Clement Gibson

Clement Gibson will always be remembered for the part he played in helping MacLaren's XI to beat the Australians at Eastbourne in 1921. After failing to get a wicket in the first innings, he took six for 64 in the second, including the opening pair, Bardsley and Collins.

He had had a wonderful record at Eton, where in four years in the XI he had taken 122 wickets at an average of 10.50. He was Captain in 1918 and 1919 and in 1919 took six for 18 and three for 12 at Lord's. Later that summer he played a few times for Sussex. He was a member of the very strong Cambridge sides of 1920 and 1921, when he and C. S. Marriott were one of the most formidable pairs of bowlers either University has ever had and provided a perfect contrast. On coming down he went out to the Argentine, where he spent the rest of his life.

In the winter of 1922-3 Gibson was a member of MacLaren's side in Australia and New Zealand and, though his record does not look much, must have bowled well, as it is said to have been largely on MacLaren's recommendation that he was asked to go with the M.C.C. to Australia in 1924. This invitation he had to refuse, perhaps fortunately, as, when he was home for the summer in 1926 and played for Sussex, he met with little success, though he could still produce at times a good ball: at the Oval he clean bowled Hobbs with a beauty in each innings.

This was the end of his county cricket, but in 1932 he captained a South American side on a brief tour of England. With a good run up and a beautifully easy action, he bowled fast-medium, kept at his best a good length and made the ball swing very late. His best one would pitch on the leg stump and hit the off. He was also an extremely useful bat in the lower half of the order. Had he been able to continue regular first-class cricket after coming down, he would probably have taken a high place. Gibson was one of the Five Cricketers of the Year (schoolboys) in 1918.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack