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| Full name | Charles William Jeffrey Athey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1957-09-27)27 September 1957 (age 67) Middlesbrough,North Riding of Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 487) | 28 August 1980 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 26 July 1988 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 56) | 20 August 1980 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 16 March 1988 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source:CricInfo,12 September 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles William Jeffrey Athey (born 27 September 1957)[1] is a retired Englishfirst-class cricketer, who played forEngland, and first-class cricket forGloucestershire,Yorkshire[2] andSussex; he also played a solitaryone-day game forWorcestershire. His bulldog spirit was exemplified by theUnion Jack tattooed on his arm. He played in 23Test matches between 1980 and 1988, but scored more than 50 runs only five times in 41 innings. In 1990, Athey joined therebel tour toSouth Africa.[1] He was a part of the English squad which finished asrunners-up at the1987 Cricket World Cup.
He made his debut for his native Yorkshire in 1976, before moving to Gloucestershire in 1984.[2] He captained the side in 1989, and scored four hundreds in successive innings while there. In 1993, he moved to Sussex, and passed the increasingly rare landmark of 25,000 first-class runs when he made an unbeaten century against Somerset in 1997.
At the end of that season he joined Worcestershire as coach, having 'retired' from playing, though in spite of his status he did play several times for the Second XI and once (in 1999) in aNational League game. He leftNew Road at the end of 2000. He played 467 first-class matches and batted 784 times with 71 not outs. He scored 25,453 first-class runs, with a best of 184, at an average of 35.69, with 55 centuries and 126 fifties. He took 429 catches, and 2 stumpings on his rare ventures behind the stumps. In 459 List A one-day matches, he scored 13,240 runs, with a top score of 142 not out at an average of 33.86, scoring 12 centuries, 89 fifties, and taking 171 catches and one stumping. He also playedMinor Counties cricket forSuffolk.
He was amiddle order batsman by inclination, but found greatest success at Test level as anopener. Selected for the1986/87 tour ofAustralia as middle order cover, he ended up opening in all five Tests withChris Broad. His top score was 96 inPerth. In the 1987 summer, he was initially meant to revert to the middle order, but an injury to Broad meant that he opened in the first Test withTim Robinson. However, in the second Test he reverted to number three, and made his only Test hundred atLord's.
He missed only one of twenty Test matches from 1986 to 1988.[1] Nevertheless, his 23 Test appearances were spread over eight years. He made his debut in theCentenary Test at Lord's in 1980, and eight years later appeared in theBicentennial Test in Sydney, along with fellow survivorsJohn Emburey andMike Gatting.
Although never thought of as a one-day player, Athey hit two centuries inOne Day Internationals, and top-scored for England before being run out in theirCricket World Cupfinal defeat against Australia at Calcutta in1987. He was suspended for playing in South Africa in 1990, but the suspension was remitted two years later when South Africa rejoined the world game.
Athey now works atDulwich College school in South London, as the First XI Cricket Coach. He also takes the Second XI football team, and is house master of Old Blew, one of the four Dulwich College boarding houses.
Athey also playedfootball and was on the books ofBrentford Reserves in the early 1980s.[3] He also played football for Ringmer FC whiles playing cricket for Sussex in the 90's
Politically, Athey is a Conservative, and once appeared on stage at aConservative Party conference in the 1980s alongside England teammateJohn Emburey.[4]
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