Cyril Perkins

Cyril Perkins was a slow-left arm bowler who played three seasons for Northamptonshire in the mid 1930s during a dismal period for the county and in 56 appearances never once finished on the winning side. In 2011 he became the 12th first-class cricketer confirmed to have reached 100 year old and is now the oldest living player in the world.

Given how wretched Northants were when he played, Perkins' career figures are quite impressive. "We did get a bit despondent at times," he said. "We had a first-innings lead in quite a few matches and we didn't win any of them. But in the end you get so used to not winning you just accept it."

By some way his best season was in 1935 when in 20 matches he took 63 wickets at 26.46 which included all five of his career five-wicket hauls as well as his best figures of 6 for 54 against Worcestershire. Although he was an ever-present in 1936 his form fell away markedly - his wickets cost 59.11 each - and by the middle of the following summer he was out the side.

He moved to Suffolk in 1939 and in 1946 took up a role as cricket coach at Ipswich School where he stayed until 1977. He first played Minor Counties cricket for Suffolk in 1939 and continued to play for them through to 1967 by which time he was 56. In all he took a record 779 wickets for the county. He made one final first-class appearance in 1951 for Minor Counties against Kent and in 1966 represented Suffolk in the Gillette Cup.

"I remember watching him bowl," recalled the Daily Telegraph's Simon Parry-Crooke in 2011, "and he had this incredible control: he could just drop the ball on a handkerchief."
Martin Williamson