be picked again by accompanying Mike Gatting on the rebel tour to South Africa that winter.[1] Unusually he finished on the winning side only twice in his 41 Test matches (the Headingley test of 1981 and that at Brisbane in 1986), the 1980s being a lean time for English cricket.
He continued to play for his county and in the 1991 season came sixth in the
However recurring injury problems led to his retirement at the end of the 1992 season.[1]
Post-retirement
Dilley's move to Worcestershire denied him the financial security of a benefit season and he found employment after retirement as a coach, firstly for the
Death
Dilley died in a hospice at
References
- ^ ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ Cricinfo.com
- ^ a b "Graham Dilley: Cricketer best remembered for his exploits in the England side of 1981". The Independent. London. 6 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Andy (5 October 2011). "England bowler and hero of Headingley Graham Dilley dies aged 52". The Guardian. London.
- ^ a b c d e "Graham Dilley obituary". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Graham Dilley". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 October 2011.
- ^ Gallagher B (2007)Chris Pennell chooses oval ball, The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Jonathan Dilley, CricketArchive. Retrieved 31 May 2021. (subscription required)
- ^ "England in Australia Test Series 1979–80 – 1st Test". Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- YouTube
- YouTube
- ^ Mike Selvey (5 October 2011). "Graham Dilley: Test bowler, Headingley slogger and blond bruiser". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- CricInfo, 7 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Full Scorecard of West Indies vs England, 1st match 1986-7". Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Full Scorecard of West Indies vs England, 4th match 1986-7". Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Frith, David (5 October 2011). "Graham Dilley obituary". The Guardian. London.
- Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "University Cricket". Loughborough University. Archived from the original on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ "About Loughborough MCCU". loughboroughmccu.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
External links
- Graham Dilley: Sultan of swing and Ashes hero Daily Telegraph profile of Dilley by former England teammate Derek Pringle