John Trim (cricketer)

John Trim (25 January 1915 – 12 November 1960) was a Guyanese cricketer who played in four Tests from 1948 to 1952 for West Indies. A barrel-chested right-arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed lower-order batsman from Berbice, British Guiana,^[1] Trim's brief international career yielded 18 wickets at one of the lowest bowling averages of any completed career – 16.16 runs per wicket. In his first class career from 1944 to 1953 he played 34 matches, mostly for British Guiana, taking 96 wickets and making a solitary half-century with the bat.^[2]

John Trim

Personal information
Born	(1915-01-25)25 January 1915 Port Mourant, Berbice, British Guiana
Died	12 November 1960(1960-11-12) (aged 45) New Amsterdam, Berbice, British Guiana
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
International information
National side	West Indies
Test debut (cap 63)	3 March 1948 v England
Last Test	31 December 1951 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1943/44–1952/53	British Guiana
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 4 34 Runs scored 21 386 Batting average 5.25 11.69 100s/50s 0/0 0/1 Top score 12 78* Balls bowled 794 5898 Wickets 18 95 Bowling average 16.16 30.32 5 wickets in innings 1 4 10 wickets in match 0 1 Best bowling 5/34 7/80 Catches/stumpings 2/0 17/0
Source: CricInfo, 31 March 2014

Trim's Test debut came during the 1947–48 tour of the West Indies by Gubby Allen's England team. Trim took two wickets for an economical six runs in his first outing, with a further wicket in England's second innings.^[3] It was Trim's only match of the series, but he would tour India in January 1949, taking 4/48 and 3/28 in Chennai and 3/69 in Mumbai.^[4] He was then selected for the West Indian tour of Australia 1951–52 and took his career-best figures: a maiden five wicket haul of 5/35 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.^[4] His omission from the 1950 touring party to England created “an almighty row” and almost led to the British Guiana Cricket Association boycotting the tour.^[5]

Trim was the first Berbician to play Test cricket. He continued to play cricket in the Caribbean until 1953. He died in New Amsterdam, Berbice.^[2]

Sources

• George, M. (2012) A time in our history: Berbice Cricket from 1939 to 2012, Lulu.com.