560:, and also less than Somerset's leading run-scorer of the past 10 years, Peter Wight, both of whom lost their places in the team through lack of form. But Atkinson's own aggregate dipped to 1207 runs for the season and his average to just 26; he failed to score a century. He was always an unspectacular accumulator of runs rather than a quick scorer, but Wisden noted that he "looked only a shadow of his former self because he became so constricted in his style".
564:
have been badly off without his dogged defence and imperturbability," said Wisden. He made more than 1400 runs and headed the
Somerset averages at 31 runs per innings. But 1966 saw a further decline in his average to just 24, and at the end of the season he rejected the terms of the contract that was on offer and left to join Lancashire on special registration for 1967.
576:. He made just over 1300 runs at an average of just under 31, and Wisden noted that he "proved a reliable if somewhat slow run gatherer". The following year, though, he lost his place halfway through the season and though he reappeared towards the end, it was as a middle-order batsman rather than an opener.
452:
Atkinson became
Somerset's regular opener from the start of the 1959 season and played in virtually every match for the next eight seasons. In his first full season, he scored 1727 runs at an average of 31, but surpassed that in 1960 with 1928 runs at an average of more than 39, finishing 13th in the
563:
There was some improvement in 1965, when
Atkinson's solidity was seen as necessary to counter the "brittleness" of much of Somerset's batting. "Atkinson was sometimes criticised for being over cautious and slow—only ten runs in an hour on a batsman's wicket at Weston-super-Mare—but the county would
552:
Atkinson's several opportunities in representative matches came about because of his consistency in county cricket. In both 1961 and 1962, he passed 2000 runs for the season, and he was only just short of 1800 runs in 1963, when
Somerset finished third in the County Championship, equalling the best
587:, embarked on a policy of concentrating on success in one-day cricket, where Atkinson's slow scoring and fielding limitations were shown up by a group of new and younger players. Atkinson played regularly in first-class matches until the middle of the season, but did not appear at all in the new
421:
A slim, dark-haired right-handed opening batsman, Atkinson made his debut for
Somerset as a 16-year-old in 1954, and two years later was a regular member of the 1956 side that managed, late in the season, to raise itself to 15th out of 17 in the
528:. Atkinson scored 2 and 63, and Edrich scored 63 and 39, and it was Edrich who played in the first two Tests of the season. Finally he was picked for Young England – he was still just 25 – in the end of season match with an England XI at
591:, the Sunday one-day competition which Lancashire won in its first season. He was dropped from the side in mid July, and never appeared again in first-class cricket. He was 31 at the time.
572:
Atkinson's career with
Lancashire was not long. In his first season, 1967, he played in almost all the county's first-class matches and formed a useful opening partnership with
481:
responded with first-wicket partnerships of 198 and 137: this is the first time all four innings of a first-class match have started with three-figure opening partnerships.
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In 1964, though, Atkinson was part of a general and sudden decline in
Somerset's batting. He was less affected than his previous opening partner,
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His best season in representative cricket was 1963. He played in the season opener for MCC against
Yorkshire, and scored 176, putting on 142 with
918:
489:
Atkinson appears to have been on the verge of selection for international cricket in the early 1960s. In 1960, he was picked for the
426:
table, having finished bottom for the previous four seasons. In that season, he scored 719 runs, batting mainly in the middle order.
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441:. On leave in July 1958, however, he made his maiden century, scoring 164 for Somerset as an opener in the match against
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put on 172 and 112 for the first wicket in the two
Somerset innings, and Cambridge University's opening pair of
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and for the final match of the West Indies' tour against T. N. Pearce XI, but he was not selected for the
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497:, in the traditional opening fixture of the season. In 1961, he played for the Players in the annual
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national batting averages. In this 1960 season, he made his highest first-class score, 190 against
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270:
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meant more competition for batting places at
Lancashire, and the county, under the captaincy of
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and 209 with Tony Lewis. Three weeks later he was back at Lord's playing for MCC against the
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in 1963–64. And with Edrich cementing his England Test place and the emergence of
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in the English season. In none of these matches did Atkinson distinguish himself.
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Atkinson played less frequently in the 1957 and 1958 seasons as he was on
105:
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After his cricket career ended, Atkinson worked as the secretary of
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club for several years, then managed the sports grounds at
505:. And in 1962, he was picked for the MCC match against the
493:(MCC) side to play the previous season's county champions,
465:, then a Somerset county record. In the match against
509:, regarded as the most important fixture outside the
461:, when he also put on 300 for the third wicket with
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544:as openers, the opportunity never came again.
8:
29:
28:
385:(29 March 1938 – 12 November 2015) was a
844:
842:
761:"Marylebone Cricket Club v West Indians"
619:
672:"First-Class Cricket Averages, 1960".
737:"Marylebone Cricket Club v Yorkshire"
7:
181:12 July 1969 Lancashire v
934:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
924:International Cavaliers cricketers
167:28 July 1954 Somerset v
14:
469:at Taunton in 1960, Atkinson and
430:noted that he "showed promise".
610:. He died on 12 November 2015.
16:For the footballer brother of
1:
939:T. N. Pearce's XI cricketers
919:Combined Services cricketers
524:, opening both innings with
828:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
807:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
786:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
717:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
696:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
675:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
630:Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
960:
122:Domestic team information
15:
650:"Somerset v Warwickshire"
366:
362:
193:
156:
129:
126:
944:Young England cricketers
764:. www.cricketarchive.com
740:. www.cricketarchive.com
653:. www.cricketarchive.com
579:In 1969, the arrival of
491:Marylebone Cricket Club
825:"Lancashire in 1967".
485:Representative cricket
413:, Yorkshire, England.
914:Lancashire cricketers
899:Cricketers from Leeds
608:Manchester University
534:England tour of India
507:Pakistan touring team
804:"Somerset in 1965".
783:"Somerset in 1964".
714:"Somerset in 1960".
693:"Somerset in 1960".
627:"Somerset in 1956".
568:Lancashire cricketer
467:Cambridge University
311:5 wickets in innings
68:, Yorkshire, England
37:Personal information
909:Somerset cricketers
499:Gentlemen v Players
424:County Championship
323:10 wickets in match
33:
929:Players cricketers
904:English cricketers
589:John Player League
865:"Graham Atkinson"
831:(1968 ed.).
810:(1966 ed.).
789:(1965 ed.).
720:(1961 ed.).
699:(1961 ed.).
678:(1961 ed.).
633:(1957 ed.).
548:In county cricket
405:. He was born in
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189:Career statistics
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77:12 November 2015
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553:position ever.
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439:Royal Air Force
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383:Graham Atkinson
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298:Bowling average
236:Batting average
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46:Graham Atkinson
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31:Graham Atkinson
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22:Graham Atkinson
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854:2016, pp. 188.
848:"Obituaries",
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835:. p. 465.
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814:. p. 534.
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793:. p. 538.
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724:. p. 543.
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475:Roger Prideaux
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374:9 October 2009
370:CricketArchive
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81:(aged 77)
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62:29 March 1938
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766:. Retrieved
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742:. Retrieved
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655:. Retrieved
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604:rugby league
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571:
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488:
451:
443:Warwickshire
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420:
417:Early career
382:
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334:Best bowling
96:Right-handed
79:(2015-11-12)
26:
18:Ron Atkinson
894:2015 deaths
889:1938 births
581:Clive Lloyd
530:Scarborough
526:John Edrich
522:West Indies
511:Test series
463:Peter Wight
391:first-class
389:who played
224:Runs scored
202:First-class
198:Competition
883:Categories
614:References
595:Later life
574:Barry Wood
542:Bob Barber
479:Tony Lewis
471:Roy Virgin
403:Lancashire
169:Pakistanis
151:Lancashire
104:Right-arm
58:1938-03-29
585:Jack Bond
558:Brian Roe
501:match at
495:Yorkshire
455:Glamorgan
437:with the
411:Wakefield
407:Lofthouse
387:cricketer
347:stumpings
259:Top score
183:Glamorgan
147:1967–1969
136:1954–1966
87:, England
66:Lofthouse
869:Cricinfo
399:Somerset
368:Source:
345:Catches/
248:100s/50s
141:Somerset
106:offbreak
601:Salford
447:Taunton
285:Wickets
213:Matches
116:Batsman
101:Bowling
93:Batting
851:Wisden
833:Wisden
812:Wisden
791:Wisden
768:24 May
744:24 May
722:Wisden
701:Wisden
680:Wisden
657:24 May
635:Wisden
503:Lord's
428:Wisden
273:bowled
227:17,654
207:List A
20:, see
351:188/–
302:52.00
271:Balls
251:27/91
243:23.14
240:31.13
175:Last
164:debut
127:Years
770:2008
746:2008
659:2008
540:and
477:and
459:Bath
401:and
397:for
393:and
337:4/63
130:Team
112:Role
74:Died
52:Born
457:at
445:at
354:2/–
276:477
262:190
254:0/3
230:324
216:347
885::
867:.
841:^
449:.
409:,
372:,
265:72
219:14
177:FC
162:FC
871:.
772:.
748:.
661:.
340:–
329:–
326:0
318:–
315:0
305:–
292:–
289:5
279:–
60:)
56:(
24:.
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