Alan Hansford

Alan Roderick Hansford (born 1 October 1968) is a former English first-class cricketer. A right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace, he was born at Cuckfield, Sussex.

Hansford made his debut in List A cricket for the Combined Universities against Surrey in the 1989 Benson & Hedges Cup. He played five matches for the Combined Universities side in that competition,[1] which captained by Michael Atherton, famously reached the quarter-final of the competition by defeating professional first-class opposition along the way. Having played for the Sussex Second XI since 1987, it was in the 1989 season that he made his first-class debut for Sussex against Cambridge University at Hove, taking figures of 4/46 and 4/29 during the match.[2] During his time at Sussex, he featured infrequently in first-class cricket, making just nine further appearances, the last of which came against Hampshire in the 1992 County Championship.[3] Primarily a bowler, Hansford took 30 wickets in his ten first-class appearances, which came at an average of 33.03, with best figures of 5/79.[4] These figures were his only first-class five wicket haul and came against Hampshire in 1989.[5]

He first featured in List A cricket for Sussex in his debut season, making his debut in that format for the county in the Refuge Assurance League against Hampshire. He featured in a total of seventeen List A matches for the county in 1989 and 1990,[1] including taking what would be his only five wicket haul in one-day cricket, against Gloucestershire in 1989.[6] In 1991, he once again featured for the Combined Universities in the Benson & Hedges Cup, making four appearances.[1] Further appearances in that format for Sussex followed, with Hansford making five further appearances for the county, the last of which came against Northamptonshire in the Sunday League.[1] In total, Hansford made 23 List A appearances for Sussex, taking 24 wickets at an average of 42.54.[7]

Michael Atherton later wrote that Hansford was the only gay cricketer he had come across, in response to a letter from Hansford in which he wrote "there can't be too many gay accountants who dismissed you twice in a first-class match" (in reference to Hansford's first-class debut against Cambridge University, in which he dismissed Atherton twice).[2][8]