Player profile

Full name Simon Charles Gordon Copleston
Born Guildford, May 4, 1973
Nickname Coppers
Batting style Left-hand opener
Bowling style Slow left-arm
Height 6 ft 0 in
Clubs Cranleigh, MCC, Jack Frost
School XI 1989 to 1991
OC Career 1990 to date

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat		Inns		NO		HS		Runs		Ave		50		100		Ct		St
OCCC	136		129		20		136		4142		38.00		18		6		34		0

Bowling averages

	Overs		Mdns		Runs		Wkts		Ave		Best		5WI		SR		Econ
OCCC	23.5		4		92		5		18.40		2-10		0		28.3		3.9

Notes

Major Tours: Antigua 1997, Sri Lanka 1999, India 2007

Profile

The OCs were fortunate the emergence of Simon coincided with the winding-down of the career of another left-handed opening bat with a reputation for slow-scoring – Iain Wilkie. In both cases the reputations were harsh, tending to ignore the fact that as openers they had more responsibility than most not to get out. On occasions the criticism was justified, but more often than not, it wasn’t. Perhaps of more frustration was that Simon has shown that given the right situation – and often after the opposition have riled him – he is as capable as anyone of cutting lose. Not unduly bothered by quick bowling, he primarily an off side player with a penchant for anything which can be driven in the arc between cover and mid on. His main weakness remains that he is easily wound-up (usually by team-mates) and, once stirred, he often loses concentration. In his early days he showed promise as a legspinner, but net sessions with his contemporaries usually resulted in him traipsing into the distance after being smashed by yet another cross-batted heave, and he opted to concentrate on his batting. He is also a solid cover fielder, albeit with possibly the weakest throw in the club! He brought his OCCC career to a (temporary) close when he moved to the Middle East in February 2006, but given his determination to surpass Nigel Paul as the club's leading run scorer, it seems certain he will be back.

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