Septimus Kinneir

KINNEIR, SEPTIMUS PAUL, born at Corsham, Wilts., on May 13, 1873, died on October 16, whilst motor-cycling on his way home from playing golf. His death at the age of 55 removed one of the finest batsmen who ever played for Warwickshire. After assisting Wiltshire he, in 1898, threw in his lot with the Midland county, then moderately strong, and remained one of their most consistent run-getters until the break caused by the War. Of considerable experience at the age of twenty-five, he found first-class cricket quite congenial. Possessing exceptional grace of style without any of the exaggeration of pull that so often marks a left-handed batsman, Kinneir for the most part contented himself with patient defence and orthodox stroke play in which cutting and off-driving stood out prominently. Occasionally he departed from his usual custom and hit with freedom that made him most attractive to watch. He played specially well against fast bowling. For many seasons he rivalled Willie Quaife at the head of the Warwickshire batting averages and altogether was credited with 15,721 runs and an average of nearly 33 for a period of nineteen years. Against Leicestershire, at Leicester, in 1907, he carried his bat through both innings, making 70 not out and 69 not out. When Warwickshire won the County Championship in 1911 under the captaincy of F. R. Foster, Kinneir had the highest aggregate, 1,418 runs, averaging 44, and with 268 not out, against Hampshire at Birmingham, he established a batting record for Warwickshire while he scored two separate hundreds in the match against Sussex, at Chichester. On this form he was chosen for the Players at the Oval--and scored 158 and 53 not out, showing such steadiness that he was selected as the third left-handed batsman to go to Australia that winter under P. F. Warner. After opening the batting with Hobbs in the first Test match--this was lost-- Kinneir did not take part in any of the four games which under the command of J. W. H. T. Douglas--the official captain having been overtaken by illness during the first match of the tour--were won.

F. R. Foster and Barnes with the ball, Hobbs, Rhodes and Woolley with the bat, were the great match-winning factors that had most to do with bringing home the Ashes. As Warner himself said when the team came home: Kinneir, I am sure, would have made a lot of runs had he played regularly, but there was no room for him in the best eleven, his fielding being so moderate.