Jimmy Briggs was Neath’s professional for the 1906 season. The journeyman cricketer was the younger brother of Johnny Briggs, the famed left-arm spinner who played for Lancashire from 1879 until 1900, besides appearing in 33 Tests for England and becoming the first-ever bowler to claim 100 wickets in Test matches before tragically dying prematurely at the age of 39 after a series of epileptic seizures.
His other brother Joseph also had a brief county career with Nottinghamshire in 1888 before, like Jimmy, being a successful spinner in League cricket in Northern England.
All three of the Briggs’ were slow left-arm bowlers with Jimmy also showing decent form with the bat for Neath CC during his brief stay in South Wales.
Indeed, he batted at number three for the Gentlemen of Glamorgan against their counterparts from Essex in their two-day friendly in July 1906. However, he made 0 and 7, but fared better with the bat, again at number three when assisting the Glamorgan Colts in their two-day friendly against Glamorgan in August at Cardiff Arms Park, and was joint top-scorer in their first innings with a score of 16 against an attack led by Jack Nash and Harry Creber – the latter dismissed him in both innings, with Jimmy being caught by wicket-keeper Jack Brain in the Colts second innings.
His father – James senior – had also been a well-travelled professional cricketer in the 1870s and 1880s before becoming a pub landlord in Widnes.
BRIGGS, James Alfred (‘Jimmy’)
Born: Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts 1875.