Only a small number of first-class cricketers have played in more matches than Norman Gifford, who has died aged 85. Starting in 1960 with Worcestershire and ending in 1988 with Warwickshire, he played a total of 710 games, the 20th highest total in history.
Having collected 2,068 wickets with his left-arm spin, he also reached 27th on the all-time wicket-taker list, with an impressive average of 23.56. Good enough to play fifteen times for England between 1964 and 1973, he would have had more Test caps had there been an even better slow left-armer, Derek Underwood, usually chosen ahead of him for much of his era.
While Gifford’s international career was frustrating, his time in the domestic game was anything but. He won three County Championships with Worcestershire, in 1964, 1965 and 1974, the last as captain, and also led them to a 40-over John Player League title in 1971. After leaving for Warwickshire in 1983, he skippered his new county from 1985 to 1987, before retiring the following year at the age of 48.
He ran in at an acute angle to deliver the ball from well wide of the crease and was a highly effective bowler throughout his 28-year career, employing a low-slung trajectory that kept batsmen on their toes. As captain he was astute and tenacious, yet happy enough to take risks in the pursuit of victory. But above all, he was known for his friendly, open attitude, with a nickname, Apple Norm, which reflected his rosy cheeks and good nature.
Born in Ulverston in Lancashire to John, a Glaxo laboratory manager, and his wife Jan (née Baxter), Gifford ended up in Worcestershire aged 19, after the county placed an advertisement in a cricket magazine inviting young hopefuls to trial. Although he had impressed at Ulverston Victoria secondary school and Ulverston CC, where his father, John, and his three brothers, Derrick, Tom and Alan, also played, his home town at the time was over three hours’ drive from Lancashire’s headquarters in Manchester, where no one was particularly aware of his talent.
After traveling to Worcester for his trial, Gifford was offered a contract, which he accepted despite a counter-offer from Lancashire, who had suddenly gotten wind of the situation. He made his first-team debut in June 1960 against Kent at Tunbridge Wells – a spectacular match in which his team were bowled out for 25 and 61 – and became Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker that season with 41 casualties, despite playing in a limited number of matches. The next full season he had 133 casualties, and within three years he played a key role in securing Worcestershire’s first ever County Championship title, with 98 wickets.
That form prompted the England selectors to give him a debut in the 1964 Ashes Test at Lord’s, where he took 3-31 in the 29-over match, bagging the scalps of Bill Lawry and Wally Grout. However, in the next Test at Headingley he was less effective and was dropped for the remainder of the series. Not long after, Underwood came to prominence and Gifford was unable to win another England cap for the next seven years.
After a second County Championship title in 1965, Gifford returned his best figures of eight for 28 against Yorkshire in 1968, then became vice-captain to Tom Graveney in 1969 before taking over as skipper in 1971, leading his side to the John Player title in his first year. His bowling was exceptional that season, winning a recall to England at Underwood’s expense for four home Tests, two against Pakistan and two against India.
He remained in the good graces of England captain, Ray Illingworth, for the next few years, collecting a further nine caps, including in India and Pakistan in 1973. By then, however, Underwood was re-establishing his supremacy, and Gifford’s final Test arrived at Lord’s against New Zealand in June that year, leaving him on 33 wickets at 31.09, with best figures of five for 55.
Back in Worcestershire he presided over a third championship title in 1974. Although he had Glenn Turner, Basil D’Oliveira and Vanburn Holder to call on, there were few other big names in the squad, and the win was a credit to his leadership qualities. For his achievements as captain he was named Wisden cricketer of the year in 1975, and in 1978 he was appointed MBE.
Gifford relinquished the captaincy of Worcestershire in 1980 and remained with the county for three years before moving to nearby rivals Warwickshire, who made him skipper in 1985, succeeding Bob Willis. That year he also had a surprise return to the international stage at the age of 44, when he was called up to captain England for two one-day internationals against Australia and Pakistan in Sharjah. As an emergency replacement for David Gower, who was rested. He lost both matches but was England’s most successful bowler against Pakistan, taking four for 23 from 10 overs.
After retiring in 1988, Gifford went on to coach at Sussex, Durham and Worcestershire, where he served as president in 2017-18. Since 2016, Worcestershire and Warwickshire have played for a trophy named after him every time they meet in T20 matches.
The word most associated with Gifford was “affable,” a quality best illustrated by a 1988 incident involving the journalist. Neil Manthorpewho, as a raw 21-year-old, conducted an extended hour-and-a-half radio interview with Gifford on the occasion of his retirement. As the marathon came to an end, Manthorp tried to press the stop button on the tape recorder, only to discover that it had never been turned on in the first place. Once the truth came to light, Gifford happily went through the whole process again, but only after making a strong pot of tea for both sides.
He is survived by his wife Alison (née Browning), whom he married in 1986, and their son Mark; by two children, David and Caroline, from his first marriage to Jan, which ended in divorce; and by two grandchildren and his brother Alan.
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