An outstanding captain, a solid batsman and more than useful offspinner, John Barclay was occasionally mentioned as a possible England captain, but in truth he was not quite good enough to make that step. But he was a precocious talent, good enough to make the XI at Eton at the age of 14, and he made his Sussex debut at age of 16 in 1970. He captained England Young Cricketers in West Indies in 1972 but did not become a regular at Hove until 1975. He passed 1000 runs every season between 1976 and 1979, and in the last year he also took 52 wickets. He took over the captaincy of Sussex in 1981, coming agonisingly close to leading them to their first Championship that summer, and thereafter his form slowly fell away, although he continued to make useful contributions. He retired at the end of 1986. He has remained in the game, mainly as director of cricket and coaching for the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation, as well as managing several tours, including two major ones for England. In May 2009, he was nominated as MCC President.
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