Neil Stanley

{{Short description|English cricketer (1968–2024)}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Neil Stanley

| country = England

| fullname = Neil Alan Stanley

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1968|05|16}}

| birth_place = Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2024|08|07|1968|05|16}}

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| heightm =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role =

| family =

| club1 = Bedfordshire

| year1 = {{nowrap|1987–1989}}

| club2 = Northamptonshire

| year2 = 1988–1993

| club3 = Bedfordshire

| year3 = 1994–2003

| columns = 2

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 21

| runs1 = 1,019

| bat avg1 = 32.87

| 100s/50s1 = 1/7

| top score1 = 132

| deliveries1 = 60

| wickets1 = 0

| bowl avg1 = –

| fivefor1 = –

| tenfor1 = –

| best bowling1 = –

| catches/stumpings1 = 9/–

| column2 = List A

| matches2 = 28

| runs2 = 398

| bat avg2 = 18.09

| 100s/50s2 = 0/2

| top score2 = 69

| deliveries2 = 354

| wickets2 = 10

| bowl avg2 = 27.80

| fivefor2 = 0

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 3/48

| catches/stumpings2 = 9/–

| date = 24 September

| year = 2011

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/20334.html Cricinfo

}}

Neil Alan Stanley (16 May 1968 – 7 August 2024) was an English cricketer. Stanley was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Bedford and educated at Bedford Modern School.{{Cite web|url=https://schoolscricketonline.co.uk/bedford-modern-school/|title=Bedford Modern School – Schools Cricket Online}}

Stanley made his debut in county cricket for Bedfordshire in the 1987 Minor Counties Championship. He made four appearances in 1987,{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html|title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} and an appearance each in MCCA Knockout Trophy in 1988 and 1989.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/Minor_Counties_Trophy_Matches.html|title=Minor Counties Trophy Matches played by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} In 1988, he played three Youth One Day Internationals for England Young Cricketers, making an appearance each against Australia Young Cricketers, Pakistan Young Cricketers and New Zealand Young Cricketers.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/Youth_One-Day_International_Matches.html|title=Youth One-Day International Matches played by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011|archive-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025193346/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/Youth_One-Day_International_Matches.html|url-status=dead}} In that same season, he made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire against Oxford University in 1988. He made twenty further first-class appearances for the county, the last of which came against Surrey in the 1992 County Championship.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} In his twenty-one first-class matches, he scored 1,019 runs at an average of 32.87, with a high score of 132.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} This score, which was his only first-class century, came against Lancashire in a partnership worth 236 runs with Allan Lamb.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/54/54736.html|title=Lancashire v Northamptonshire, 1991 County Championship|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} His List A debut for Northamptonshire came against Yorkshire in the 1988 Benson & Hedges Cup. He made fourteen further List A appearances for the county, the last of which came against Somerset in the 1993 AXA Equity & Law League.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/List_A_Matches.html|title=List A Matches played by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} In his fifteen appearances in that format for Northamptonshire, Stanley scored 103 runs at an average of 10.30, with a high score of 18.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/a_Batting_by_Team.html|title=List A Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} He left Northamptonshire at the end of the 1993 season.

He rejoined his native county for the 1994 season, playing Minor counties cricket for Bedfordshire from 1994 to 2002, making a further 36 Minor Counties Championship and 30 MCCA Knockout Trophy appearances. He made his first List A appearance for Bedfordshire in the 1994 NatWest Trophy against Warwickshire. He made twelve further List A appearances for his home county, the last of which came against Warwickshire in the 2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy. In his thirteen List A appearances, he scored 295 runs at an average of 24.58, with a high score of 69. This score, one of two fifties he made in that format for Bedfordshire, came against Devon in the 2002 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/73/73020.html|title=Devon v Bedfordshire, 2002 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}} With the ball, he took 9 wickets at a bowling average of 30.55, with best figures of 3/48.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/9/9235/a_Bowling_by_Team.html|title=List A Bowling For Each Team by Neil Stanley|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 September 2011}}

Stanley died on 7 August 2024, at the age of 56.{{cite web |title=Remembering Neil Stanley |url=https://nccc.co.uk/news/remembering-neil-stanley/ |website=Northamptonshire CCC |access-date=7 August 2024}}