Graham Skinner (cricketer)

{{short description|English cricketer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Graham Skinner

| country = England

| fullname = Alfred Graham Skinner

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1910|8|11|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British Raj

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|1|19|1910|8|11|df=yes}}

| death_place = Kensington, London, England

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| heightm =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm off break

| role =

| family =

| club1 = Buckinghamshire

| year1 = 1952

| clubnumber1 =

| club2 = Bengal

| year2 = 1935/36–1938/39

| clubnumber2 =

| club3 = Europeans (India)

| year3 = 1935/36–1944/45

| clubnumber3 =

| club4 = Minor Counties

| year4 = 1933

| clubnumber4 =

| club5 = Buckinghamshire

| year5 = 1927–1938

| clubnumber5 =

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 13

| runs1 = 490

| bat avg1 = 25.78

| 100s/50s1 = 1/1

| top score1 = 125

| deliveries1 = 822

| wickets1 = 9

| bowl avg1 = 52.77

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 3/44

| catches/stumpings1 = 10/–

| date = 14 August

| year = 2011

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/20514.html ESPNcricinfo

}}

Alfred Graham Skinner (11 August 1910 – 19 January 1997) was an English cricketer. Skinner was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born in Calcutta and educated at Oundle School in England.

Skinner made his debut for Buckinghamshire against the Kent Second XI in 1927. He played Minor counties cricket on a regular basis up to 1933,{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14567/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html|title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Graham Skinner|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=14 August 2011}} even making two first-class appearances for the Minor Counties in 1933, against Oxford University and the touring West Indians.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14567/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Graham Skinner|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=14 August 2011}}

While serving in the Raj in 1935, Skinner made his debut for the Europeans against the Muslims. Early the following year he made his debut for Bengal against Central Provinces and Berar in the Ranji Trophy. He would make six further first-class appearances for Bengal, the last of which came against Southern Punjab in the 1938–39 Ranji Trophy. He scored 365 runs for Bengal at an average of 33.18, with high score of 125.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14567/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Graham Skinner|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=14 August 2011}} This score, which was his only first-class century, came against Nawanagar in the final of the 1936–37 Ranji Trophy.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16088.html|title=Bengal v Nawanagar, 1936/37 Ranji Trophy|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=14 August 2011}} He also took seven wickets for Bengal at a bowling average of 36.85, with best figures of 3/44.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14567/f_Bowling_by_Team.html|title=First-class Bowling For Each Team by Graham Skinner|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=14 August 2011}} Late in 1936 he made a further first-class appearance for the Europeans against the Parsees.

Skinner next made appearances for Buckinghamshire in the Minor Counties Championship in 1938, playing nine times in that season. With the start of World War II, he was mentioned in the London Gazette in June 1940 as having passed out of the Officers' Training Corps with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.{{London Gazette |issue=34875 |date=14 June 1940 |supp=y |page=3687 }} While on active service in India, he later made his final first-class appearance for the Europeans, which came against the Hindus in the 1943–44 Bombay Pentangular Tournament, as well as making his final career first-class appearance for a Services XI against an Indian XI in February 1944. Following the war, he returned to play for Buckinghamshire in 1952, making an appearance each against Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Norfolk.

He died in Kensington, London, on 19 January 1997.