Roland Parker

This article is about the cricketer. For the social historian, see Rowland Parker.

Roland Parker
MBE
Personal information
Full name
Roland John Parker
Born(1925-07-19)19 July 1925
Pudsey, Yorkshire, England
DiedOctober 2020 (aged 95)
Pudsey, Yorkshire, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 36
Batting average 12.00
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 18
Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: Cricinfo, 19 February 2019

Roland John Parker MBE (19 July 1925 - October 2020) was an English former first-class cricketer and Royal Air Force officer.[1]

Parker was born at Pudsey, where he was coached by Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton during his youth.[2] He joined the Royal Air Force in the latter stages of the Second World War, serving as a pilot officer as an emergency commission on probation in July 1945.[3] After a successful probation he was promoted to flying officer in October 1945.[4]

He played first-class cricket for the Combined Services cricket team in 1947, making two appearances against Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire,[5] scoring 36 runs.[6] Fifty years later he was a made an MBE in the 1997 Birthday Honours for services to community sport in Pudsey.[7]

  1. ^ "Roland Parker". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  2. ^ Chalke, Stephen (July 2005). "First man of Pudsey". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  3. ^ "No. 37179". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 July 1945.
  4. ^ "No. 37333". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 October 1944.
  5. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Roland Parker". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  6. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Roland Parker". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  7. ^ "No. 54794". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1997.