Arthur Jepson

Jepson, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, made his county debut as a 23-year-old in 1938. He had his best summer in 1947 when he took 115 wickets at 27.78, the only occasion when he took more than 100 wickets in a season. On the back of his prolific summer he represented the Marylebone Cricket Club twice the following year. In a match against Leicestershire in 1958, his penultimate season, he took a career-best 8 for 45 to dismiss Leicestershire for 128 in their second innings. He brought up his 1,000th first-class wicket when he had first innings century-maker and captain Willie Watson caught by Norman Hill. He batted mostly in the lower order and made a solitary century in his first-class career, an innings of 130 against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge when he shared in a sixth wicket partnership of 270 with opener Reg Simpson.

"Jepson was a doughty opponent with all-round skills that buttressed a Nottinghamshire team whose individual capabilities, for most of the early post-war years, were far superior to their teamwork." After retiring as a cricketer, Jepson turned to umpiring and officiated in county matches up until 1985. He umpired in the Gillette Cup and NatWest Trophy from 1963 to 1987. Jepson was umpire, along with Harold 'Dickie' Bird for the famous 1971 Gillette Cup Semi Final between Lancashire and Gloucestershire at Old Trafford. The game finished around 9pm having been delayed for around 90 minutes at lunch due to rain. It is believed Jepson made the call to…

In football, Jepson was a goalkeeper; after leaving Newark Town, he played for Mansfield Town and then Grantham Town. In June 1938, he joined Port Vale and made his Third Division South debut in a 1–0 defeat at Clapton Orient on 8 September. He proved to be a more competent keeper than George Heppell. He was an ever-present at the Old Recreation Ground during the rest of the 1938–39 season despite problems with injury and gaining permission to play from Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Also a regular during the 1939–40 campaign, during the war he guested for Nottingham Forest, Watford, Notts County and Swansea Town. After his demobbing from the forces in October 1945, he was one of six pre-war Port Vale players who returned to Burslem, regaining his place in the side. After suffering a serious spinal injury in February 1946, he missed the rest of the season. This time, he also missed the start of the 1946–47 season due to his cricketing commitments. In September 1946, having played 92 games for the Vale over all competitions, he was sold to local rivals Stoke City for a £3,750 fee, as Vale manager Billy Frith believed Heppell to be a superior goalkeeper. Stoke manager Bob McGrory used Jepson in 31 games in 1946–47, ahead of rivals Dennis Herod and Emmanuel Foster, as the "Potters" recorded a fourth-place finish in the First Division – a club record finish that still stands. However, Jepson made just one appearance in 1947–48, with Herod being the preferred stopper. After…

Jepson had one son and one daughter, and in later life, he helped his son (a golf professional) manage a sports equipment shop near the family home at Kirkby-in-Ashfield.