Clifford Goodman

{{short description|Barbadian cricketer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Clifford Goodman

| image =

| image_size =

| country =

| fullname = Clifford Everard Goodman

| nickname =

| birth_date = 20 November 1869

| birth_place = College View, St Philip, Barbados

| death_date = 1 February 1911 (aged 41)

| death_place = Belleville, St Michael, Barbados

| family = Percy Goodman (brother)
G. Aubrey Goodman (brother)

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm fast

| club1 = Barbados

| year1 = 1891-92 to 1896-97

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 15

| runs1 = 274

| bat avg1 = 17.12

| 100s/50s1 = 0/1

| top score1 = 68

| deliveries1 =

| wickets1 = 126

| bowl avg1 = 10.53

| fivefor1 = 15

| tenfor1 = 6

| best bowling1 = 8/40

| catches/stumpings1= 14/–

| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/clifford-goodman-51984 Cricinfo

| date = 15 August 2021

}}

Clifford Everard Goodman (20 November 1869 – 1 February 1911), was a Barbadian cricketer of the 1890s.

A right-arm fast bowler, Goodman was educated at The Lodge School, Barbados."Obituary", Cricket, 29 April 1911, p. 98. He stood at 6 ft 4ins and took 126 wickets at 10.70 in his 15 match first-class career.{{cite web |title=Clifford Goodman |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/51984.html |website=Cricinfo |accessdate=29 August 2020}} During his five-year first-class career he was almost always successful and was described after his death in 1911 as "perhaps the best bowler the West Indies ever had, and a good hitter too".Cricket, 1913, p. 41 In the history of first-class cricket, he has the highest average of wickets per match among bowlers with 100 wickets or more, with 8.4 wickets per match.{{cite web |title=First-Class Most Wickets per Match |url=https://stats.acscricket.com/Records/First_Class/Overall/Bowling/Most_Wickets_per_Match.html |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=5 March 2025}}

He played in all 14 Barbados matches from 1891–92 to 1896–97. He was also selected for the combined West Indies against Priestley's side in 1896–97, taking 9 wickets in the match, which the West Indies team won.{{cite web |title=All West Indies v AA Priestley's XI 1896-97 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1890S/1896-97/PRIESTLEY-XI_IN_WI/PRIESTLEY-XI_ALL-WI_15-17FEB1897.html |website=Cricinfo |accessdate=29 August 2020}} In the match for Barbados that preceded the West Indies match, he took 8 for 40 and 6 for 50 in Barbados's 136-run victory over Priestley's XI.{{cite web |title=Barbados v A Priestley's XI 1896-97 (3rd match) |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4700.html |website=CricketArchive |accessdate=29 August 2020}}

His younger brother Percy was also one of the top West Indian players of his day and toured England in 1900 and 1906. Clifford (eight wickets) and Percy (ten wickets) dismissed Trinidad for 35 and 41 to win the final of the Inter-Colonial Tournament for Barbados in 1893–94.{{cite web |title=Trinidad v Barbados 1893-94 |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4054.html |website=CricketArchive |accessdate=29 August 2020}} Two other brothers, Aubrey and Evans, also played first-class cricket. All four brothers played for Barbados in the 1893-94 match, when Aubrey captained the team.