Tony Siddons, who died in New Lenton on 6 April 2005 aged 63, was an outstanding schoolboy cricketer who was taken on the Trent Bridge playing staff for the 1958 season at the princely sum of £3.10.0d per week. Born 29 December 1941, also in Lenton, he had been in the Nottingham City Schools XI for three seasons, 1954 to 1956. In the last year he had won the WH Sherwin Bat for the best Schoolboy Cricketer in the county and had captained both the City and County Schools’ team, as well as being twelfth man for the North v South. In the winter he was picked for a coaching course at Lilleshall.
In 1957 he played for Notts Youth XI. He was described as a very sound bat and good right arm off-spin bowler. His all-round performances in these matches went a long way towards his engagement. He also played club cricket for Lenton United CC. In 1958 his cricket was confined to Club & Ground matches, save for two games in the Minor Counties Competition. In 1959 Siddons took 26 wickets in competitive Notts Seconds matches, including innings figures of 7-33 versus Yorkshire Seconds at Brodsworth in Doncaster. He made his debut at Taunton on 29 August 1959 and played in the following game versus Kent at Folkestone. In 1960 he appeared in three Championship games, but Notts had engaged Bomber Wells as their principal off-spinner and, as Michael Morgan was also on the playing staff, Siddons’ opportunities were severely restricted. In the match at the United Services Ground, Portsmouth in July he achieved a career best 4-37 in a drawn match against Hampshire. A couple of weeks later, he played his final championship match at the Courtaulds Ground in Coventry as Notts drew with Warwickshire. In his five First-Class appearances for Notts, Siddons scored 36 runs @7.20 and took eight wickets @33.25.
At the close of 1962 summer he left Trent Bridge; he had taken 91 wickets @30.75 in 53 Second Team appearances.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 421