Mike WATKINSON

Mike Watkinson, captain of Lancashire through the latter half of the 1990s, switched

from seam bowling to heavily-spun off spin later in his career, which brought him a

handful of Test matches. At 19, when he was an apprentice with British Aerospace,

he became the youngest ever professional in the Bolton League. He joined Lancashire

in 1982 and was one of the all-rounders who brought them success in domestic one

day competitions.

At 6ft 1in and 13 stone and as a hard hitting batsman and aggressive

seam bowler 'Winker' Watkinson was Man of the Match in the Benson and Hedges Cup final

at Lord's in 1990. In the same year he scored 138 in the Roses match against Yorkshire.

His switch to spin got him an England place in the fourth Test against the West Indies in 1995,

on his home ground at Old Trafford. He took 2-28 in the first innings then scored 37 as

England built a lead of 221. In the second innings he took 3-64, removing Sherwin Campbell

and taking a return catch off Jimmy Adams when he had only scored 1.

In the next Test at

Trent Bridge he took 3-84, then scored 82 not out when England looked in danger of defeat

after a middle order collapse. He had little success at the Oval, taking 0-113 in an innings of

692-8 declared. In his three home Test matches Watkinson bowled at Brian Lara while he scored

145, 152 and 179. He toured South Africa under the captaincy of Mike Atherton in 1995-96,

playing in just the one Test in Cape Town where he took 2-35 in 10 overs. (Bob Harragan)