Foxes Flashback - Nigel Briers

Nigel Briers (15th January, 1955)

When he made his debut at Cambridge in 1971, Nigel became Leicestershire’s youngest first-class cricketer, beating Rodney Pratt by 148 days. It was a tougher debut than might be expected, as the University were captained by the great Majid Khan whose second innings century helped win them the match, with England’s Phil Edmonds bowling Leicestershire out, claiming nine wickets in the match.

He played at Oxford the next year…and then not again for another four years, mainly because he was training to be a teacher at Borough Road College in West London, perhaps better known for producing athletes rather than cricketers.

He was however gaining valuable experience by captaining the England Young Cricketers in their ‘Test matches’ against their West Indies counterparts, with the England team including another ex-Lutterworth student, Nick Cook, and future England players Mike Gatting, Chris Tavare and Graham Stevenson, and opening the innings with future Leicestershire chief executive, David Smith.

It’s an understatement to say that cricket was in his blood, for his father Len played for Narborough in the South Leicestershire League ‘man and boy’, and his mother scored, so I guess attending matches became part of life early on.

Maybe his years at Borough Road cost him the chance of an England cap, because it was 1981 before he scored his first thousand. He then suffered injuries three seasons in a row, culminating in a career threatening broken wrist in 1986.

He took over the captaincy of Leicestershire at a difficult time. Firstly, the fast-bowling department had retired en masse, secondly David Gower had left to join Hampshire, and thirdly there were management ‘problems’ at the Club. After finishing 16th in 1991, he led the club to runners up in 1994, which gave the team the belief to go one better in 1996 and 1998.

He was selected as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year in 1993, largely for his captaincy and his model professionalism and enthusiasm, but that should not detract from his batting record, or his skill as a fielder.

Counting First-Class and One Day matches together, he played 719 times for Leicestershire (2nd to Roger Tolchard with 732) and scored 26,942 runs (second only to Les Berry), with 37 centuries.

His best summer was 1990, when he scored 1,996 runs. He needed 6 runs when he began his final innings of the summer at Derby, only to be bowled by Ian Bishop for 2.

Whilst playing, he spent the winters teaching at Ludgrove School, where his creative embellishment of some famous historical events became legendary. On retirement he taught at Marlborough College, whose pupils at that time included Kate Middleton (i.e., HRH Duchess of Cambridge). One day perhaps we will be able to say that the Queen of England was taught cricket by a lad from Narborough!