Neal Radford

Neal Victor Radford (born 7 June 1957)

Life and career Radford was born in Zambia and educated in South Africa, making his first-class debut for Transvaal B in the 1978/79 President's Cup. However, opportunities in South Africa were limited owing to that country's isolation from world cricket, and so Radford moved to England and signed for Lancashire in 1980 as an overseas player.

Radford was not a particular success at Lancashire, failing to take 50 first-class wickets in any of his five seasons with the club, and he was dismissed at the end of 1984. He was awarded a benefit season in 1995, and when he retired from the first-class game at the end of that year, he had 994 wickets to his name at that level.

In 1993 Radford established the cricket supplies business Radford EZY Net.

In 1997 and 1998, Radford played Minor counties cricket for Herefordshire.

In March 2014, Neal Radford announced his intention to stand for the UK Independence Party in the local elections. He said: "I was getting increasingly frustrated as a dissatisfied voter and as such and wanted to do something about the situation – so I joined UKIP. I have been approached to stand in Fladbury for the local elections and it is something I intend to do." UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: "He was one of the hardest working and gutsy bowlers in first-class cricket and I know that he will apply that work ethic to his campaigning with us."

Radford's two brothers, Glen and Wayne, both played domestic first-class cricket in South Africa.