Player Profiles (G-L)

A.E.R. Gilligan was one of  the Sussex greats. He captained Sussex for seven years between 1922 and 1929, was an  excellent fast bowler and a quick scorer of runs lower down the order and a very good fielder, particularly at mid-off. With M. Tate the pair were the most lethal fast bowling partnership in England for a time in the 1920s and together they helped to restore Sussex’s fortunes. Gilligan also captained the England team nine times in 1924 and 1925 and also led a team to  our India in 1926/27. As captain he got the best out of his players through leading by example and even  at the end of the 1920s when his powers as a bowler were in decline he still managed to pull Sussex up the Championship table.

Read On

Ian Gould, known as ‘Gunner’, was born in Slough on 19 August 1957. He played little cricket at school but was lucky enough to qualify for coaching at Lord’s through the Wrigley foundation where he was spotted by Middlesex whom he joined in 1972, at the age of 15 and played for the Lord’s team as a wicketkeeper and left-handed batsman between 1975 and 1980. He toured with England Young Cricketers in 1976 and was awarded his county cap in 1978.

Tony Greig was one of the most influential figures in English cricket in the 1970s although sadly his reputation has been largely destroyed by his involvement in the ‘Packer Affair’ in which he, together with Greg Chappell the former Australian Test captain, were seen as recruiting officers for Kerry Packer’s circus. Greig was though a vastly talented cricketer and from the moment he began playing for Sussex in May 1967, that was clearly apparent. Greig was captain of Sussex, and also of England from 1975 to 1977, playing for England by virtue of his father’s Scottish roots. His brother, Ian, also played for Sussex whilst several members of his extended family played at first-class level.

Imran Khan Niazi was born in Lahore, Pakistan on 25 November 1952. He was to become one of the legendary right-arm all-rounders in recent cricket history, let alone for Sussex for whom he first played in 1977.

Khan was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore and Worcester Royal Grammar School before going up to Oxford University where he was captain in 1974 and won three Blues. Khan began his English cricketing career in 1971 when he was eighteen, joining Worcestershire, and played for Pakistan the same year. Khan was capped by Worcester in 1976 but despite the cap, he left New Road and joined Sussex in 1977.

Read On

The Revd Langdon was instrumental in the setting up of Sussex Cricket Club whilst George Taylor played in early Sussex sides scoring the first century for the Sussex team.

Read On

James Langridge, who was always known as Jim to distinguish him from his younger brother, John, was a great servant to Sussex cricket, playing for the county for almost thirty years from 1924 until 1953. Jim was a middle-order left handed batsman and a slow left-arm spin bowler. He played just eight Test matches for England, as he had the misfortune to be an exact contemporary of the great Yorkshire slow left-arm bowler, Hedley Verity.

John Langridge was one of the best cricketers of the 20^th century not to have played in a Test match. John was the younger brother of Jim, and the pair grew up in the Sussex Weald, playing cricket for their local school and club, before they joined Sussex.

John was born in Chailey on 10 February, 1910 and after a youth of playing cricket with his father and brother, joined Sussex in 1928 for whom he played as a batsman until 1955. He came into contention for an England place just as war broke out and the India tour, for which he had been selected, was cancelled.

Read On

Neil Lenham had an excellent coach in his father and his technique as an opening batsman was exemplary. He made his debut for Sussex in 1984 against Sri Lanka at Hove but struggled to make a real breakthrough in his early years for Sussex although he did score a maiden century against the 1987 Pakistani team which included Imran Khan and Wasim Akram.

Read On