Frederick John Durston (11 July 1893 – 8 April 1965) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex and England.[2] He is a member of the Middlesex Hall of Fame.[4]

Jack Durston
Durston in 1920.
Personal information
Full name
Frederick John Durston[1]
Born11 July 1893
Clophill, England
Died8 April 1965(1965-04-08) (aged 71)[2]
Norwood Green, England[2]
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[3]
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast, off-break
International information
National side
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 1 386
Runs scored 8 3918
Batting average 8.00 11.90
100s/50s -/- -/6
Top score 6* 92*
Balls bowled 202 72124
Wickets 5 1329
Bowling average 27.19 22.03
5 wickets in innings 72
10 wickets in match 11
Best bowling 4/102 8/27
Catches/stumpings -/- 257/-
Source: Cricinfo

Association football career
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1912 Bedford Town 5 (0)
Royal Engineers
Queens Park Rangers
1919–1921 Brentford 44 (0)
Northfleet United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cricket career

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A tall fast bowler with the ability to make the ball "break back" after pitching,[5] Durston came to the fore in Middlesex's County Championship-winning seasons of 1920 and 1921,[2] having played only a handful of matches before then. In both years, he took more than 100 wickets and after taking 11 wickets for MCC against the all-conquering 1921 Australian team led by Warwick Armstrong,[2][6] he was picked for the second Test match on his home ground, Lord's.[7] But though he took five wickets for 136 runs in the match,[8] he was dropped and never played for England again.[2]

Durston played for Middlesex until 1933,[9] turning increasingly to off-spin as he got older and stouter. In all, he took 1,314 wickets. His batting improved with age and in 1927 he shared an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 160 – scored in only 80 minutes – with Patsy Hendren against Essex at Leyton that remained as a Middlesex record until 2011.[10][11]

Durston ran an indoor cricket school at Acton in London from 1924 to 1958.[11]

Football career

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Durston also played football as a goalkeeper for Royal Engineers, Queens Park Rangers, Brentford,[12] Northfleet United and Bedford Town.[7][13]

The Hackney Gazette Newspaper reported that the Brentford registered goalkeeper Corporal Jack Durston made 2 appearances for Clapton Orient during the December holiday period of 1917 both against Chelsea. On Christmas Day at Chelsea in a 4–1 defeat and on Boxing Day a 2–1 defeat at Millfields, Homerton. Source: Neilson N. Kaufman, honorary historian of nearly fifty years to Leyton Orient FC.

Personal life

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Durston served with the Royal Engineers during the First World War.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 88. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Jack Durston". Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  3. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 69. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  4. ^ "Middlesex County Cricket Club". www.middlesexccc.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Wisden – Fred Durston". Cricinfo. 26 January 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  6. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". www.cricketarchive.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. pp. 51–52. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  8. ^ "2nd Test, Australia tour of England at Lord's, Jun 11-14 1921". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  9. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". www.cricketarchive.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Berg and Murtagh put Middlesex on brink". Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  11. ^ a b "'Long Jack' played in only one Test", The Cricketer, 7 May 1965, p. 31.
  12. ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 365–366. ISBN 0951526200.
  13. ^ "Player list 1908-38X.xlsx". google.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
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