Langridge John Image 1 Sussex 1947

Description

The younger brother of Sussex and England Test cricketer James Langridge, Chailey, Sussex born John Langridge followed his elder brother into the Sussex side in 1928 and stayed there until he retired in 1955. In between, he scored more than 34,000 runs as an opening batsman and made 76 centuries, eight of these were double hundreds with a best of 250 not out, and he was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1950. His obituary in Wisden called him “one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century never to play a Test match”, although he earned selection for the 1939-40 tour of India which was cancelled upon the outbreak of the Second World War. Only Alan Jones of Glamorgan has scored more runs but not played for his country, and no one who scored as many centuries.

Langridge was an opening batsman with an unclassical, open stance that made him strongest on the leg side. He was not only one of the game’s great accumulators, he was one of the great fidgeters, adjusting every part of his equipment before each ball, a ritual which could never be omitted. He was only ever seen without his Sussex cap when he took it off in acknowledgment of applause, a doffing which revealed a head bereft of hair above his small, round and rosy face. In 1933, he shared an opening stand of 490 in 350 minutes against Middlesex with Ted Bowley, which remains the fourth highest for the first wicket in first class cricket.

With 34,378 runs at an average of 37.44 in 574 first class matches he remains 40th in the all-time first class run-scoring list  He also took 44 wickets at 42 apiece with his occasional medium pace bowling, with a best return of 3-15. In addition, Langridge took 784 catches, mostly at slip, including 69 in his last season at the age of 45; only five players have taken more catches in a career or in a season.

Langridge became a first class umpire on retirement for 25 seasons and stood in seven Test matches between 1960 and 1963 and eight One Day Internationals between 1975 and 1979. He was appointed an MBE for services to cricket.

James’s son Richard Langridge also played for Sussex between 1957 and 1971.

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