Alan Dixon (cricketer)

Alan Leonard Dixon (born 27 November 1933) is a former English professional cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1950 and 1970.

Alan Dixon
Personal information
Full nameAlan Leonard Dixon
Born (1933-11-27) 27 November 1933
Dartford, Kent, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Right-arm off break
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1950–1970Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 381 23
Runs scored 9,589 122
Batting average 18.83 11.09
100s/50s 3/37 0/0
Top score 125* 23*
Balls bowled 55,620 1,070
Wickets 935 34
Bowling average 25.73 18.82
5 wickets in innings 46 2
10 wickets in match 10 0
Best bowling 8/61 7/15
Catches/stumpings 155/– 5/–
Source: CricInfo, 10 November 2016

Dixon made his first-class cricket debut for Kent in 1950 in a County Championship match against Essex at Clacton in August 1960. Dixon was aged 16 years and 248 days old on his debut.[1] At the time he was the second youngest player to play for the county after Wally Hardinge[1] and, as of 2016, is one of only five 16 year olds to have played for Kent.[1] He played just one match for the First XI in 1950 and once in 1954 before becoming a more regular member of the side in the 1955 season.[2] During this period he appeared regularly for the county Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship and was awarded his Second XI cap in 1951.[3] He was awarded his county cap in 1960 and played until the 1970 season, making a total of 378 first-class appearances for Kent as an all-rounder.[4][5] Dixon also appeared twice for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and once for an AER Gilligan XI as well as making 23 List A cricket for Kent during his career.[4][5] Despite a relatively limited number of List A appearances he led the country in List A wickets taken in the 1967 season as Kent won the 1967 Gillette Cup.

Dixon had originally retired from cricket at the end of the 1957 season to become a travelling salesman before reconsidering at the start of the 1958 season and rejoining the county.[6] After retirement he coached cricket at Tonbridge School.[7] He coached, among others, Kent and England swing bowler Richard Ellison who credited Dixon with developing his talent. Ellison was selected as one of Wisden's four Cricketers of the Year in 1986.[8][9]

In 2011 Dixon was short-listed as one of the 40 candidates for the Kent Legends Walkway at the St Lawrence Ground, the county's base in Canterbury.[10] He took 100 first-class wickets in a season for Kent in each season between 1964 and 1966, his highest total being 122 in 1964[11] and as of 2016 is tenth in the list of all time wicket takers for Kent.[12]

References
  1. Reid J (ed) (2016) 'VIII Players' Records' in 2016 Kent Country Cricket Club Annual, Kent County Cricket Club, p.233.
  2. "First-Class Matches played by Alan Dixon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  3. Minor Counties Championship matches played by Alan Dixon, CricketArchive.
  4. "Alan Dixon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Alan Dixon". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  6. Chalke, Stephen. "When the fat lady sings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  7. "Tonbridge School". Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  8. "Richard Ellison". Wisden. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  9. The Wisden Collector's Guide pp.250-251.
  10. "Kent Legends Walkway - choose your favourite cricket hero". Kent Live. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  11. Reid J (ed) (2016) 'Bowling records' op. cit. p.220.
  12. Reid J (2016) 'Bowling records', op. cit. p.219.
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