J. A. Bailey

For the circus ringmaster, see James Anthony Bailey.

Jack Arthur Bailey (22 June 1930 – 12 July 2018) was an English first-class cricketer and administrator.

Jack Bailey

Personal information
Full name	Jack Arthur Bailey
Born	(1930-06-22)22 June 1930 Brixton, London
Died	12 July 2018(2018-07-12) (aged 88)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1953–1958	Essex
1956–1958	Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 112 Runs scored 641 Batting average 5.82 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 29* Balls bowled 18,023 Wickets 347 Bowling average 21.62 5 wickets in innings 20 10 wickets in match 2 Best bowling 8/24 Catches/stumpings 67/–
Source: Cricinfo, 21 July 2018

Born at Brixton in London in 1930, Bailey was educated at Christ's Hospital in Horsham and University College, Oxford.^[1][2] He played for Essex County Cricket Club and Oxford University as a tail-end right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler, making 112 first-class appearances between 1953 and 1958. He took 347 wickets at a bowling average of 21.62 runs per wicket. Among his many matches for Marylebone Cricket Club were tours to East Africa, South America, Canada and the United States, Holland and Denmark.^[3] Playing for MCC against Ireland in a first-class match in 1966, Bailey returned match figures of 13 for 57, taking 5 for 33 in the first innings and a career-best 8 for 24 in the second.^[3]

He succeeded Billy Griffith as Secretary of the MCC in 1974, following a spell as Assistant Secretary. He resigned in controversial circumstances in 1987, following a dispute over the ceding of further power to the Test and County Cricket Board.

Bailey wrote a biography of his Essex teammate Trevor Bailey (Trevor Bailey: A Life in Cricket, 1993) and a memoir of his time at Lord's (Conflicts in Cricket, 1989). He also wrote for The Sunday Telegraph and The Times.^[3]

He died on 12 July 2018 at the age of 88.^[4][3]