County Championship 17th (last) W4, D10, L14
Captain Reg Simpson
The season of 1959, said the Committee, will long be remembered for its fine weather – the best cricket had experienced for many years. The effect it had on the game was tremendous, following a period of two poor summers, cricket was badly in need of a tonic.
Sadly, Nottinghamshire did not take advantage and finished at the bottom of the Championship table for the second year in succession.
However they won four Championship games as compared with three in 1958 and beat the tourists (India) and Cambridge University at Trent Bridge. That University game produced not just a welcome win but also a couple of moments of Trent Bridge history.
Aussie legend Keith Miller had been elected a member of MCC that summer and intended to appear in some MCC matches. Eddie Marshall, the Notts Committee man, asked Miller if he would turn out for the county.
If legend is correct, Miller arrived at Trent Bridge about 15 minutes before play began armed with a girl, but no cricket equipment. Some 5,000 spectators turned out to see him, five times the usual number for such a game. He scored 62 and 102 not out – his 100 was made in 125 minutes.
Henry Blofeld was in the Cambridge side that day and recalled dropping 'a skier in front of what was then the Ladies Pavilion' from the great Aussie all-rounder – and many years later got a scorecard of the match signed, "Well dropped Henry, Keith Miller".'
That game also marked the First-Class debut for Carlton Forbes, though he did not play in the County Championship until May 1961.
In the Championship, Notts started with a long trip North, to lose by 194 runs to Yorkshire at Middlesbrough. A century from Ken Taylor and a hat-trick – Geoff Millman, Michael Morgan and Ian Davison (the latter on his debut) – by Don Wilson were the outstanding performances.
Three declarations and centuries by Norman Hill and Eric Martin ensured that Notts beat Leicestershire by four wickets.
That win did not presage a run of good form and the next six matches were either lost or drawn. In the draw at home to Surrey, Reg Simpson made 103 but was eclipsed by the visitors’ opening bat, John Edrich who scored 112 and 124; Ken Barrington also made a century for Surrey but the Southerners could not force a win. Edrich may have sent a record, making a century in each innings that included his first First-Class ton.
If Notts could celebrate beating Cambridge University, they will want to forget the game against the Dark Blues of Oxford. Six wickets for Joe Walters could not prevent the University winning by the wide margin of nine wickets.
Notts had to follow-on against Hampshire and eventually succumbed to a three wicket defeat. John Clay and John Springall each made a century for Notts – Springall’s his first in First-Class cricket – in the draw versus Leicestershire.
The next match was also drawn, away to Worcestershire. Given that Don Kenyon and Laddie Outschoorn had a 203 run opening partnership for the home side, Notts did well to limit their first innings to 350 and to respond with 300 all out.
Away to Essex, Nottinghamshire scored 170 and, following on, 94 to leave the home side winners by an innings and 132 runs. Eric Martin played his last game for Notts in this match, finishing with just over 4,000 First-Class runs and a top score of 133no. Roy Ralph took twelve wickets (six in each innings) for Essex.
There were four individual centuries in the home draw with Yorkshire; Brian Close (154) and Doug Padgett (139) for the visitors and Norman Hill (167) and John Clay (137) for Notts.
Ron Giles, in his last match, made 75no against Derbyshire at Trent Bridge but the away side took the points with a four-wicket victory.
Notts were dismissed for 107 and 79 by Northamptonshire for whom Jack Manning took eleven wickets. Yet another Notts player made his final county appearance – Joe Walters.
Tom Graveney made 155 and Mervyn Winfield 120 (his first century) in a drawn game versus Gloucestershire. Notts then secured their second Championship win of the season, beating Warwickshire by two wickets at Trent Bridge.
Away to Lancashire, they came up against Brian Statham in prime form and his 8-44 in Notts’s first innings was sufficient to see the home side to victory by five wickets.
Another win for Notts followed, and the only away win of the season. Against Hampshire at Southampton, Notts responded robustly to a run chase – witness that the first three in order, Hill, Millman and Simpson, were all run out – to get a win by five wickets.
The return fixture with Northants was drawn. George Tribe took 8-53 but Notts, with John Springall making exactly 100no and sharing a century partnership with Reg Simpson, defended stoutly.
Lancashire came to Trent Bridge and with Winfield and Hill making the same score – 102 – in Notts second innings, went down by seven wickets, a welcome win. But that was as good as it got; Notts failed to win any of the eleven games that remained in the Championship.
One of Nottinghamshire’s great stalwarts – opening bowler Arthur Jepson – made his final First-Class appearance in the game against Sussex at Hastings, taking the final two of his 1,051 wickets. Jepson won his county cap in 1939, his second season at Notts, and played almost 400 games for his home county. After retiring from playing, Arthur Jepson became an umpire and stood in more than 500 matches, only finally retiring in 1984.
He also played football as a goalkeeper for, among others, Mansfield Town, Grantham and Lincoln City.
The match against Sussex was drawn, with Cyril Poole and Norman Hill for Notts and Les Lenham for the home side, each contributing centuries.
John Cotton achieved his best bowling figures to date in the draw versus Somerset, taking 7-73 in his first match replacing Jepson as opening bowler.
At the Town Ground, Worksop, Notts were obliged to follow-on against Kent; David Halfyard, who was to join Nottinghamshire almost a decade later, was the principal architect of a ten-wicket win for Kent, taking 6-109 in Notts second innings.
A century (108) from Reg Simpson was not enough to prevent Notts losing by 57 runs to Surrey at The Oval. Simpson was again in the runs against Sussex, making 132 – more than matched by Ken Suttle (118) and Ted Dexter (124) – in another drawn game.
Some respite came in a win over the touring Indians. India were dismissed for 172 and 255; Notts made 284 and 144-2 to ease home by eight wickets.
The only game completely ruined by rain was the away draw at Glamorgan, where only 18 overs of play was possible in the three days. Notts proceeded to lose the next six matches in a dismal end to the season.
Essex won at Trent Bridge by 109 runs, Warwickshire won at Edgbaston by 10 wickets and Middlesex by 74 runs back at Trent Bridge.
The last three games were all away from home. At Derby, Notts lost by 119 runs; at Taunton, Somerset were the victors by 137 runs and, finally, at Folkestone, Kent thrashed Notts by an innings and 98 runs.
Over the season, captain Reg Simpson scored over 2,000 runs, including five centuries, three of them in consecutive innings.
Norman Hill also scored over 2,000 runs, including six centuries, two of which he made against Lancashire at Trent Bridge. John Springhall, Cyril Poole, Mervyn Winfield and Geoffrey Millman each exceeded 1,000 runs. The bowling was again not up to standard, although John Cotton continued to show promise and finished with 73 wickets.
To strengthen the bowling, the Committee recruited off break bowler Bryan ‘Bomber’ Wells from Gloucestershire. Bomber quickly became a favourite with the Notts fans, taking more than 500 wickets in his time at Trent Bridge.
Scorecards and stats can be seen here
February 2026