HAMPSHIRE Cricket legend Derek Shackleton died today at his Dorset home. He was 83.
Right arm seam bowler Shackleton played a remarkable 21 seasons for Hampshire and seven Tests for England.
He took more than 100 wickets in 20 consecutive summers, and his career average dropped season by season.
One of the most respected bowlers of his generation, he took a stunning 2,857 wickets at an average of 18.65, conceding just over two runs per over.
He took 2,669 wickets for Hampshire between 1948 and 1969 - more than any other player in the county's history. The next highest is Alex Kennedy with 2,549.
He was unfortunate to play only seven Tests, in two series separated by more than a decade in the 11950s.
He bowled more balls and took more wickets for Hampshire than anyone else before or since.
His best bowling of 9 for 30 was achieved against Warwickshire in 1960, and he took nine wickets in an innings three more times.
He bagged 9-59 and 9-81 against Gloucestershire in Bristol in 1958 and again the following year, and also took 9-77 against Glamorgan in 1953.
In 1955 he returned second innings figures of 11.1-7-4-8 in a match against Somerset, giving him match figures of 14-29. He also took match figures of 14-99 against Warwickshire at Bournemouth in 1965.
Against Leicestershire in 1950 he took five wickets for no runs in nine balls against Leicestershire.
His most prolific season for Hampshire came in 1962 when he bagged 172 wickets at 20.15. He claimed 165 wickets at 15.44 in 1958, six more than he managed in 1955 when he averaged 13.72.
He also took the following:.
158 in 1961 at 19.09..
155 in 1957 at 15.67.
150 in 1953 at 20.46.
148 in 1959 at 21.55.
146 in 1963 at 16.75.
144 in 1965 at 16.08.
142 in 1964 at 20.40.
140 in 1956 at 16.34.
135 in 1952 at 18.36.
130 in 1951 at 19.70.
130 in 1960 at 17.69.
117 in 1966 at 17.84.
114 in 1967 at 16.84.
111 in 1950 at 22.11.
109 in 1968 at 17.32.
104 in 1954 at 19.08.
100 in 1949 at 26.16..
Born in Tormoden on the Lancashire-Yorkshire border in 1924, he came to the notice of Hampshire when playing Services cricket after the war. Recruited as a batsman who bowled occasional legspin, he was asked to try his hand at pace bowling as Hampshire desperately sought opening bowlers.
He took 21 wickets in his first season, nearly did the double in his second (taking 100 wickets), and thereafter his bowling went from strength to strength.
After retirement from active cricket he went to Canford School in Dorset as coach and groundsman,retiring in 1990.
He had a brief spell as a first-class umpire in 1979.
