Stan Nichols

In his youth primarily a football goalkeeper who played for some time with Queen's Park Rangers, Nichols' prowess at cricket during the summer brought him to the attention of the Essex committee during the early 1920s, who recommended him as a left-handed batsman. He was engaged for 1924 but did not gain a regular place in the first eleven that year. The following year, however, Nichols gained a regular place as a promising fast bowler and batted very low in the order. He did nothing sensational apart from playing the primary role in dismissing Kent for 43 on a bad wicket at Southend in late July. 1926 was Nichols' breakthrough year, for he took 114 wickets in first-class cricket and, though he at this point often tried to bowl too fast and was sometimes wayward, his strong build meant he could bowl for long spells without tiring. Against Kent on a somewhat difficult wicket, he took ten wickets, whilst in the return with that county, he scored 57 batting at number eleven. In 1927, Nichols took 124 wickets for 23 runs each, with several strong performances: including nine for 59 against Hampshire at Chelmsford; eight for 46 against Derbyshire at Southend; and nine for 32 (4 for 12 and 5 for 20) against Somerset at Colchester. He scored 940 runs that year, but though 1928 saw a maiden century against Hampshire, he took fewer than 70 wickets for over 35 runs apiece. 1929, however, saw Nichols establish himself as a strong all-rounder. His hard-hitting left-handed batting had…