Eric Oscroft was born 20 April 1933 in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
He first appeared for Notts Seconds in 1949 as a 16-year-old and made his Minor Counties debut for the Notts second team versus Yorkshire on 14 June 1950. He proceeded to take eight wickets for 149 runs in four Minor Counties outings. With Harold Butler and Arthur Jepson injured, Oscroft had sufficiently impressed club coach and fellow left-arm seamer Bill Voce to warrant making his Notts first-team debut at the tender age of 17 years 104 days, currently the seventh youngest debutant in Notts’ history. Warwickshire were the opponents at Trent Bridge on 2 August 1950; opening the bowling Oscroft removed Bears opener Fred Gardner leg before to gain his maiden championship scalp and finished with 2-111. He kept his place in the Notts line up for the following two games but failed to take a wicket.
Oscroft appeared in a further six championship games in 1951. In the Bank Holiday fixture at The Oval starting on 4 August, Oscroft dismissed Eric Bedser, Michael Barton, Bernard Constable and Geoffrey Whittaker to finish with a career best 4-88. Skipper Reg Simpson writing in the Notts Annual in 1952 stated that “Oscroft bowled well at times but lacked the necessary strength and stamina for a bowler of his type”. He hoped that his subsequent call up for National Service would provide him with these missing attributes but, alas, the match at The Oval proved to be his last in Notts colours. In nine first-class matches he took 13 wickets @54.38. Batting at number 11 throughout, the right-handed bat scored 8 runs @1.60.
Eric Oscroft passed away on 8 November 2013 at the age of 80.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 391