Frank Sibbles

Wisden obituary
Frank Marshall Sibbles died on July 20 at the age of 69 and one of the few remaining links with Lancashire's successful Championship side led by Colonel Leonard Green in 1926-7-8 has been severed. Sibbles was very much the junior partner in an attack spearheaded by Ted McDonald and Dick Tyldesley but he came into the side when Cec Parkin left Old Trafford to rejoin league cricket ... and in a career stretching from 1925 to 1937 Sibbles took 932 wickets and hit 3436 runs. A recruit from the Werneth club in the Central Lancashire League, who were later to provide Lancashire with players like Geoff Pullar, Jim and Malcolm Hilton, Jack Dyson and Geoff Clayton, Sibbles bowled off-cutters and off spinners with deadly effect if the pitch was at all helpful. He also used the new ball to good purpose and in the early 'thirties regularly opened the Lancashire attack with in-swingers bowled at a brisk pace. There was seldom a season in his time at Old Trafford when the fair-haired Sibbles, as handsome a cricketer as ever played for the county, did not produce figures of distinction, but his own preference, if not a career-best, was the 7 for 10 with which he demoralised Yorkshire at Bradford in 1932. That day Sibbles proudly claimed `the ball did everything I wanted it to do and more besides!' He had previously taken 8 for 24 against Somerset at Old Trafford in 1927 and in his last season, 1937, he was still accurate and deadly enough to capture five Essex wickets for only eight runs although badly handicapped by knee trouble. He retired at the end of that summer ... and is still remembered as one of the most consistent cricketers without a major representative honour to his name. He played just once for the Players v the Gentlemen at Lord's but never in Test cricket or on overseas tours. Twice he claimed more than 100 wickets in a season. In 1932, his most successful year, he took 131 wickets for 1754 runs each and in 1937 was still commanding respect with a return of 107 wickets at 23 -15 runs each. As a batsman Sibbles could defend doggedly when called upon and he could also hit to advantage. In the field Sibbles was an accomplished close-to-the-wicket catcher and often assisted Dick Tyldesley in a leg trap position that was frequently regarded as `suicide corner' on good pitches. Sibbles's death came suddenly at his Bramhall home in Cheshire but he had been ill for several years and had retired from business a couple of years ago after being a partner and director in a well-known Manchester firm of sports outfitters. Frank Watson, now 74, remains as the only regular member of the Championship side Sibbles graced so successfully, but Eddie Paynter and Len Hopwood, who played occasionally in the 'hat-trick' team, are fit and well, and Hopwood said of his friend and colleague 'Squibs': `He was a consistent and attractive cricketer ... one who could be relied upon to get wickets and runs when they were needed most.' His playing days over, Sibbles became a member of the Lancashire committee and was at one time chairman of selectors. Upon his retirement he was honoured by a vice-presidency of the county he served so well.
The Cricketer, September 1973