In Memory of Clive Inman: Manifold “Voices”

Desmond Kelly in Vale in e-Lanka: https://www.elanka.com.au/vale-clive-inman-by-des-kelly/

VALE, CLIVE INMAN: yet another ‘Legend’ from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka, and someone who was both a friend and College-mate of mine, back in the “fab-fifties”, as I remember them. As everyone knew, this guy was a top Cricketer, we were all very proud to have him at St. Peter’s College, by far the best College in Colombo at the time, as well. Clive was in the same ‘form’ & I was proud & privileged to keep his company & boast about his superb prowess on the field to all & sundry.

Then, sadly, we parted company due to the mass-migration of the Burghers to various countries in the world [in the 1950s and 1960s], thereby also losing touch with close friends in the process.

I would like to say “thank you” to both Michael Tissera & Joe Paiva for informing e’Lanka of this sad news, condole with the family, other friends & fans of Clive, in their thousands, & especially on behalf of e’Lanka, say farewell to Clive Inman, as he carries his bat onto the finest ‘pitch’ in Heaven.

May the soft green grass lie gently over you, my friend. We were all very proud of you & will never forget you. God bless you, Clive Inman.

Desmond Kelly.…. Editor-in-Chief)! … e’Lanka.

A Note from MICHAEL TISSERA in Colombo

Very sorry to hear about Clive. May his soul Rest In Peace. In 2007 when we toured England a cricket fan told me of his whereabouts and I was able to ring him. Asked him to come to our next match against Derby which was close to where he stayed but did not turn up. In fact after the Pakistan tour in 1966/7 I never heard from him till I rang him in 2007.

A Note from Duleep Samaraweera

Clive Innman RIP …. It is with great grief we announce the news of the passing away of former Ceylon, Peterite and Leicestershire Cricketer, Clive Inman on the 7th of December 2022.  Clive represented Ceylon teams after captaining his alma mater, St Peter’s College, Colombo 04 (1954 and 1955).

He carved his name in the annals of the Josephian-Peterite Battle of the Saints by scoring a record 204 runs in 1954 and then leading Peterites to victory in 1955.

Clive was a prolific cricketer who excelled from his school days, later on, built a name for himself as an outstanding batsman for Ceylon and the English County Leicestershire during the 60’s. He moved to England in 1959.

May his soul rest in peace!

A Note from Joe Paiva in Adelaide

Another SPC legend/sporting giant meets his Creator. A very sad day for St Peters College and all old Peterites in SL and overseas.

I have heard late Nomis (the St. Peter’s College groundsman & later groundsman at the CCC) speak to me about Clive endearingly when I was on a holiday in SL.

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Upali Obeysekere in Canada: “R.I. P. Clive clay Inman”

Born 29 January 1936, Clive Clay Inman had his baptism to school cricket playing for his alma mater, St. Peter’s College Colombo, in 1951, under the captaincy of former Ceylon cricketer H.I.K. Fernando. He played for St. Peter’s from 1951-1955, captaining in 1954 & 1955. He played under H.I.K. Fernando (1951 & 1952), and Harold Wittachy (1953). He captained the next two years.

Going by archives published by St. Peter’s College, Inman was the 6th player to captain his alma mater for two consecutive years. The others been A. Weerasinghe (1940 & 1941); Anton Perera (1944 & 1945); Dion Walles (1946 & 1947); and H.I.K. Fernando (1951 & 1952); and Roy Dias (1971 & 1972).

Clive Inman’s batting potential was seen from his early years since he was picked to play in the first eleven when he was 15. He batted left-hand and bowled right-arm off-break. Besides these two disciplines, Inman was a brilliant cover point fielder. As a cricketer he was endowed well in all three departments.

Besides the “big match” double century, Inman had 5 centuries, 17 fifties in his school career that spanned from 1951-1955. This writer does not know his bowling record.

To put things into perspective for the interest of our readers, the following (in batting order) played for St. Peter’s College in the “Big Match” in the five years that Clive Inman was part of the team: 1951 – P.A.T. Kelly, H. Wittachy, Denzil Abeysekara, H.I.K. Fernando (Capt), Leonard Wettasinghe, Clive Inman, Tony Don Michael, H. Ranasinghe, Tudor Wijesinghe, H.A. Fernando, and Willhelm Hoffman….. Result: Match Drawn

1952 – Mark Pereira, Pat Muthumani, HIK Fernando (Capt), Denzil Abeysekara, Clive Inman, H. Ranasinghe, Tudor Wijesinghe, H. Wittachy, H.A. Fernando, Willhelm Hoffman, and Maurice Salgadoe. Result: SJC Won by an Innings and 216 Runs

1953 – Mark Pereira, Pat Muthumani, B. Labrooy, Clive Inman, H. Ranasinghe, Wilhelm Hoffman, Tudor Wijesinghe, H. Wittachy (Capt), R. Ludowyke, Maurice Salgadoe, and H.A. Fernando. Result: Match Drawn

1954 – Pat Muthumani, Jayantha Fernando, Wilhelm Hoffman, Clive Inman (Capt), Tudor Wijesinghe, H. Wittachy, Ken Duckworth, Maurice Salgadoe, Brian de Silva, Lakshman Serasinghe, and A. Adams. Result: Match Drawn

1955 – Brian de Silva, Jayantha Fernando, Lakshman Serasinghe, Clive Inman (Capt), Roy Jayasinghe, Ken Duckworth, R. Saravanabhavan, Peter Ludowyke, Maurice Salgadoe, Russel Duckworth, and Maurice de Silva. Result: SPC Won by 8 Wickets

Joe-Pete Series: History was created in 1954, when Clive Inman going in at No.4, scored a double century which still stands as the highest individual score at the Josephian-Peterite “Big Match” Series. His brilliant innings of 204 (Retired Hurt), carved his name in the annals of “Battle of the Saints” history. A record that still stands tall after 68 years.

 Inman joined Colts Cricket Club and then NCC after his final year at St. Peter’s and his batting grew in stature in P. Sara Trophy matches. Inman made his first-class debut in 1956, representing Ceylon against India at the Colombo Oval. Although Inman didn’t make an impact with the bat, he claimed the wicket of opener Nari Contractor. He would go on to play another 254 first-class matches, but it would remain his only wicket.

Inman made sporadic appearances for Ceylon in the Gopalan Trophy during the remainder of the decade before moving to England and joining his countryman Stanley Jayasinghe at Leicestershire. His first match for the English club came against the touring Australian side in 1961 when he contributed 30 and 45 not out. He had to wait until 1963 to make his County Championship debut and a few days later he scored his maiden first-class century on English soil against Cambridge University.

Inman was selected to tour England with the Ceylon team in 1968, but the tour was cancelled just before it was due to begin. He had his most prolific county cricket season in 1968, scoring 1735 runs at 36.91. Despite the high tally of runs he only scored one century that season. Only in his final county season, 1971, did he score four hundreds in a year.

CLIVE INMAN MOVES TO ENGLAND …. THE RUN-MACHINE!

He then went on to play it big in English County Cricket and his County was Leicestershire. He headed Leicestershire’s batting averages for many years – since he first played for them in 1963 – and had a career record of over 10,000 runs, holds a stunning world record of scoring the fastest 50-51 to be exact in eight minutes.

The ‘Playfair Cricket Monthly’ (of June 1969) had a contribution of Edward Davey on ‘Championship cricketers from Pakistan and Ceylon’. Davey said: “two fine stroke-makers have given valuable service to Leicestershire. Stanley Jayasinghe made his county debut in 1961, at the late age of 30. He had first appeared for Ceylon in 1949 and for several years was professional at Colne.

INMAN – JAYASINGHE THE STARS

“Two years later, the lithe left-hander Clive Inman was qualified; and for three seasons – until Jayasinghe returned home – the most attractive of the county’s batting was provided by these two in partnership.

In each of those years Inman headed the county’s averages, followed in 1964 and 1965 by Jayasinghe. But one match he will remember with relish will be the Gillette Cup match between Leicestershire and Yorkshire in 1965.

In the Yorkshire team where England were England’s Test captain later, R. Illingworth and Test players Geoff Boycott, J. H. Hamshire, Phil Sharpe, Brian Close and Fred Trueman. Certainly, Inman has served Leicestershire well and a bumper benefit.

CLIVE INMAN – WORLD RECORD FOR FASTEST 50 IN 8 MINUTES!

Inman, playing for Leicestershire, made that stunning knock of 50 in eight minutes against Nottinghamshire at Nottingham in 1965. Full tosses were bowled to Inman to expedite a declaration.

In that match that took Inman right to the top, he was out for just 8 runs in the first innings. In the second innings when Leicestershire were 199 for 3 – and “Nottinghamshire were giving away cheap runs in the hope of a declaration” (according to Wisden) – he took a single off the last ball of an over from Bolus and then hit Norman Hill for 4, 4, no score in the next two balls, and 4, 6 – making 18 runs in the over.

32 RUNS IN ONE OVER

In Norman Hill’s next over, Inman cracked 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 – totaling 32 in one over, equaling the all-time record of scoring five fours and five sixes off 10 balls! With that single off Bolus and the 18 and 32 in Hill’s two overs, Inman collected 51 – in just 8 minutes! He was unbeaten with 57 when Leicestershire declared at 258 for 3 wickets.

Wisden described Hill’s bowling as “slow, inviting deliveries which Inman pulled to, or over, the mid-wicket boundary.” Inman, then was 34 years old and headed the county’s batting averages in every year from 1963 to 1969, except 1966 and 1969. In the latter year, he was fourth, scoring 900 runs (top score – 157) at an average of 30.03.

This was the rare exception when he failed to top 1,000 runs – a habit he formed in his very first year as a Leicestershire ‘cap’.

  PHOTO GALLERY

• Clive Inman Profile ………..
• St. Peter’s College Cricket XI 1954 ……
• Ceylon Cricket XI ………..
• Leicestershire Country Cricket Club …….