Castledine was a right-hand bat and slow left-arm bowler who played his early cricket for Rufford Abbey where he was employed as a gardener.
Following a recommendation from Thomas Wass (the Nottinghamshire bowler named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1908), he joined the Nottinghamshire ranks in 1931 and made his First-Class debut against West Indies that July. He didn’t make the best of starts – he was bowled by a Martindale yorker for nought in his first innings.
After a period in the wilderness, he hit an unbeaten double century in a Second Eleven game against Derbyshire to earn a recall but failed spectacularly with the bat in all four appearances. A high score of 15 gave him a career batting average of 3.14 from five first class matches.
December 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 351