Jack Birkenshaw - Later Career and Retirement

Later Career and Retirement

He played on for Leicestershire for a number of years, in 1975 making his fourth and final first-class hundred, and recording his best bowling figures in one-day cricket, taking 5-20 against Essex in the Sunday League. Oddly, these were the only wickets he took in the 11 one-day games he played that year. In 1976, Birkenshaw made his only one-day hundred, but his unbeaten 101 against Hampshire in the second round of the Gillette Cup failed to win the game, Leicestershire falling short of their target by three runs.

Birkenshaw finished with Leicestershire in 1980, but had one final season in the game with Worcestershire. In his penultimate match he made 32 and 54 against the Australian tourists, and his final first-class match came in late July 1981 against Northamptonshire. The first wicket of his first-class career had been that of a famous Test player, and with a pleasing symmetry the last was to be too: Kapil Dev, caught behind for 79. This match was also notable for being the first first-class game to be held at Stourbridge for 19 years; as of 2005 it also remained the last.

After retirement, Birkenshaw became an umpire, standing in over 250 matches from 1982 to 1988 including two Tests and six One Day Internationals, four of the latter being at the 1983 World Cup. His last game as an umpire was the Refuge Assurance Cup final in September 1988. He later returned to his old county of Leicestershire in the capacity of coach, after a similar spell at Somerset.

Birkenshaw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to cricket.