Full name Leonard Oakley Name Leonard Oakley | Batting style Left-hand | |
Died 1974Dudley, Worcestershire, England First-class debut 26 June 1935Worcestershire v Middlesex | ||
Bowling style Slow left arm orthodox | ||
Leonard Oakley (11 January 1916 – 1974) was an English cricketer who played eight first-class games for Worcestershire either side of the Second World War. Exclusively a bowler, in 14 innings he never scored more than 11.
Oakley made his debut for Worcestershire against Middlesex at Worcester in late June 1935, taking the single wicket of Fred Price and scoring 6 and 0 from number ten. He played against Gloucestershire a few days later, taking one more wicket, and made two wicketless appearances in 1937, but those games comprised his entire remaining pre-war career.
He returned to first-class action with a bang in June 1946, taking eight wickets against the Royal Air Force in what was to prove the RAF's last-ever first-class match. His first innings 2-18 and second-innings 6-64, which contributed largely towards his county's victory, were the only times he ever took more than two wickets in a first-class innings. However, two subsequent County Championship games brought Oakley only one wicket in total, and he played no more for two years.
In June 1948, Oakley took 5-44 in each innings of a Second XI match against Glamorgan II, and was recalled to the first team for the Championship match with Lancashire at Manchester a week later. However, he could manage only 1-71 from 17 overs, and he never played first-class cricket again.