11 Facts About Tommy Mitchell

Thomas Bignall Mitchell was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1928 and 1939.

Tommy Mitchell's bowling was an important factor in Derbyshire's most successful period in the County Championship during the 1930s.

Tommy Mitchell was born at Creswell, Bolsover, Derbyshire and was a faceworker in the coal mines.

Tommy Mitchell was first spotted by Derbyshire during the General Strike of 1926 and began playing for Derbyshire in the 1928 season but was disappointing.

Tommy Mitchell played in the Fourth Test as a replacement for Bill Voce who was injured, and despite dismissing Bill Woodfull in both innings he was never able to establish himself for England.

However, for Derbyshire Tommy Mitchell went from strength to strength in the dry summers of 1933 and 1934, at times bowling with sensational skill, as when he dismissed Worcestershire for 48 on a good pitch in 1934.

Tommy Mitchell was close to the top of the averages in those two seasons, but from the 1935 season appeared to sacrifice length to gain more spin and often suffered heavy punishment.

Tommy Mitchell did, though, continue to baffle batsmen for Hickleton Main well into his fifties.

At his best a master of flight and variety, Tommy Mitchell was capable of many more balls than the typical leg-break and googly bowler, perhaps because he learned his art in an unusual way from spinning a billiard ball.

Tommy Mitchell was never much of a batsman, but was a capable field at cover-point.

When he died at Hickleton, Doncaster, Yorkshire, Tommy Mitchell was the oldest surviving English Test cricketer and was surrounded by great-grandchildren, seemingly contented in a way not seen in his days as a player.