DOUGLAS GEORGE GREASLEY died on 9 December 2011 aged 85.

A free scoring lower middle order right hand batsman and orthodox slow left armer, he was Yorkshire born, but played his county cricket for Northamptonshire being on the staff from 1950 to 1955 without ever quite cementing a regular place in the Championship side.

His career best bowling came at the county ground on first class debut against his native county in 1950 when he had first innings figures of 15.4 - 7 - 36 - 4, his wickets including former Test batsman the left hander Geoff Smithson and a very useful tail end hitter in Johnny Wardle the England left armer.

 Though his bowling was praised by Wisden he achieved little with the ball thereafter managing to take only 12 further first class wickets, finishing with 16 at 35.81.

His sole first class century came against Leicestershire, again at Wantage Road, the following season. Coming in at no 8, when Northants were struggling at 121/6 in their first innings, he in Wisden's words "drove and cut attractively while making a splendid century." He finished on 101* having hit fifteen 4s and one 6.  His runs were made out of 163 added while he was at the wicket. Though he made 32 in the second innings to ensure a draw and was later seen mainly as a batsman, he never played so well again finishing his career with 1659 runs at 22.41.

Released by the county at the end of the 1955 season he played as a professional in Scotland for more than a decade, thus qualifying for an obituary notice on this site.

In 1957 he appeared for Sir John Hay's XI against the full Surrey side in a match to mark the centenary of the Aberdeenshire Club. He failed twice in the game as did most of his team mates, including two West Indian Test players and Freddie Trueman, against a powerful attack comprising Alec Bedser, Peter Loader and Jim Laker.

                                                                                        Edward Liddle      January 2012