Charles Taylor (cricketer, born 1966)

Charles William Taylor (born 12 August 1966) is a former English cricketer. Taylor was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm medium-fast. He was born at Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Taylor first appeared in county cricket for Oxfordshire, making a single appearance for his home county in the 1986 Minor Counties Championship against Devon.[1] Taylor later made his first-class debut for Middlesex against Nottinghamshire in the 1990 County Championship. He made 32 further first-class appearances for the county, the last of which came against Oxford University in 1995.[2] A bowler capable of brisk pace, in his 33 first-class appearances for Middlesex, he took a total of 72 wickets at an average of 33.62, with best figures of 5/33.[3] These figures were his only first-class five wicket haul and came against Yorkshire in his second first-class appearance in 1990.[4] His most successful season with the ball came in 1992, when he featured in eighteen first-class matches, taking 35 wickets at an average of 40.71.[5] With the bat, he scored a total of 175 runs during his career, which came at a batting average of 10.93, with a high score of 28 not out.[6]

Taylor also played List A cricket for Middlesex, with his debut in that format coming against Gloucestershire in the 1991 Refuge Assurance League. He made eleven further List A appearances for the county, the last of which came against Yorkshire in the 1994 AXA Equity & Law League.[7] In his twelve List A appearances, he took a total of 8 wickets at an average of 43.87, with best figures of 2/33.[8] His career ended in a freak accident in which he injured his back, while changing the tyre on his car after suffering a puncture when the security poles inside the Grace Gates at Lord's activated while he was driving over them.[9]