Obituaries
EVENING STANDARD/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
Mike Harris
James Coyne on the prolific Cornish opener for Nottinghamshire and first-class umpire for two decades
Career 1964–82
First-class
344 Matches 19196 Runs 36.70 Average 201* High score 41 100s 98 50s 79 Wickets 43.78 Average 4-16 BB 288 Catches 14 Stumpings
List A
225 Matches 4882 Runs 29.95 Average 104* High score 3 100s 26 50s 4 Wickets 21.75 Average 2-24 BB 139 Catches 6 Stumpings
When the Cornishman Mike Harris ventured up-country to make his career at the start of the 1960s he was inevitably dubbed ‘Pasty’ by his Middlesex and Nottinghamshire team-mates. He became one of the most consistent county batsmen and a popular figure who loved to talk about the game at the bar.
Harris was initially an opening bat who bowled legspin, but was turned into the first-choice wicketkeeper at Notts.
“I think he should have played for England,” said his team-mate and frequent opening partner Basher Hassan. “I don’t know if his drinking counted against him.
“But he would perform. He would often arrive at the ground at 9.15, run around the ground for eight laps to sweat it all out, have a cup of tea and be ready to bat.
“He was a good all-round bat and a good coach from the other end when you were batting.”
Michael John Harris’ cricket began at Gerrans on the beautiful Roseland peninsula, before heading up to join the MCC groundstaff. He broke into the Middlesex first-team in the mid-1960s and earned his county cap in 1967. Harris struck his third and sixth first-class hundreds against Notts, and moved there for 1969. In 1971 he scored more first-class runs (2,238) than anyone in the country except Geoff Boycott – and his nine centuries that season has never been bettered by a Notts player. Twice that season – at Grace Road and Chelmsford – he struck twin centuries in a Championship match. When Derek Randall came into the side, and his running between the wickets became evident, Harris – generally a good judge of a run – insisted on calling for everything when the pair were in together. Harris was put on standby for the 1974/75 Ashes tour, but Alec Bedser’s selection committee instead turned to the 41-year-old Colin Cowdrey as an emergency measure. He had to be content with tours to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with the International Wanderers and the Caribbean with Derrick Robins that winter.