Frank Vigar

Frank Henry Vigar (14 July 1917 – 31 May 2004) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Essex County Cricket Club between 1938 and 1954.

A right-handed batsman, and leg break bowler, Vigar served as an all-rounder with 8,858 runs at 26.28 and 241 wickets at 37.90.

Vigar was born on 14 July 1917 in Bruton, Somerset.

An "ungainly" batsman, Vigar developed into a "determined middle order" player, though he would never been known as a "hitter."

Trevor Bailey recalled him to be "a very unusual mix – a very sound batsman, solid and stubborn, and a useful leg-spinner," while Wisden described him as "a tall, Somerset-born leg-spinner who turned into one of Essex's most reliable batsmen in the decade after the war," and "tweaked a few."

Vigar began his cricketing career as a young amateur, playing for the Essex's Young Amateur team against a similar development squad for Surrey in early September 1935.

Vigar scored 30 and took three wickets.

Vigar's first match, on 28 May, was rained off after Glamorgan had been dismissed for 100 runs on the first day, and Vigar did not bat or bowl.

By 1 June, however, he was contributing to Essex's efforts.

That day, Essex faced Worcestershire and was bowled for a duck by Peter Jackson before making 24 not out in the second innings.

Worcestershire took the full 12 points following a 60 run victory.

He played four more matches that season, amassing a total of 50 runs at 8.33, and taking four wickets at 58.75, including a career-best 2/39 against Derbyshire on 25 August.

From his rained-off debut in 1938, Vigar went on to play 257 matches for his county.

Vigar became a more regular fixture in the 1939 season, where, from June onwards, he began opening the batting on occasion.

Playing in 14 County Championship matches, his return of 282 runs at 20.21 including a maiden century, 121 against Gloucestershire on 8 July.

Vigar had originally been promoted up the order as a nightwatchman, however he survived to score his century the next day after the player he had been intended to protect, Jack O'Connor, had been dismissed for a duck.

Vigar also took eight wickets during the season at 22.62, composed largely from a 4/20 against Cambridge University on 24 June to take Essex to an innings victory.

His other contributions were limited during the season, with single figure scores and only small numbers of overs being bowled, nevertheless Essex reached 4th in the County Championship that year.

Vigar's first-class career was then put on hold by the Second World War.

Between 26 August 1939 and 11 May 1946 he did not make an appearance for Essex.

He did, however, serve in the Royal Air Force, and played several matches for armed services teams between 1941 and 1945, as well as a handful of other matches between the South and the North, and various Essex Second XI outings.

The first of these matches, on 12 July 1941, saw Vigar playing for his home county of Somerset's Service team, facing Gloucestershire's Services team in Clifton.

Batting at six, he made 49, and then bowled four wicketless overs for 43 and took one catch.

The two teams met again on 2 August at Taunton Cricket Ground, where Vigar made one run and did not bowl.

One final match on 6 September, where Vigar played for the North against the South, saw him score eight and then take two wickets to take his team to a four wicket victory.

Two more matches came during the war years.

A British Empire XI faced a choice Essex XI selected by Ray Smith on 22 August 1942, in which there was a place for Vigar.

Smith's 12-wicket performance in the match outshone Vigar, who scored four runs and bowled four wicket-less overs.

Vigar then played for the West against Glamorgan at Cardiff Arms Park on 18 August 1945, where he scored 37 and two wickets.

On 11 May 1946, Vigar returned to county cricket with a County Championship match against Somerset.

The next two seasons would be Vigar's breakthrough years.

He scored 753 runs at 22.14 in 1946, with a century and three half-centuries, and took 51 wickets at 28.03.

His season began strongly, with his three half-centuries on the trot, and then the second century of his career – 101 in the second innings against Northamptonshire on 1 June.

In strong form, Vigar then took five-wickets against Yorkshire on 10 July, and then six for 78 against Hampshire on 20 July.

His greatest success came in the "golden summer" of 1947, where he scored 1,735 runs and took 64 wickets.

A partnership with Peter Smith of 218 for the final wicket remains an Essex record.

He spent the Second World War serving in the Royal Air Force.

As his career progressed, his once useful bowling became both less successful and subordinate to Smith's, though he remained a sound and reliable batsman until a decline in form prompted the end of his playing career in 1954.

He made minor county and invitation appearances on occasion up to 1965, and spent three years coaching West of Scotland before retiring.

He followed this with 8/128 on 10 August against Leicestershire, the 80th best performance by an Essex bowler, beating his previous best of 6/78 by some margin and reaching a landmark of 50 first-class wickets, though he was unable to prevent a draw.