George Thomas (cricketer)

George Thomas[note 1] was an Indian cricketer who played first-class cricket for Madras from 1962 to 1969.

George Thomas
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Philip Thomas
Born9th Feb 1938
Yercaud
Died1st Oct 1999
Bangalore
BowlingRight-arm fast
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1962-63 to 1969-70Madras
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 13
Runs scored 44
Batting average 4.44
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 22
Balls bowled 1314
Wickets 22
Bowling average 24.54
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/30
Catches/stumpings 2/0
Source: Cricinfo, 7 October 2015

Playing career

George Thomas was a prominent schoolboy cricketer who represented Madras Schools and South Zone Schools in the national Cooch Behar Trophy in 1957-58, 1958–59 and 1959-60. At first he played as an opening bowler, but in his final season, when South Zone Schools won the trophy, he played as an opening batsman and wicket-keeper.[1]

He made his first-class debut as a fast bowler and tail-end batsman for Madras in 1962-63 against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. He took the wicket of the first opening batsman in each innings, and Madras won by an innings, but he was no-balled for throwing.[2] He took one wicket in the next match, which was ruined by rain, and was then omitted. Thomas returned to the team in 1963-64 and opened the bowling in all three of Madras's matches, taking five wickets at an average of 33.80 in an attack based on spinners led by V. V. Kumar.[3]

He played the first match in 1964-65, taking one wicket, and was left out of the team for the next two matches. He returned for the last match, against Andhra, and took 4 for 30 and 2 for 41 in an innings victory.[4]

He seldom played thereafter, but returned for the Gopalan Trophy match in 1968-69, making his highest score, 22, and taking 4 for 58, including the wickets of Anura Tennekoon (leg-before) and David Heyn (bowled).[5] His last match came in 1969-70, when, for his last wicket, he bowled the Andhra opening batsman before a run had been scored in the match.[6]

He was one of the early players for the Jolly Rovers cricket club in Chennai, which began in 1966.[7][8]

Notes
  1. Years of birth and death: Judging by the ages (where known) of the other boys who played in the Cooch Behar Trophy at the time, Thomas was probably born in 1941, 1942 or 1943. Waheed Yar Khan, for example, who played alongside Thomas in the South Zone Schools team in the same three seasons, was born in November 1942. Thomas died before August 2015.

References
  1. "Miscellaneous matches played by George Thomas". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  2. "Kerala v Madras 1962-63". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  3. "Bowling for Madras, Ranji Trophy 1963-64". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  4. "Madras v Andhra 1964-65". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  5. "Madras Cricket Association President's XI v Ceylon 1968-69". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  6. "Andhra v Madras 1969-70". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  7. "Fifty years together – Jolly Rovers and the Sanmar Group: The first period: 1966–79". Madras Musings. 1–15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  8. Ramnarayan, V. (2 August 2015). "A Jolly Rovers reunion". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
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