Bill Athey probably never really fulfilled his potential in the Test arena. His 23 Test appearances were spread over eight years, which tells a story in itself; he was often dropped and recalled, which always makes it difficult for a player to find the consistency he needs. He made his debut in the Centenary Test at Lord's in 1980 and eight years later appeared in the Bicentenary Test in Sydney, one of only three England players to feature in both games - John Emburey and Mike Gatting being the others. One-day internationals provided him with richer pickings. Athey hit two centuries and top-scored for England before being run out in their World Cup final defeat against Australia at Calcutta in 1987. He was suspended for playing in South Africa in 1990, but the suspension was remitted two years later. Athey made his debut for his native Yorkshire in 1976 before moving to Gloucestershire in 1984. He captained the side in 1989 and scored four hundreds in successive innings while there. In 1993 he moved to Sussex, and passed 25,000 first-class runs when he made an unbeaten century against Somerset in 1997. He retired at the end of that season and joined Worcestershire as coach but left New Road at the end of 2000.
Graham Holburn