Former Lancashire and England pacer Ken Shuttleworth passes away at the age of 80 having played 5 tests for England.
Ken Shuttleworth, former Lancashire and England fast bowler, dies aged 80.
The 80-year-old fast bowler Ken Shuttleworth, who played for Lancashire and England, passed away.
In the first Test of that winter’s Ashes-winning tour of Australia, Shuttleworth, who played five Test matches in 1970 and 1971, made his debut at Brisbane, taking five second-inning wickets.
Shuttleworth was a tall, powerfully built, right-arm quick bowler who bowled with a side-on action and real pace after coming in from a long run. He was born in St Helens, joined Lancashire in 1964, and gave Brian Statham, the attack leader, a cutting edge to assist his metronomic tactics.
“I was bowling as quick as what you see the fast bowlers bowl now,” Shuttleworth told The St Helens Star in 2021. “Brian and Ken Higgs were still the two main bowlers with Peter Lever and myself taking turns as the third seamer.”
Shuttleworth took 484 wickets at 22.92 for Lancashire after dismissing Geoff Boycott for his first first-class wicket at Old Trafford. In the later seasons of his career, he added another 99 wickets for Leicestershire.
During the 1968 season, he amassed 73 first-class wickets (65 for his county), including his best figures of 7 for 41 against Essex at Leyton. He surpassed it two years later, taking 74 wickets at a little over 21.
Shuttleworth probably would have increased his number of international appearances considerably if he hadn’t had so many injuries. Under Richie Benaud’s leadership, he toured Pakistan with the Commonwealth Team in 1967–68. In June 1970, he played for England against the Rest of the World at Lord’s.
As the one-day game gained popularity in the 1970s, Lancashire’s success—which included two Sunday League titles in 1969 and 1970 as well as a hat-trick of Gillette Cup victories in 1970, ’71, and ’72—was largely attributed to Shuttleworth’s brief, incisive periods. At Trent Bridge in 1972, he recorded his best numbers of 5 for 13, which included taking out Garry Sobers.
Shuttleworth finished his league cricket career in Staffordshire after moving to Leicestershire in 1975. He then went on to become a first-class umpire after a few years in business. He was admitted into the Lancashire Hall of Fame in 2021. His daughters Sara and Hannah, as well as his wife Barbara, survive him.