John Rice (cricketer)

John Michael Rice (born at Chandlers Ford on 23 October 1949) is a retired English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire from 1971–1982, and briefly from 1983-1984 for Wiltshire.^[1]

Educated at Brockley County Grammar School, Rice was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. After appearing for Surrey's second team in 1970, Rice played 168 first-class games and 178 one-day matches for Hampshire, as well as 2 one-day matches for Wiltshire.

Rice had a career as an all-rounder, and was sometimes used as an opening batsman. He scored 5,091 runs and took 230 wickets in first-class matches and 2,397 runs and 189 wickets in one-day cricket. In 1975 Rice shared a stand of 61 for the tenth wicket with Andy Roberts in a one-day match against Gloucestershire, a Hampshire record for the tenth wicket which remains to this day.

Rice left Hampshire at the end of the 1982 County Championship season, and finally retired from the game in 1984 after a brief spell in Minor Counties cricket with Wiltshire.

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