Foxes Flashback - Paddy Corrall
Thu 16 Jul 2020
Paddy Corrall (born 16th July 1906)
Paddy Corrall spent much of his working life involved in cricket. He had several setbacks in his cricketing career, but he always seemed ready to help out when he was required to do so.
His debut for Leicestershire was ‘spectacular’. He put on 112 for the 9th wicket with George Geary. He contributed just four singles to the partnership which lasted two hours. In 1931 he was part of the 2nd XI team that won the Minor Counties championship, which was the first time that the county club had won ‘anything’ except the wooden spoon since becoming first class.
He finally got his chance to play regularly in 1932 and quickly received his cap. All was going well until July the following summer, when keeping wicket against Lancashire, Astill tossed up a high ball which Washbrook swung around to hit, striking Paddy with his bat above his left ear, leaving him motionless. As a result, play was abandoned for the day and he was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary where they discovered that he had fractured his skull.
He was fit to resume duties the following summer, and there he remained until he broke a finger and the youthful George Dawkes took over in 1937. So promising were Dawkes’ performances that with an eye on costs, Paddy was not re engaged for 1938. He commented “I have had my skull fractured, my collar bone broken, and my finger broken in the service of Leicestershire cricket and I must say I am surprised at what has now happened”.
