The death has been announced of Jimmy Eaglestone, a member of Glamorgan`s Championship winning side of 1948. Eaglestone had also been a member of Middlesex`s Championship winning team of 1947 and therefore had the unique distinction of winning the Championship in consecutive seasons with two different counties.

The Paddington-born cricketer joined the M.C.C. groundstaff on leaving school in 1938, and after the War, the left handed batsman won a place in the Middlesex side. He played many delightful cameos with the bat, and was a livewire fielding in the covers. However, with such a depth of batting talent at Middlesex`s disposal, Jimmy was unable to secure a regular place in their line up, and in 1948 he accepted the offer of a two year contract with Glamorgan.

He was not the only Londoner in the Welsh county`s ranks after the War, as they had also secured the services of several other good players from Middlesex, including all-rounder Len Muncer and bowlers Norman Hever and Peter Judge.

It was Eaglestone`s razor-sharp fielding and occasional brilliance with the bat that had first attracted the attention of captain Wilf Wooller, who was eager to find a talented outfielder to compliment the talents of Allan Watkins, Phil Clift and Gilbert Parkhouse. Wooller himself was fearless close to the wicket, and with Eaglestone`s outstanding contributions alongside Willie Jones in the covers or in the deep, plus Haydn Davies` brilliance behind the stumps, Glamorgan could boast having the finest fielding side in the country. It was this as much as anything that contributed to Wooller`s side becoming County Champions in 1948.

Indeed, it was Jimmy`s abilities in the field that largely won him a regular place in the 1948 and 1949 side. He played many attractive, but often too brief innings, with his best being a steady 72 against Sussex on a turning wicket at Swansea in 1948.

At the end of the 1949 season, Eaglestone returned to the the London area to run a newsagents business. He died in Pinner aged 77 on October 14th, 2000 after a short illness.

© Glamorgan CCC/CricInfo