J. E. McConnon was born at Burnopfield, County Durham on 21st June 1922, though throughout his cricketing career he maintained his year of birth was 1923. A late starter in county cricket at 27 after a knee injury had curtailed a soccer career which took in Aston Villa and Newport, Jim McConnon looked as if he would threaten Jim Laker's position as England's premier off-spinner. He was tall, had long spinner's fingers and a lovely action but lacked Laker's courage. In the heat of battle nerves let him down. Picked for two tests in 1954, McConnon was chosen surprisingly ahead of Laker for that winter's Ashes tour but broke a finger and returned home early, never to get another chance. His England record was as follows:- Tests 2: runs 18 (average 9): wickets 4 (average 18.50)
From "If The Cap Fits" by Colin Bateman - Tony Williams publications 1993 - ISBN 1-896833-21-X
| Year | Matches | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 23 | 281.5 | 59 | 822 | 33 | 24.90 |
| 1951 | 26 | 862.4 | 238 | 2186 | 136 | 16.07 |
| 1952 | 6 | 150.3 | 32 | 418 | 15 | 27.86 |
| 1953 | 30 | 695.3 | 15.3 | 2111 | 97 | 21.76 |
| 1954 | 25 | 720.2 | 23.3 | 1680 | 109 | 15.41 |
| 1955 | 18 | 426 | 122 | 966 | 48 | 20.12 |
| 1957 | 29 | 698.5 | 184 | 1914 | 99 | 19.33 |
| 1958 | 23 | 646.3 | 205 | 1527 | 70 | 21.81 |
| 1959 | 30 | 799.1 | 202 | 2059 | 113 | 18.22 |
| 1960 | 24 | 506.2 | 129 | 1347 | 60 | 22.45 |
| 1961 | 11 | 221.5 | 42 | 700 | 23 | 30.43 |
| Totals | 256 | 6206.4 | 164.3 | 16285 | 819 | 19.88 |
Jim took 10+ wickets in a match on no fewer than 12 occasions - all for Glamorgan. His best performance was against Derbyshire in 1951 when he took 14 wickets for 153 runs (7-69 & 7-84). His best single innings performance was 8-36 against Nottinghamshire at Nottingham in 1953. He achieved the hat-trick on one occasion - against South Africa at Swansea in 1951. During his career at Glamorgan he also scored 4,661 runs and took 152 catches in first-class cricket.
After leaving Glamorgan Jim played for Cheshire in Minor Counties cricket and coached at Stonyhurst College. He also worked for a period alongside Brian Statham as a sales representative for Guinness. He died at his home in Cheshire on 26th January 2003.
"Former Glamorgan and England off-spinner Jim McConnon has died at the age of 80. McConnon won two Test caps for England in the 1954 series against Pakistan, taking three for 19 in his debut at Old Trafford. He went on the Ashes tour to Australia in 1954-55, but a series of injuries denied him the chance to challenge for a Test place and he eventually returned home early with a broken finger. McConnon, who was born in Burnopfield, County Durham, did not play for Glamorgan until he was 28, having previously enjoyed a first-class football career that included a stint with Aston Villa. He claimed 819 first-class wickets during his career at a cost of only 19.88 each."
Obituary - Monday, 27 January, 2003
