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{{Short description|English cricketer (1906–1994)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Percy Corrall
| image =
| country = England
| full_name = Percy Corrall
| heightft = 5
| heightinch = 2
| nickname = Paddy
| living =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|7|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Leicester]], Leicestershire, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|2|23|1906|7|16|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Leicester]], Leicestershire
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling =
| role = Wicketkeeper
| family =
| club1 = [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]]
| year1 = 1930–51
| umpire = true
| fcumpired = 150
| umpfcdebutyr = 1952
| umpfclastyr = 1959
| type1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| debutdate1 = 21 May
| debutyear1 = 1930
| debutfor1 = [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]]
| debutagainst1 = [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]]
| lastdate1 = 6 July
| lastyear1 = 1951
| lastfor1 = [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]]
| lastagainst1 = [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 288
| runs1 = 2846
| bat avg1 = 9.61
| 100s/50s1 = 0/1
| top score1 = 64
| hidedeliveries = true
| deliveries1 =
| wickets1 =
| bowl avg1 =
| fivefor1 =
| tenfor1 =
| best bowling1 =
| catches/stumpings1 = 382/188
| date = 12 July
| year = 2013
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13223/13223.html CricketArchive
}}

'''Percy''' "'''Paddy'''" '''Corrall''' (16 July 1906 – 23 February 1994) was an English [[first-class cricket]]er who played for [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]] between 1930 and 1951.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13223/13223.html| title = Player Profile: Percy Corrall | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 11 July 2013}}</ref> He was born and died in [[Leicester]], Leicestershire.

Corrall was a lower-order right-handed batsman and [[wicketkeeper]] and, at {{convert|5|ft|2|in|spell=in}}, one of the smallest first-class cricketers.<ref name="wisobit">{{Cite book | title = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]] | edition = 1995 | publisher = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]] |chapter = Obituaries | page = 1381}}</ref> Having played for the second eleven since 1927, he made his first-class debut for Leicestershire in a single game in the 1930 season, against [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]], in which he failed to make a dismissal.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/13/13436.html| title = Scorecard: Cambridge University v Leicestershire | date = 21 May 1930 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 11 July 2013}}</ref> He returned to second eleven cricket for 1931 but at the end of that season [[Tom Sidwell]], who had been the regular first-team wicketkeeper since before the [[First World War]], retired. Corrall took over as the wicketkeeper in the 1932 season and played in every Leicestershire first-class match that season, making 39 catches and 11 stumpings and batting at No 10 or No 11.<ref name="bat">{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13223/f_Batting_by_Season.html| title = First-class Batting and Fielding in each Season by Percy Corrall | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref>

Corrall was again Leicestershire's first-choice wicketkeeper in 1933, but in the match against [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]] at [[Aylestone Road cricket ground|Leicester]] in early July he met with what ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' termed "an unfortunate accident".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/14/14721.html| title = Scorecard: Leicestershire v Lancashire | date = 8 July 1933 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="knockout">{{Cite book | title = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]] | edition = 1934 | volume = Part II | publisher = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]] |chapter = Leicestershire Matches | page = 453}}</ref> ''Wisden'' wrote: "[[Cyril Washbrook|Washbrook]] swung his bat at a high ball from [[Ewart Astill|Astill]] and struck the wicketkeeper on the left ear. He was removed to hospital in a semi-unconscious condition, and remained so ill that he did not play again during the summer."<ref name="knockout"/> In its broader report on Leicestershire's 1933 season, ''Wisden'' wrote: "A serious accident in the match with Lancashire at Leicester overtook Corrall, the young wicketkeeper, and for weeks he was in hospital on the danger list. As it happened, the loss of Corrall, far from weakening the eleven, brought forth some increased strength in batting, for Sidwell, after spending a year in retirement, returned to first-class cricket with marked success."<ref>{{Cite book | title = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]] | edition = 1934 | volume = Part II | publisher = [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]] |chapter = Leicestershire Matches | page = 443}}</ref> Later reports identified Corrall's injury as a fractured skull.<ref name="wisobit"/>

Fit again, Corrall returned to the Leicestershire side in 1934 and was then the regular wicketkeeper again until he was once more injured in 1937. Never much more than a tail-ender as a batsman, he made his only career score of more than 50 when acting as [[nightwatchman (cricket)|nightwatchman]] in the match against [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex]] at [[County Cricket Ground, Hove|Hove]] in 1934, with an innings of 64.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/15/15134.html| title = Scorecard: Sussex v Leicestershire | date = 21 July 1934 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref> In exactly the same fixture in 1936, he set a first-class record for a Leicestershire wicketkeeper that still stands, {{as of|2013|lc=yes}}, in making 10 dismissals, with seven caught and three stumped.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/15/15754.html| title = Scorecard: Sussex v Leicestershire | date = 16 May 1936 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref> In 1937, Corrall was injured twice and Leicestershire turned to [[George Dawkes]], not yet 17 in his first matches, as replacement wicketkeeper, and in 1938 and 1939 Dawkes took over as the first choice, and Corrall did not play at all.

During his military service in the [[Second World War]], Corrall was stationed in India, where he played in two first-class matches in late 1944, one of them for the [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] in the [[Bombay Quadrangular|Bombay Pentangular Tournament]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17438.html| title = Scorecard: Europeans v Parsees | date = 15 November 1944 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref>

When first-class county cricket resumed in 1946, Dawkes was still serving with the Royal Air Force, so Corrall was recalled as Leicestershire wicketkeeper and had his most successful season so far, with 65 dismissals.<ref name="bat"/> Dawkes had still not been demobilised by the start of the 1947, so Corrall retained his place and when Dawkes was finally available late in the season, he joined [[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire]] rather than returning to Leicestershire. Corrall played through to the end of the 1950 season as Leicestershire's regular wicketkeeper, and in 1948 he was (jointly with [[Eric Meads]], the [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]] player) the leading wicketkeeper in England with 74 dismissals, 34 of them stumpings.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/Seasonal_Averages/ENG/1948_f_Batting_by_Average.html | title = First-class Batting and Fielding in England in 1948 | publisher = www.cricketarchive.com | accessdate = 12 July 2013}}</ref> His high proportion of stumpings in the latter part of his career reflected the Leicestershire bowling attack's dependence on the spin of [[Jack Walsh (cricketer)|Jack Walsh]] and [[Vic Jackson]]. Corrall was awarded a [[Benefit (sports)|benefit match]] in 1949 and retired at the end of the 1950 season, though he returned for a single match in 1951.

Corrall went on to the first-class [[umpire (cricket)|umpires]] list for the 1952 season and stayed there for six seasons, returning for occasional matches in the following two seasons. Later, although a lifelong teetotaller, he ran a pub.<ref name="wisobit"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corrall, Percy}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Leicestershire cricketers]]
[[Category:Europeans cricketers]]
[[Category:English cricket umpires]]
[[Category:North v South cricketers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Leicester]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]

Percy Corrall - Revision history

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