Stephen George Wilkinson (born 12 January 1949) is a former cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Somerset between 1971 and 1974.[1] He was born at Hounslow, then in Middlesex, now in London.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Stephen George Wilkinson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1949-01-12) 12 January 1949 (age 73) Hounslow, Middlesex, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Cousin, Phil Bainbridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–74 | Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First-class debut | 24 May 1972 Somerset v Yorkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last First-class | 28 May 1974 Somerset v Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| List A debut | 16 May 1971 Somerset v Derbyshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last List A | 19 May 1974 Somerset v Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 14 May 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wilkinson played as a right-handed opening or middle-order batsman. He appeared in second eleven matches for Middlesex in 1967 and then for Somerset in Minor Counties second eleven games in 1971. After one limited-overs appearance for the Somerset first team in 1971, he played nine first-class matches in 1972, batting mostly at No 3. He scored consistently but not prolifically, and passed 50 only twice in all of his 18 first-class matches, both times in his first season. In his second match, he made 69 against Surrey at The Oval, putting on 157 for the second wicket with Roy Virgin.[2] In his next match he made 50 against Essex.[3] But thereafter his highest first-class score was only 33. He was out of form in first-class cricket in 1973, though made his highest limited-overs score, 70, in the match against Gloucestershire at Somerset's ground in Bristol, the Imperial Athletic Ground, that year.[4] He played only a handful of matches in 1974 and left the Somerset staff at the end of the season.
Wilkinson's batting style was upright, orthodox and technically correct – too correct for his captain, Brian Close: according to one report, Close told him "You play too straight lad", though that was after a straight drive from Wilkinson had got Close run out at the bowler's end.[5]