[2] He made his first-class debut against Glamorgan at Clacton-on-Sea in late July 1964, when he scored 7 and took one catch (to dismiss opposing keeper Eifion Jones).
His achievement in this game was somewhat overshadowed by that of Keith Boyce, playing only his second first-class match,[4] who took career-best figures of 9–61 in the first innings.
Back in England for 1971 his season was broken into two halves as he played no games in June or July, Gordon Wilcock having taken his place behind the stumps.
His two 1971–72 outings for Tasmania proved little more successful with the bat than they had the previous English winter, with 59 runs coming from four innings, and he still made only one dismissal.
He did redeem himself somewhat in the one-day game, with 119 runs in six innings (top score 36) to put with his six catches, and he claimed four dismissals in an outing as pro for Lowerhouse of the Lancashire League,[9] but real success would have to wait for the winter, when he finally came good for Tasmania.
A notable performance in a minor game was the 75 he struck, opening the batting, against the Indians in a warm-up match for the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
[14] Two days later he made by some way his highest first-class score when he hit 172* against Leicestershire at Grace Road, sharing in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 269 with Jim Yardley.