42 Facts About Harold Gimblett

Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England.

Harold Gimblett was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut.

Harold Gimblett appeared in only three Tests, none of them against Australia, and he left first-class cricket abruptly, suffering from mental health problems that would remain with him to the end of his life.

Harold Gimblett was born at Bicknoller in the Quantock Hills in west Somerset, where his family had been farmers since the 15th century.

Harold Gimblett was the youngest of three brothers and was educated at the local school at Williton and then at the fee-paying West Buckland School just over the border in Devon.

Harold Gimblett played cricket successfully at school and for Watchet Cricket Club.

Harold Gimblett briefly moved to London to work, but city life was not to his taste and he returned home, resuming cricket for the Watchet club.

Harold Gimblett was told to get himself to Frome: Daniell arranged for the wicketkeeper Wally Luckes, who had a car, to pick him up from Bridgwater.

Harold Gimblett missed the bus from Taunton, and hitched a lift in a lorry.

Harold Gimblett's first run came off his third ball, and shortly afterwards he was hitting the leg-break and googly bowler Peter Smith for 15 in an over.

Harold Gimblett raced to his 50 in just 28 minutes, off 33 balls, reaching it with a six.

Wellard, unusually for him, was outpaced and was out, followed swiftly by Luckes, but Harold Gimblett was joined by Bill Andrews, who hit powerfully.

Harold Gimblett's century came in just 63 minutes, which proved to be the fastest century of the season, and it was made out of 130 runs added while he had been at the wicket.

Harold Gimblett finished with 123 out of 175 in 80 minutes, with three sixes and 17 fours.

Harold Gimblett retained his place for the next match, against Middlesex at Lord's, only because of another injury to a regular player, and though he top-scored with 53 in the second innings, he himself was injured and missed the next month.

Regular opening batsman Jack Lee had been allowed to leave Somerset to become coach at Mill Hill School, and Harold Gimblett was promoted to open the innings against the Indians in Somerset's first match of the season.

Harold Gimblett made 103 and then an unbeaten 46 as Somerset won the match by nine wickets after making the Indians follow on.

Harold Gimblett failed in the match, scoring just four runs in his only innings.

Harold Gimblett was nonetheless selected for the England team for the first Test of the 1936 series in an experimental opening partnership with Arthur Mitchell of Yorkshire.

Harold Gimblett was not a success, making just three and one.

David Foot's biography of Harold Gimblett indicates that this 1936 season, although one of his most successful, showed early signs of the illness that was to afflict him later.

Harold Gimblett completed 1000 runs easily in both seasons and there were occasional innings of brilliance: at Wells in 1937, he made 141 in 150 minutes with nine sixes and 16 fours against Hampshire.

For some matches in 1938, Harold Gimblett batted at No 4, Bertie Buse opening with Lee.

Harold Gimblett had another of his "purple patches" early in the 1939 season, which was his most successful so far.

Harold Gimblett scored 905 runs in the first seven Somerset matches, including five centuries in successive matches.

Harold Gimblett was picked for the first Test against West Indies at Lord's, opening with Hutton and making 22 and 20.

Harold Gimblett did not retain his place in the Test team, but played in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's, making 52 in the Players' first innings.

Harold Gimblett volunteered for the Royal Air Force for the Second World War, but was allocated instead to the Fire Service, and saw duty in badly bombed cities such as Plymouth and Bristol.

In 1949, Harold Gimblett passed 2000 runs for the season for the first time in his career, his 2093 in the season being a new record for Somerset at the time.

Harold Gimblett hit two centuries in a match for the first time in his career, with 115 and an unbeaten 127 in the game against Hampshire at Taunton.

Harold Gimblett was dosed with penicillin and travelled to Nottingham.

Harold Gimblett had some success on the tour, scoring one century, the only one of the 50 centuries in his career not to be made for Somerset.

Harold Gimblett made a century in that match and had, in terms of run aggregate, his best-ever season in 1952.

Harold Gimblett scored 2134 runs in all matches, at an average of 39.51.

Harold Gimblett thought a lot, worried a lot, fretted a lot, all the more because he struggled to present a calm, bold front to the outer world.

David Foot, the author of Harold Gimblett's biography, wrote in his history of Somerset cricket that Harold Gimblett "retained obsessive complexes about class, money and health".

Out of first-class cricket, Harold Gimblett took a job as a cricket professional with Ebbw Vale Cricket Club in South Wales.

Harold Gimblett then applied for and got a job with his old Somerset captain, Jack Meyer, who was headmaster of Millfield School.

At Millfield, Harold Gimblett helped with the cricket coaching, ran the school shop and did other tasks around the school such as driving minibuses.

At the time of his death, Harold Gimblett had moved from Minehead to a mobile home at Verwood, Dorset.

Harold Gimblett died after taking an overdose of prescription drugs.

Harold Gimblett was survived by his wife, Marguerita, whom he married in 1938, and by a son.