Ian Pont

Cricketer Infobox

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nationality = England
country = England
country abbrev = ENG
name = Ian Pont
picture = Cricket no pic.pngbatting style = Right-handed batsman
bowling style = Right-arm fast-medium
Group1 = show
G1 title = Career
Heading1 = First-class
H1 matches = 28
H1 runs = 404
H1 bat avg = 16.16
H1 100s/50s = 0/1
H1 top score = 68
G1 oversORballs = Balls
H1 amountbowled = 3978
H1 wickets = 70
H1 bowl avg = 35.78
H1 5s = 3
H1 10s = 0
H1 best bowling = 5/73
H1 catches/stumpings = 5/0
Heading2 = List A
H2 matches= 26
H2 runs = 137
H2 bat avg = 19.57
H2 100s/50s = 0/0
H2 top score = 36
H2 amountbowled = 1123
H2 wickets = 20
H2 bowl avg = 40.45
H2 5s = 0
H2 10s = n/a
H2 best bowling = 2/16
H2 catches/stumpings = 3/0
Group2 = hide
debut-last cat = First-class
debut date = 17 July
debut year = 1982
last date = 30 August
last year = 1988
date = 14 July
year = 2007
source = [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7101/7101.html Cricket Archive]

Ian Leslie Pont (born 28 August 1961 in Brentwood, Essex, England) is an English former cricketer.cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7101/7101.html|title=Cricket Archive profile|accessdate=2007-07-18] Known for a powerful throw and a brief foray into the world of baseball,cite web|url=http://www.maverickscricket.com/who.htm|title=Biography at official site|accessdate=2007-07-18] Pont mainly played for Essex during his career, as did his brother Keith Pont.

Biography

Pont made his senior cricket debut in September 1981, playing for Nottinghamshire against Gloucestershire and Glamorgan. [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7101/List_A_Matches.html List A matches played by Ian Pont] at Cricket Archive] He made his first-class debut the following year against Middlesex at Lord's. [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7101/First-Class_Matches.html First-class matches played by Ian Pont] at Cricket Archive] He played three Benson & Hedges Cup matches for the Minor Counties in 1983, whilst playing for Buckinghamshire, [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7101/all_teams.html Teams played for by Ian Pont] at Cricket Archive] returning to first-class cricket in July 1985, this time for his native Essex.

He continued playing for Essex over the following three years, also fitting in a spell playing for Natal in South Africa in 1985/1986. Whilst in South Africa, he recorded the second longest throw of a cricket ball of all time, throwing 138 yards in Cape Town. He played a few first-class matches for Essex in 1986, but 1987 started out very differently indeed.

In 1987, Pont had trials with six Major League Baseball clubs as a pitcher. Recording speeds of around 100 mph, he gained a one months extended trial with the Philadelphia Phillies. At spring training, he was a starting pitcher for the Phillies in one exhibition game, becoming the first, modern-day professional cricketer to play in a professional baseball game.

He spent two more seasons playing first-class and List A cricket for Essex, after which he returned to minor counties cricket, playing for Northumberland in 1989 and Lincolnshire in 1990 and 1991. He played List A cricket for both teams.

After retiring from active cricket, he concentrated on his business interests. He was an early pioneer in coloured clothing, supplying the kit for all teams in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, and in the AXA Equity Law League in England in 1993, the first time cricket was played in coloured clothing in the UK.

He is now an international coach, working with players in the UK and overseas on pace and accuracy. The specialised coaching used is known as ABSAT (Advanced Biomechanics Speed & Accuracy Technique). His book, "The Fast Bowler's Bible", was published in 2006 by The Crowood Press and is on its third edition. Pont has recently been ECB National and Regional Skills Set Coach and the fast bowling coach of his former club Essex. [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/18564.html|title=Cricinfo profile|accessdate=2007-07-18] and was the national bowling coach of the Netherlands for two years up until the 2007 World Cup, when he was lost in the reshuffle of staff when the head coach was changed after that tournament. [ [http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000042/004230.shtml Pont the next to go] by Rod Lyall, 11 April 2007 at CricketEurope] Pont is currently working as a technical fast bowling consultant to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club and is Head Coach of the International Pro Camp based in Potchefstroom, South Africa that runs every December.

Pont's latest discovery is "The World's Best Slower Ball" known as The SLOB (Slower Obsolete Delivery), which is hailed as a breakthrough as it drops like a stone into the batting crease when appearing to be a beamer. His coaching web site is www.maverickscricket.com

References