Raymond David Flood (21 November 1935 – 13 March 2014) was an English cricketer active in the late 1950s and beginning of the 1960s. A right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break, Flood made over twenty appearances in first-class cricket.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Raymond David Flood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 November 1935 Northam, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 March 2014(2014-03-13) (aged 78) Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956–1960 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 2 January 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flood made his first-class debut for Hampshire against Essex at the United Services Recreation Ground during the 1956 County Championship, one of two first-class matches he played that season.[2] He did not feature for Hampshire in 1957, while in 1958 he played just once against Derbyshire.[2] Flood found his first–team appearances limited with the established presence of Roy Marshall, Jimmy Gray and Henry Horton limited his appearances, in what was a strong Hampshire side for the time.[3]
He made his breakthrough into the Hampshire first-team in 1959, making twenty first-class appearances in a season characterised by good weather and an early experiment with covered wickets.[3] He scored 780 runs in 1959, averaging 25.16 and scoring his only first-class century,[4] scoring an unbeaten 138 against Sussex at Hove. With the emergence of Dennis Baldry, Danny Livingstone and Mike Barnard's move from The Football League to playing for Hampshire on a full-time basis, Flood's career did not survive much longer,[3] with one appearance in 1960 against Oxford University.[2] After a serious knee injury, he was released by Hampshire prior to the 1961 season.[5]
His batting strengths were described by John Arlott in 1959 Cricket Journal, with Arlott remarking "His strength lies in two strokes... a truly bucolic swing to, or over, mid-wicket and the archaic square-cut off the front foot”.[6] Following his retirement from first-class cricket, Flood lived in the New Forest, working as a window cleaner and playing club cricket for Lyndhurst, Hampshire. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2013 and died six months later on 13 March 2014 in Lyndhurst.[5] His brother John was a footballer who played 129 matches for Southampton.[5]