Derek Nicholls
Derek George Nicholls was an English cricketer. Nicholls was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Walsall, Staffordshire.
Nicholls made his debut for Staffordshire [County Cricket Club|Staffordshire] in the 1976 Minor Counties Championship against Cheshire. Nicholls played Minor counties of [English and Welsh cricket|Minor counties] cricket for Staffordshire from 1976 to 1983, which included 42 Minor Counties Championship matches and a single MCCA Knockout Trophy match. In 1976, he made his List A debut for Staffordshire against Essex in the Gillette Cup. He made 2 further appearances in List A cricket for the county, against Devon in the 1st round of the 1978 Gillette Cup and Sussex in the 2nd round of the same competition. He later made 2 List A appearances for the Minor Counties cricket team in the 1982 [Benson & Hedges Cup] against Worcestershire and Yorkshire. In his total of 5 List A matches, he scored 38 runs at an average (cricket)|average] of 9.50, with a high score of 15. With the ball, he took 14 wickets at a bowling average of 18.28. He took a single five wicket haul with the ball, which came for the Minor Counties against Worcestershire, with him taking figures of 6/43 from 11 overs. Despite this effort, which earned him the man-of-the-match award, Worcestershire still won the match by 97 runs.
Nicholls died in Walsall on 14 July 2010, as a result of a stroke.