A solidly built swing bowler who had been a fine schoolboy player, Richard Ellison made his Test debut (alongside Jonathan Agnew) in the 1984 Oval Test. He took five wickets, but couldn't stop West Indies pulling off their historic 5-0 "blackwash". The following year Ellison was recalled for the fifth Ashes Test against Australia, at Edgbaston, and this time it was a different story: curly mop bobbing as he jinked in, he claimed ten wickets in the match, three of them on a delirious fourth evening as Australia crumbled to 37 for 5. The key wicket was Allan Border, who stretched forward but was befuddled by Ellison's late breakback. The ball just clipped the bails, and the danger man was gone. But Ellison lacked the pace to be as dangerous overseas, and also lacked the fitness to be as effective in England again. He missed the whole of the 1987 season with injury, but bounced back with 71 county wickets for Kent in 1988. However, England never called again, and Ellison drifted into retirement at the early age of 33.
Steven Lynch