John Stephenson was one of England's many one-cap wonders of the 1980s, brought in as an opening batsman against the all-conquering Australians at The Oval in 1989. He made 25 and 11, but it was not enough to win him a place on that winter's tour of West Indies. He subsequently did well enough to be chosen to play for England A, but never again came close to a Test recall. An upright batsman, and, at county level, a useful medium-pace bowler, he was also a good fielder. In 1994 he left Essex after being passed-over as captain of Essex after Graham Gooch stood down, moving to Hampshire. He returned to Chelmsford in 2002 to lead Essex's second XI, but did so well that he was recalled to the first team where he continued to turn in useful performances as a bowler - he ended 2002 as their leading wicket-taker with 48 wickets and also chipped in with 562 runs at 35. In June 2004 he was appointed as the MCC's Head of Cricket and immediately announced his retirement from the first-class game.
Martin Williamson