After fourteen years representing Oxfordshire and ten as captain, Jonny Cater has called time on his playing career within Oxfordshire. Jonny led Oxfordshire as captain for eight seasons’ across all three formats within National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) competitions, before retiring from red ball cricket at the end of the 2022 season and then for a further two years across both white ball formats in 2023 and 2024.
Jonny had departed the red ball game in 2023 having played 49 matches for the county since in competitive cricket his debut in 2011, amassing 3448 runs at an average of 43.10, including six centuries and 23 half centuries. Of his six centuries, he made a hundred in each innings of the match against Cornwall in 2013 and had a highest score of 117 not out against Shropshire in 2014. Jonny completed 136 dismissals with the gloves, including 113 catches and 23 stumpings whilst also leading Oxfordshire to the NCCA Championship title as captain in 2021.
Jonny led Oxfordshire as captain in the white ball cricket competitions for ten seasons, lifting the NCCA Twenty20 for the first time in Oxfordshire history in 2022. Having qualified for the NCCA T20 Finals Day again two years later in 2024, it was unfitting that two washed out attempts to play the finals prevented Jonny one last opportunity to win another title for Oxfordshire. Jonny made over a hundred appearances for Oxfordshire across the Twenty20 and One Day Trophy format, amassing 2,829 runs at an average of 37.07, including three countries within One Day Trophy. During his final season representing Oxfordshire, Jonny became the first batter in NCCA history to score one thousand runs in the NCCA Twenty20 competitions, an achievement that reinforces both his longevity and continued performance level over many years. Jonny completed 118 dismissals with the gloves in NCCA white ball cricket, including 86 catches and 32 stumpings, alongside 5 run outs.
Oxfordshire Cricket would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Jonny on a tremendous playing career and to recognise both his dedication to the County as captain over a ten year period and his contribution to Oxfordshire throughout his career. Oxfordshire wish Jonny all the very best for the future and hope that he will now enjoy some extended time with his young family after all the years with the Oxfordshire shirt on.
Career Statistics
For Oxfordshire CCC in T20 Cricket | |||||||||
Games | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
52 | 47 | 14 | 1186 | 35.94 | 5 | 0 | 71 | 54 |
For Oxfordshire CCC in One Day Cricket | |||||||||
Games | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
55 | 51 | 8 | 1643 | 38.21 | 8 | 3 | 125 | 25 |
For Oxfordshire CCC (3 Day Championship Cricket) | |||||||||
Games | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
49 | 90 | 10 | 3448 | 43.3 | 23 | 6 | 444 | 43 |
For Oxfordshire CCC (first team all formats) | |||||||||
Games | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
168 | 194 | 35 | 6535 | 41.1 | 41 | 9 | 640 | 122 |
Jonny Cater said:
“It’s been a pleasure representing Oxfordshire CCC over the past fourteen seasons. When starting back in 2011, I could never have imagined representing this county for so long. I will walk away with some unbelievable memories, across all formats. The notable ones are the two trophy successes in recent years. I also feel immense pride seeing a number of players move from Oxfordshire to professional cricket under our tenure.
Personally, scoring back to back hundreds down in Cornwall to get capped, and becoming the first NCCA player to score 1000 20/20 runs are achievements I will look back on and be incredibly proud of. NCCA cricket is tough going, and I have always wanted to raise my game to face the best club players and professionals across the country. Playing for fourteen seasons and competing with the best club players in the country must mean I have performed over a long timespan, this is something I feel extremely proud of.
I want to say a huge thank you to all the players who have represented Oxfordshire CCC since becoming captain eight years ago. Without your hard work and dedication, the success the county achieved would never have been possible. I would like to say a huge thank you to Rupert Evans. I regard Rupert as family, and he is someone I have the utmost respect for. Without Rupert, Oxfordshire CCC would simply not be the same. Special mentions also go to Paul White, Chris Cox, Matt Barnes and Chris Clements, all have been instrumental in their roles over the years.
I hope the county continues to strive for excellence across all three formats. This is always a challenge, knowing the competition is strong across the country. But I believe more trophy success is just around the corner, and I will be supporting from afar and hope the boys can achieve this very soon.
County Men’s Head Coach, Rupert Evans said:
“Jonny was born in Oxford but began his representative cricket career, playing pathway cricket for Buckinghamshire. In 2011 he decided to leave Buckinghamshire to join Oxfordshire and made his Minor Counties debut for Oxfordshire as a batter against Dorset at Dean Park County ground in Bournemouth, scoring 98 and 48 to help Oxfordshire beat Dorset by 5 wickets.
During the 2012 season Jonny took on the role of wicket-keeper batter when Ian Hawtin was injured. He continued as a permanent wicket-keeper batter from 2012 until his retirement at the end of the 2024 season.
During his fourteen years playing for Oxfordshire Jonny worked hard to develop his batting and wicket-keeping skills to become one of the best wicket-keeper batters in National Counties Cricket. He was a tough competitive captain who enjoyed being in a battle. His style of captaincy did not always endear him to the opposition, but it gained him respect from our players, opposition teams and officials.
Jonny, you have been a wonderful servant to Oxfordshire Cricket, I’ve enjoyed coaching you and working with you over the past fourteen years. I will miss chatting to you about team selection and tactics, but most of all I will miss travelling with you on long journeys, to Cumbria, Northumberland and Cornwall in your flying machine.”