John Murdin


John Vernon Murdin was a professional Cricketer who spent his entire career at Northamptonshire. Although he was predominantly a Bowler, the highlight of his 14-year playing career was his County record last wicket partnership with fellow Wollaston-born player Ben Bellamy of 148. John Murdin died in 1971 in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.

Career

John Murdin was a regular bowler for Northamptonshire either side of World War I, taking over 450 wickets for his home county including the 28 occasions he took 5 wickets in an innings. Murdin - often referred to by his middle name, Vernon - made his debut in 1913, taking David Denton of Yorkshire as his first victim. In 1920, Murdin achieved Northamptonshires first post-war Hat-trick against Kent at the County Ground. Despite it being Northamptonshires heaviest First-class defeat, in 1921 when Australia visited Northamptonshire, Murdin bowled Edgar Mayne on the first ball of the match and finished with figures of 5-157, with the dismissals of Nip Pellew, Johnny Taylor, Jack Gregory and Arthur Mailey on top of the Mayne wicket. The next summer was the best of his career; throughout the course of the 1922 season he took 91 wickets including his career best of 8-81 against Glamorgan at Swansea and 7-44 in a home fixture with Kent, both of which were match-winning efforts. In the record breaking last wicket partnership in 1925, Murdin himself scored 90* - not only his career best batting score, but also his only innings in which he achieved a half-century. Although he never recaptured his form from 1922, Murdin was granted a testimonial in 1928 against possibly his favourite opponents, Kent. By this point his First-class playing career was over, having accepted a coaching role at Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire, the county where he saw out the remainder of his life.