Frank Nicholson (cricketer)

Frank Nicholson

Personal information
Born	17 September 1909 Millom, Cumberland, England
Died	30 July 1982 (aged 72) Port Elizabeth, Cape Province
Batting style	Right-hand bat
International information
National side	South African
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 4 52 Runs scored 76 2353 Batting average 10.85 24.76 100s/50s 0/0 4/14 Top score 29 185 Balls bowled - 26 Wickets - - Bowling average - - 5 wickets in innings - - 10 wickets in match - - Best bowling - - Catches/stumpings 3/0 32/37
Source: Cricinfo

Frank "Nipper" Nicholson (17 September 1909 – 30 July 1982) was a South African cricketer who played in four Tests in 1935-36.^[1]

Nicholson was a right-hand batsman and wicket-keeper who was a mainstay of the often-weak Griqualand West cricket team for 20 years from 1927, sometimes acting as captain and often opening the batting. It was as an opener that he scored his first century, an innings of 131 against Western Province in the 1929-30 season; with a double century from Ken Viljoen and 101 from Xen Balaskas, Griqualand West totalled 603, which remains the team's highest first-class total.^[2][3] He improved on that innings with a score of 148 in 1933-34 against Orange Free State.^[4] Then a year later against the same opposition, he was opening batsman, wicketkeeper and captain and he scored 185, which remained his highest first-class score.^[5] He was not, however, selected for any representative sides and not was he picked for the 1935 tour of England.

In the South African season of 1935-36, though, Nicholson was drafted into the South African Test team for the series against Australia after the shock death of Jock Cameron, who had been such a success on the tour to England and the decision by Robert Williams, Cameron's deputy on the England tour, to remain in the UK. In a one-sided series which Australia won 4-0, with one match drawn, Nicholson took only three catches in the first four matches, and, after making 0 in both innings of the fourth Test, was dropped for the fifth match in favour of Edward van der Merwe.^[6] He batted low in the order and made just 76 runs in eight innings, one of them not out.

Nicholson returned to Griqualand West and played regularly for a further two seasons, and then irregularly through to 1946-47.

References

1. "Frank Nicholson". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
2. "Scorecard: Griqualand West v Western Province". www.cricketarchive.com. 1930-02-21. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
3. "Highest Team totals for Griqualand West". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
4. "Scorecard: Griqualand West v Orange Free State". www.cricketarchive.com. 1933-12-15. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
5. "Scorecard: Orange Free State v Griqualand West". www.cricketarchive.com. 1935-01-01. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
6. "Scorecard: South Africa v Australia". www.cricketarchive.com. 1936-02-15. Retrieved 2012-02-18.