Vincent Roy Lumsden (born 19 July 1930) is a former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Jamaica and Cambridge University from 1950 to 1960. After his cricket career he worked as an agronomist and broadcaster in Jamaica.

Vincent Lumsden
Personal information
Full name
Vincent Roy Lumsden
Born (1930-07-19) 19 July 1930 (age 94)
Buff Bay, Portland Parish, Jamaica
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off-spin
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1949-50 to 1959-60Jamaica
1953 to 1956Cambridge University
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 57
Runs scored 2699
Batting average 27.82
100s/50s 1/14
Top score 107
Balls bowled 628
Wickets 11
Bowling average 32.27
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/20
Catches/stumpings 36/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 28 August 2014

Cricket career

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Lumsden was born at Buff Bay, Portland Parish, Jamaica. A champion schoolboy cricketer,[1] he attended Munro College in Jamaica on a scholarship from 1943 to 1949, and went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1952 to study agronomy.[2] He made his first-class debut for Jamaica in 1949-50, opening the batting and scoring 20 and 33.[3] He scored 60 in the only match he played in 1950-51.

He established himself in the Cambridge cricket team in 1953, batting in the middle order and scoring 449 runs at an average of 22.45.[4] Wisden noted that he "could drive the ball very hard, but his lack of adequate defence and a sense of impetuosity often caused early failures. His fielding, however, was often of special value."[5] He had his best season in 1954, scoring 701 runs at 35.05, top-scoring in each innings with 93 and 107 in the match against Worcestershire, when he shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 176 in just over two hours with John Slack to help Cambridge to victory.[6] His 47 in the second innings in the annual match against Oxford University helped Cambridge salvage a draw.[7]

In 1955 he scored 99 in the match against Worcestershire, again top-scoring in a Cambridge victory, this time by an innings.[8] He finished the season with 627 runs at 28.50. He also played a leading part in the victory over Sussex, top-scoring in each innings with 47 and 90, and taking three wickets with his off-spin.[9] He played four Minor Counties matches for Cambridgeshire in 1955 but with little success.[10] His form for Cambridge declined in 1956 (432 runs at 20.57, with a highest score of 47) and he was unable to play in a fourth consecutive match against Oxford owing to a finger injury.[11]

Lumsden returned to Jamaica and played a few more matches for the Jamaica team. In his first match he returned to the opening position and scored 91 as well as taking 4 for 20 and 2 for 32 in an innings victory over Leeward Islands in 1958.[12] His last match was against MCC in 1959-60.

Later life

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Lumsden worked in Jamaica for the Banana Board before teaching Botany and Agronomy at the Jamaica School of Agriculture from 1963 to 1965. He worked for the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation from 1965 to 1981, his work including commentary on horse racing.[13] From 1981 to 1989 he was an agricultural adviser to the Minister of Agriculture. From 1990 he did private consultancy in agriculture and hosted a radio program, Farm Time. He was also an operations steward for the Jamaica Racing Commission.[13]

Lumsden married during his last year at Cambridge. He and his wife have a daughter and four sons.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Daily Gleaner, 16 January 1950, p. 10. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  2. ^ Daily Gleaner, 4 September 1952, p. 10. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ Trinidad v Jamaica 1949-50
  4. ^ Vincent Lumsden batting by season
  5. ^ Wisden 1954, p. 640.
  6. ^ Wisden 1955, pp. 575-76.
  7. ^ Wisden 1955, pp. 272-73.
  8. ^ Worcestershire v Cambridge University 1955
  9. ^ Sussex v Cambridge University 1955
  10. ^ Minor Counties matches played by Vincent Lumsden
  11. ^ Wisden 1957, p. 641.
  12. ^ Jamaica v Leeward Islands 1958
  13. ^ a b c "Vincent Roy "Vin" Lumsden". Munro College Old Boys Association. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
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