Francis Prentice

**Francis Thomas Prentice** (22 Afrilu 1912 - 10 Yuli 1978) ya kasance ɗan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa na farko na Ingila wanda ya buga wa Leicestershire tsakanin 1934 da 1951.  An haife shi a Knaresborough, Yorkshire kuma ya mutu a Leeds, kuma a Yorkshire.

Prentice dan wasan kwallon kafa ne na hannun dama wanda ake amfani dashi akai-akai a matsayin mai buɗewa da kuma mai kunnawa na hannun dama, wanda aka yi amfani dashi ba bisa ka'ida ba kuma sau da yawa yana da tsada. Ya buga wasanni da yawa a Yorkshire ta biyu goma sha ɗaya a gasar zakarun kananan hukumomi a shekara ta 1931.  Amma tare da gasa don wurare a cikin goma sha ɗaya na farko na Yorkshire, ya bar ya shiga Leicestershire, inda bai cancanci wasannin Championship na County ba har zuwa 1935. Daga nan zuwa karshen kakar 1949 ya kasance na yau da kullun a cikin tawagar farko ta Leicestershire.

## Kwallon ƙafa kafin yaƙin
Har yanzu bai cancanci ba, Prentice ya fara buga wasan farko a wasan Leicestershire da Jami'ar Oxford a 1934, inda ya buga a No 7 a wasannin farko, lokacin da ya yi 39, amma ya buɗe a wasannin na biyu. An zaba shi don wasan farko na kakar 1935 kuma ya ci gaba da zama ta hanyar abin da Wisden Cricketers 'Almanack ya kira "lokacin da ya fi nasara a tarihin kulob din". Prentice da kansa yana da rikodin mai sauƙi, tare da gudu 713 a matsakaita na 16.20, kuma kawai maki biyu na fiye da 50. Amma, Wisden ya lura, "wanda ke da tsaron gida, (yana) sau da yawa yana taka leda mai mahimmanci a cikin rikici". Rubuce-rubucensa ya inganta zuwa gudu 989 da matsakaicin 24.12 a cikin 1936, amma Wisden bai yi sha'awarsa ba: "Prentice ya nuna tsaron da ya dace sosai, amma bai bayyana yana da bugun jini da yawa a cikin umarninsa ba, "ya rubuta, yana mai lura da cewa, tare da yiwuwar rashin Alan Shipman a cikin 1937, "an yi ƙoƙari don canza Prentice ya zama mai buga kwallo". An ba Prentice lambar yabo ta gundumar a shekarar 1936.

Yunkurin bude innings ya kasance nasara nan take: a cikin 1937, Prentice ya zira kwallaye 1506 a matsakaicin 32.73 kuma na haɗin gwiwar buɗewa tare da Les Berry Wisden ya rubuta cewa "ban da watakila Yorkshire da Sussex babu wani gundumar da ke da irin waɗannan masu buga kwallo". Ya kara da cewa: "Prentice ya tabbatar da duk manyan ra'ayoyin da aka kafa masa. Yin amfani da karin bugun jini fiye da baya, ya kuma riƙe tsaronsa mai ƙarfi kuma ya tabbatar da cewa mai buga kwallo ne mai matukar wahala don fitarwa. "  A wasan farko na kakar, Prentice ya yi karni na farko, innings na 163 a kan Hampshire.  Ya biyo baya tare da 127 a wasan na biyu, a kan Northamptonshire, kuma a wasannin biyu ya raba haɗin gwiwar buɗewa tare da Berry. Ya yi ƙarni huɗu a cikin kakar. Bugu da ƙari, saboda ƙarancin masu jefa kwallo, ya jefa kwallo sama da 400, kuma kodayake wickets dinsa 24 sun kai fiye da 55 a kowane, a kan Lancashire ya ɗauki wickets biyar don 82 runs, dawowarsa ta farko ta biyar, kodayake Lancastrians sun kai 469 a cikin wasansu kawai na wasan. Ya kasance mai ƙarancin ƙwarewa a duka 1938 da 1939, ya kasa zira kwallaye 1000 a kowane kakar kuma ya rasa 'yan wasa kaɗan ta hanyar rauni a kowannensu.

## Kwallon ƙafa na bayan yaƙi
Prentice ya koma Leicestershire bayan Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu, kodayake daga baya ya sami nakasa zuwa digiri ta hanyar mummunar karyewar wuyan hannu da ya samu a aikin yaƙi. A cikin tsari mai mahimmanci, tare da gasa don wuraren buɗewa, Prentice sau da yawa ya buga a No 3 a cikin lokutan farko huɗu bayan yaƙi, amma ya wuce 1000 a cikin kowannensu. Ya yi kwallo kadan bayan yaƙin, kuma kusan bayan 1947, amma a 1946, duk da kasancewar Vic Jackson da Jack Walsh a cikin harin Leicestershire, ya ɗauki wickets biyar na Gloucestershire don gudu 46, kuma waɗannan sune mafi kyawun adadi na aikinsa. Shekaru na 1948 da 1949 sune mafi kyawun aikinsa a matsayin mai buga kwallo. A shekara ta 1948, ya zira kwallaye 1328 a matsakaicin 36.88 kuma ya jagoranci matsakaicin batting na Leicestershire a karo na farko kuma kawai. Adadinsa a shekara ta 1949 sun fi ban sha'awa - 1742 da matsakaicin 38.71 - kodayake Berry ya doke shi a matsakaicin gundumar, wanda ya kasance ba shi da kyau a shekara ta 1948. Rubuce-rubucen 1949 sun haɗa da ƙarni biyar kafin ƙarshen Yuni kuma biyar sun haɗa da innings na 191 a kan Nottinghamshire wanda shine mafi girma a cikin aikinsa.

An ba Prentice shaida a shekarar 1950, amma yana da mummunan lokaci tare da bat, ya rasa matsayinsa a cikin tawagar a tsakiyar kakar kuma ya sake dawo da shi ne kawai a ƙarshen shekara. A ƙarshen kakar 1950, ya yi ritaya daga wasan kurket na cikakken lokaci don shiga kasuwanci; ya bayyana a wasanni hudu kawai a 1951, yana wasa a matsayin mai son, kuma waɗannan su ne wasannin karshe na aikinsa.

## Manazarta