Full name John Cornish White Role Bowling all-rounder Batting style Right-handed Other name Farmer | Nickname Farmer National side England Bowling style Left-arm orthodox spin | |
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Born 19 February 1891 ( 1891-02-19 ) Holford, Somerset, England Test debut (cap 202) 2 July 1921 v Australia Last Test 21 February 1931 v South Africa Died 2 May 1961, Combe Florey, United Kingdom | ||
John Cornish White, known as "Farmer" or "Jack", (19 February 1891 in Holford, Somerset – 2 May 1961 in Combe Florey, Somerset) was an English cricketer who played for Somerset and England. White was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929. He played in 15 Test matches, and captained England in four of them.
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Domestic career
A slow left arm bowler who used accuracy and variation of pace rather than spin to take wickets, he was a regular player for Somerset from 1913 to 1937, taking 100 wickets a season 14 times. In 1929 and 1930 he also scored more than 1,000 runs, completing the "cricketer's double". Among his county records, he took 16 Worcestershire wickets for 83 runs in the match at Bath in 1919. He also took all 10 Worcestershire wickets in an innings for 76 runs in 1921 at Worcester. His total number of wickets for Somerset, 2,165, is still the county record, as is his number of catches, 393. His career total of 2,355 wickets puts him 16th on the all-time list of wicket-takers. He was captain of Somerset from 1927 to 1931.
Test career
White was first picked for England in the difficult 1921 series against the Australians and was not then selected again for seven years. For the winter tour of Australia in 1928/29, he was vice-captain to Percy Chapman and the main bowler in a series that turned into a successful war of attrition. At Melbourne, he bowled 113 overs and five balls, and at Adelaide he surpassed that, bowling 124 overs and five balls and taking 13 wickets in the match for 256 runs, as England won by just 12 runs. In the final Test of the series, he stood in as captain for the injured Chapman, but lost the Test and so ended England's then-record-equalling run of seven consecutive Test victories.
White captained England again in the series against South Africa in 1929: he won once and drew twice. Further Tests followed against Australia in 1930 and the following winter in South Africa, again as vice-captain to Chapman.
White was a Test selector in 1929 and 1930 and was president of Somerset at the time of his death.