Eric Gillott
CountryNew Zealand
FullnameEric Kenneth Gillott
Birth date15 April 1951 (age 75)
Birth placeWaiuku, Auckland, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBowler
Club 1Northern Districts
Year 11971/72–1978/79
Type 1FC
Debutdate 130 December
Debutyear 11971
Debutfor 1Northern Districts
Debutagainst 1Central Districts
Lastdate 122 January
Lastyear 11979
Lastfor 1Northern Districts
Lastagainst 1Otago
Type 2LA
Debutdate 25 December
Debutyear 21971
Debutfor 2Northern Districts
Debutagainst 2Auckland
Lastdate 22 December
Lastyear 21973
Lastfor 2Northern Districts
Lastagainst 2Auckland
Columns2
Column 1First-class
Matches 131
Runs 1172
Bat avg 18.60
100s/50s 10/0
Top score 122
Deliveries 15,610
Wickets 181
Bowl avg 130.77
Fivefor 12
Tenfor 10
Best bowling 16/79
Catches/stumpings 19/–
Column 2List A
Matches 23
Runs 217
Bat avg 25.66
100s/50s 20/0
Top score 211
Deliveries 2169
Wickets 24
Bowl avg 231.00
Fivefor 20
Tenfor 20
Best bowling 22/49
Catches/stumpings 20/–
Date16 May
Year2011
Sourcehttps://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/21/21963/21963.html CricketArchive

Eric Kenneth Gillott (born 15 April 1951) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He played first-class and List A cricket for Northern Districts between 1971/72 and 1978/79.[1] He also toured England in 1973 as part of the New Zealand team that played three Tests, though he did not feature in the Tests.

Life and career

Gillott was born at Waiuku, Auckland. He was a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler and a right-handed tail-end batsman. He made his first-class and List A debuts for Northern Districts in the 1971/72 season and in his second match he took six Otago wickets for 79 runs in 43 overs in the match at Dunedin.[2] The 29 wickets he took in six matches in that New Zealand cricket season were beaten only by the 31 taken by another slow left-arm bowler, the Test player Hedley Howarth.[3] He followed this with 23 wickets in the 1972/73 season, with a further six-wicket haul, six for 105, in the match against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.[4]

This led to his call-up for the 1973 New Zealand tour of England, but he was not a success and took only 10 first-class wickets on the tour. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack's report of the tour said of him: "Gillott showed he had yet to develop all the skills of a top-class left-hander."[5] It noted also that there were few pitches suited to spin bowling, which also had not helped the senior left-arm spinner, Howarth, who had been successful on the 1969 tour. Gillott was no more successful on his return to New Zealand for the 1973/74 season, and he dropped out of the Northern Districts side at the end of the season.

In 1976, Gillott spent a cricket season in England playing non-first-class Minor Counties cricket for Buckinghamshire, taking 41 wickets in the season, the most by any player in the team.[6] He returned to New Zealand for a further single season of first-class cricket for Northern Districts in 1978/79, but with little success, and left top-class cricket entirely after that.

References

  1. ^ "Eric Gillott". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  2. ^ "Scorecard: Otago v Northern Districts". CricketArchive. 1972-01-04. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  3. ^ "First-class bowling in New Zealand in 1971/72". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  4. ^ "Scorecard: Wellington v Northern Districts". CricketArchive. 1972-12-28. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  5. ^ "New Zealanders in England, 1973". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1974 ed. Wisden. p. 300.
  6. ^ "The Minor Counties in 1976". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1977 ed. Wisden. p. 777.