Wisden
 

Frederick Wilson

WILSON, MR. FREDERIC BONHOTE, who died on January 19, was born on September 21, 1881. In his younger days himself a wonderful natural player of any ball game, he devoted his life after leaving Cambridge to journalism, to which he brought not only an unsurpassed knowledge of his subjects but also a light and kindly touch. His counsel and advice to young players, generously and modestly offered, was that of the expert, and equally his opinion carried great weight with older and more experienced players.

His criticism, although ample, was always that of an open-hearted man, full of good fun and amazingly quick in perception. To him W. G. Grace, with whom he at one time played a great deal of cricket, was a hero and an inspiration, but that never prevents him from appreciating and enjoying modern worth. He had a old-world courtesy to his elders, knew to the finest point what was right and what was wrong, was as courageous as a lion, and withal was the jolliest, wittiest person for whom the heart of man could ask.

When a boy at Elstree, he at once made his mark as possessing an eye and a power of wrist well above the ordinary and, going on to Harrow, he did all that a boy could do to win credit for his school. He played in the cricket matches against Eton at Lord's in 1899 and 1900 and in both those years represented his school at rackets and fives. In the game with Eton in 1900, making 79 and 24, he contributed largely to Harrow's victory by one wicket. Going up to Cambridge he did little in 1902 but in the following season he scored 7 and 42 against Oxford and in 1904, when captain, he made 46 and 7 in the University match. He played for Cambridge at tennis in the Doubles in 1902 and 1903 and in the Singles in the latter year, while at rackets--the game at which he particularly excelled--he represented his University in the Singles in 1903 and the Doubles in both 1902 and 1903. After coming down from Cambridge he kept up his cricket for a time with the London County Club at the Crystal Palace where he developed his great friendship with W. G. Grace. On the outbreak of war he joined the R.N.V.R. and later on, when holding a commission in the Royal Fusiliers, was wounded. Associated in his earliest days, as a journalist, with the Daily Mirror he reported games in a racy style of his own and after the war was identified with The Times for which it was his legitimate pride that he contributed accounts of no fewer than 20 different kinds of games.

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