Wisden
1955

Obituaries in 1954

BARKER, MR. MONTAGUE MARTIN, who died at Epsom on January 13, aged 87, was in the Radley XI from 1883 to 1885. He was a member of the unofficial M.C.C. team which visited the West Indies in 1894. One of the finest half-backs who ever played hockey for England, he captained the national team in 1898 and was one of the founders of the Molesey Hockey Club.

BARRETT, MAJOR ALEXANDER GOULD, who died in a Taunton hospital on March 13, aged 88, following a road accident, was President of Somerset County Cricket Club in 1931 and 1932. He did not gain prominence as a cricketer while at Eton and Oxford, but he played a good deal for Somerset Stragglers and until late in life took part in country house games.

BATES, MR. THOMAS H., who was killed in an air crash at Singapore on March 13 when on his way to England, was President of the New Zealand Cricket Council in 1931-32.

BOSTOCK, HERBERT, who died at Ilkeston on February 20, aged 84, played in four matches for Derbyshire in 1897. A fine club player, he captained the Ilkeston Manners Colliery C.C. which, by carrying off the trophy in three successive years from 1896, won outright the Derbyshire Cricket Challenge Cup.

BRANN, MR. GEORGE, who died at his home at Surbiton, Surrey, on June 14, aged 89, was a famous Sussex batsman at the turn of the century. A product of Ardingly College, where he spent ten years, he first appeared for Sussex in 1883 and played his last match for the county in 1905, but his career really began in 1885 and ended in 1904. Originally a very free batsman and powerful hitter, he forsook his dashing methods during his last few years of county cricket, but although becoming a far more watchful type of batsman he continued to make many runs. Born on April 23, 1865, he scored altogether 11,150 runs, average 25, and he scored twenty-five centuries for Sussex. He owed much to the coaching of Alfred Shaw and William Mycroft. Standing nearly six feet, Brann was a capital fieldsman and once at Ardingly threw a ball over 115 yards.

His biggest score was 219 against Hampshire at Brighton. In 1899 he and C. B. Fry opened the two Sussex innings against Middlesex at Lord's with partnerships of 135 and 148. In 1892 he enjoyed what was then the rare distinction of scoring two centuries in a match--105 and 101 against Kent at Brighton. Only Dr. W. G. Grace (three times) and W. Lambert, of Sussex, had to that point in cricket history achieved the feat. Brann went to Australia in 1887-88 as a member of Shaw and Shrewsbury's Team, visited South Africa under W. W. Read in 1891-92 and America in 1899 when K. S. Ranjitsinhji was captain.

Brann was also a fine Association football forward. Fast and heavy, he did great work for that celebrated Slough club, the Swifts, and for the Corinthians and played for England against Scotland and Wales in 1886 and against Wales in 1891. After retiring from cricket he achieved some fame at golf.

BRINCKMAN, MAJOR SIR THEODORE ERNEST WARREN, who died in a London hospital on July 26, aged 56, often played for M.C.C. and Eton Ramblers and for some years captained Richmond, of which club he was President. He took his own team to the Channel Islands and to South America.

BROMLEY, MR. HARRY THOMAS, who died at Hove in May, aged 68, expressed his love of cricket in a unique manner: he was a member of every county club in the country. Before he retired to Hove, he was for many years a well-known personality in cricket at Slough.

BROMLEY-DAVENPORT, MR. HUGH RICHARD, who died on May 23, aged 83, was in the Eton XI from 1886 to 1889, being captain in the last two seasons, and was described by Wisden of the time as the best Public School bowler of 1887. Fast left-arm, he achieved considerable success in his first two matches against Harrow, for in 1886 he dismissed nine batsmen for 152 and the following season eight for 111.

Going up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he gained a Blue in 1892 and 1893 under the captaincy of F. S. Jackson. In the second meeting with Oxford he obtained a match record of five wickets for l l runs. An incident in that game led to a change in the Laws. Convinced that Oxford intended to throw away their last wicket, which, as they were 84 behind, would have meant that they would be compelled to follow-on and thus leave Cambridge to take last innings on a deteriorating pitch, C. M. Wells frustrated any such attempt by bowling two wides to the boundary. In the end Cambridge won by 266 runs, and the following year the follow-on became compulsory only if a side finished the first innings 120 or more behind their opponents' total.

After going down from the University, Bromley-Davenport, who was born on August 18, 1870, played for his native county, Cheshire, and from 1896 to 1898 for Middlesex. In 1893 he appeared with such celebrities as K. S. Ranjitsinhji and C. B. Fry under the captaincy of W. G. Grace for Gentlemen at The Oval, where the Players won in an exciting finish by eight runs. Twice he toured the West Indies, with R. S. Lucas's team in 1894-95 and with Lord Hawke's side in 1897, visited South Africa with Lord Hawke in 1895-96 and 1898-99, and went to Portugal with T. Westray's team in 1898. A Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers during the first Great War, he was awarded the O.B.E.

BULLIMER, MR. LEO, who died at Northampton on April 24, aged 78, was for 51 years scorer for Northamptonshire until retiring in 1952. His efforts in raising funds did much to keep Northamptonshire going during some of their worst financial crises. At one time he played professional Association football for Northampton Town, Stockport County, Lincoln City, Reading and Brighton.

BURROWS, MR. JOSEPH ROBERT, who died at Belper on March 12, aged 85, played for Derbyshire against M.C.C. at Lord's in 1889, making the winning hit in an exciting victory by one wicket. He captained Belper Meadows C.C. for several years.

BYRNE, MR. JAMES FREDERICK, who died at Birmingham on May 10, aged 82, played for Warwickshire as a forcing batsman and fast bowler from 1892 to 1910, being captain for five years front 1903. Against Lancashire at Birmingham in 1905, he and S. P. Kinneir (158) set up a Warwickshire record by sharing in an opening partnership of 333, of which Byrne's share amounted to 222. Another claim to fame was that twice in a match at the Crystal Palace he dismissed Dr. W. G. Grace. He was perhaps even better known as a powerful Rugby football fullback with Moseley, for on thirteen occasions between 1894 and 1899 he played for England. In all matches during the 1897-98 season he captained his country. He later became President of Moseley and of the North Midlands Union and for some years was a member of the Committee of the Rugby Football Union.

CAMERON, DR. JOHN JOSEPH, who died in Jamaica in December, aged 72, toured England with the West Indian team under the captaincy of H. G. B. Austin in 1906. Captain of Jamaica in 1910, he played for London County with Dr. W. G. Grace. He was the father of J. H. Cameron, who played for Taunton School, Cambridge University, Somerset and the West Indies.

CAMPBELL, COLONEL IAN MAXWELL, who died at Amersham on March 6, aged 83, played under Dr. W. G. Grace for the London County XI and appeared in one match for Middlesex in 1900. For many years he was a prominent figure in the wine trade.

CANNY, SIR GERALD BAIN, who died at Chobham, Surrey, on February 16, aged 72, was in the Malvern XI from 1897 to 1900. Going up to Cambridge, he took part in the Freshmen's match of 1901. He gained his Association football Blue as a wing forward in 1902 and as centre half-back in 1903, and was a member of the Corinthian F. C. He served for 38 years in the Department of Inland Revenue.

CARR, LIEUTENANT-GENERAL LAURENCE, who died at Ham Common on April 15, aged 68, was in the Uppingham Xl's of 1902 and 1903. During a long Army career, he served with the Gordon Highlanders in the first World War, being twice wounded and five times mentioned in dispatches. He was awarded the D.S.O. in 1917, the O.B.E. in 1919 and became a C.B. in 1939.

CONWAY, ARTHUR J., who died on November 1, aged 68, played occasionally for Worcestershire between 1911 and 1919. A right-arm bowler of rather more than medium-pace who made the ball swerve appreciably, he took 54 wickets, average 34.03. Far and away his best performance was at Moreton-in-Marsh on 1914, when he took nine wickets for 38 runs in the first Gloucestershire innings and six for 49 in the second. Thanks chiefly to him Worcestershire won a match of low scoring by 180 runs. Conway also played football for Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

CUFF, MR. L. A., who died at his home in Launceston, Tasmania, on October 9, aged 88, was one of the founders of the New Zealand Cricket Council in 1894-95. Between 1893 and 1897 he played as a tall, strong and aggressive batsman for New Zealand against New South Wales, Queensland and Australia, being captain in 1895-96. In 1893-94 he and J. D. Lawrence, by scoring 306 for the first Canterbury wicket against Auckland, set up a New Zealand record which stood for 57 years. Cuff's share in this partnership was 176. A prominent sports administrator, he helped to form the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and when taking up residence in Tasmania continued his activities there, appearing on several occasions in Tasmanian representative cricket teams.

DALY, COLONEL DENNIS N., who died in a Dublin nursing home in September, aged 59, played for Downside and for New College, Oxford, and later for Yorkshire Gentlemen and Free Foresters. A well-known all-round sportsman, he was closely connected with horse racing and hunting in Ireland and from 1948 to 1950 was a Steward of the Irish Turf Club.

DAVEY, MR. A. F., who died at Minehead on November 1, aged 73, was Secretary of Somerset from 1923 till 1932, when he succeeded R. C. N. Palairet as Surrey Secretary, a post he held till B. K. Castor took over in 1947.

DAVIDSON, MR. KENNETH R., who was killed in an airplane crash at Prestwick Aerodrome on December 25, the day after his 49th birthday, played as a batsman for Yorkshire on a number of occasions from 1933 as amateur and professional. In 1934 he scored 1,053 runs, including an innings of 128 against Kent at Maidstone. Previously he appeared for the Second XI, for Bingley in the Bradford League and for Scotland. Better known as a badminton player, at which he displayed remarkable ability, he went to America in 1935 and was returning to his New York home after a world tour with a U.S.A. team when he met his death.

DIXON, MR. JOSEPH GILBERT, who died on November 19, aged 59, played as an all-rounder for Essex from 1914 to 1922. His best season for the county was that of 1921, when he scored 810 runs, average 22.50, and took 67 wickets, average 34.47. The highest of his three first-class centuries was 173, made out of 296 in two and a half hours against Worcestershire at Leyton in 1922. A strong driver, he hit one 6 and twenty-four 4's. In the Felsted XI in 1912 and two following years, he headed the School batting figures in 1914 with 646 runs, average 58.72, and took 29 wickets.

DOLDING, DESMOND LEONARD, who died in hospital on November 23, aged 31, as the result of injuries received in a motor-car accident, was a member of the M.C.C. staff for seven years. He played only once for Middlesex, in 1951, but as a right-arm leg-break bowler took part in many games for M.C.C.. A brilliant fieldsman, he acted as twelfth man for England in the second Test match with New Zealand at Lord's in 1949 and was summoned to Leeds to stand by as substitute in the fourth Test with Australia in 1953. An Association footballer of ability, he played as a wing forward for Queen's Park Rangers, Chelsea and Norwich City and was on the books of Margate at the time of his death. In the second World War, he served as a bomb-aimer with the R.A.F., where, as in sport, his quiet and likeable personality made him very popular.

DONNELLY, SIR ARTHUR TELFORD, who died at Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 1, aged 63, was a life member of the New Zealand Cricket Council, of which he was chairman of committee for ten years from 1928 and President from 1946 to 1948. A barrister, he was appointed Crown Solicitor for Christchurch in 1920, was chairman of the Bank of New Zealand and a Steward of the Canterbury Jockey Club. Made C.M.G. in 1939, he was created K.B.E. in 1949.

DRUCE, MR. NORMAN FRANK, who died at Milford, Surrey, on October 27, aged 79, was a celebrated batsman and slip fieldsman towards the end of the last century. Like his elder brother, W. G. Druce, he captained both Marlborough and Cambridge University. From 1891 to 1893 he was in the Marlborough XI, leading the side in the last season, and he played in the University match in 1894 and the three following years, being captain in 1897. He averaged 66 for Cambridge in 1897, an unprecedented performance, and Wisden said of him: He plays his own game without any rigid over-adherence to rule, scoring on the on-side from straight balls in a fashion only possible to a batsman with genius for timing. In that season he hit 227 not out out--the highest innings to that date at Fenner's--against C. I. Thornton's team. Twice in 1895 he appeared for Gentlemen against Players, and in 1895 he assisted Surrey without achieving anything of note. When playing for the county in 1897 he did better, though never reproducing the form he showed for his University. He visited America with Frank Mitchell's team in 1895 and went to Australia under A. E. Stoddart in 1897-98, when he scored 109 against New South Wales at Sydney.

EVERSHED, MR. FRANK, who died at Burton-on-Trent on June 29, aged 87, was educated at Amersham Hall and University College, Oxford. Though he failed to gain a Rugby football Blue, he appeared ten times as a forward for England from 1889 to 1903. From 1889 to 1894 he occasionally played cricket for Derbyshire, scoring 111 against Norfolk in 1890. He was the third of four brothers, S. H.--later Sir Herbert, who captained Derbyshire in nine seasons late last century--W. W., F. and E. His only son is Sir Raymond Evershed, Master of the Rolls.

FARRAR, ALBERT, who died at Brighouse, Yorkshire, in November, aged 71, for several years assisted Yorkshire Colts and in 1906 played in the Championship side against Somerset. He afterwards became a professional for Lockwood in the Huddersfield League. As a Rugby League footballer, he turned out for Rochdale Hornets. For 32 years he was licensee of the Albion Inn, Brighouse.

FERNS, MR. CHARLES SAMUEL, who died at his home at Clapham Common on December 19, aged 75, was a member of the staff of the Cricket Reporting Agency for 56 years till he retired in 1952. He served under six Editors of Wisden.

FLETCHER, MR. THOMAS, who died at Derby on September 29, aged 73, played for Derbyshire against H. B. G. Austin's West Indian team of 1906, scoring 28 and sharing in a win by six wickets. In his youth, he played Association football as an amateur for Derby County F.C. and toured America and the Continent with amateur sides.

GALE, MR. HAROLD FREDERICK, who died at Croydon on April 15, aged 74, was for 58 years a sports journalist. He commenced his career with the Pall Mall Gazette in 1896, and for 42 years was associated with the Observer, of which he was Sports Editor from 1939 till his death. A great lover of cricket, he played in matches with Dr. W. G. Grace, whom he claimed to have bowled on three occasions. In his younger days a fine billiards and snooker player, he wrote on those games for The Times for many years. Courteous and always ready to extend a helping hand to young journalists, he was a most popular figure in Fleet Street.

GANAPATHI PILLAI, C. R., who died in September, aged 68, was a fine bowler in his cricketing days. For Combined Madras against the M.C.C. team captained by A. E. R. Gilligan in 1927, he earned a match analysis of nine wickets for 149. Chairman for many years of the Madras Selection Committee for Ranji Trophy and University matches, he was a vice-president of the Madras Cricket Association and became a vice-patron in 1953.

GILLESPIE, MR. HECTOR DONALD, who died in Auckland on October 12, aged 53, was a member of the New Zealand team which toured Australia in 1925-26. He represented Auckland in Plunket Shield matches between 1920 and 1932 and for some years captained Eden C. C., for whom in 1924-25 he and J. E. Mills shared in an opening stand of 441 against University at Eden Park. Educated at Auckland Grammar School, Gillespie was also a keen Rugby footballer. A law clerk for 38 years, he became a Justice of the Peace.

GRANT-PETERKIN, COLONEL MONTAGUE JAMES, who died at Forres, Morayshire, on March 27, aged 82, was one of the best-known public figures in the north of Scotland. For many years he was President of the North of Scotland Cricket Association and in his younger days was one of the foremost batsmen in the north. Educated at Charterhouse, he was Deputy-Lieutenant of Moray from 1899 and in the second World War carried on as Vice-Lieutenant during the absence on war service of the Lord Lieutenant.

HANDS, MR. KENNETH CHARLES MYBURGH, who died in Paris on November 18, aged 62, was the youngest of three brothers who played cricket for South Africa, though his own appearance was in one of the unofficial Test matches against the Hon. L. H. Tennyson's English team of 1924-25. After gaining a Blue at Rugby football in 1912, he was tried for the Oxford University cricket eleven before returning to South Africa, where he played regularly for Western Province from 1921 to 1931. In all first-class matches, he scored 1,543 runs average 29.11. Of his three centuries, the highest was 171 not out against Natal in a Currie Cup match at Cape Town in 1925-26.

HARRIS, CHARLES BOWMAR, who died in Nottingham General Hospital on August 8, aged 45, played as opening batsman for Nottinghamshire from 1928 till 1951, in which time he scored nearly 20,000 runs. A fine batsman, capable of strong hitting or dour defence, and a capable spin-bowler, he did not gain a regular place in the county side till 1931, when he got his chance as a result of a motoring accident involving three Nottinghamshire players. So well did he seize the opportunity that in twelve games he scored 456 runs, headed the county averages with 50.66 and earned his county cap. Next season, for the first of eleven times, he exceeded 1,000 runs and established himself in the eleven.

In 1933 he made 234 against Middlesex at Trent Bridge, he and W. W. Keeton sharing in a first wicket stand of 277. He and Keeton steadily became one of the best opening pairs in the country and in 1950 they joined in two three-figure partnerships against Northamptonshire at Northampton. Harris's best season was that of 1934, when he obtained 1,891 runs, average 38.59, and hit five centuries. His highest innings was 239 not out in 1950 when he carried his bat against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. His benefit match, against Yorkshire in 1949, realised £3,500--a county record--despite the loss through rain of the opening day. Troubled by ill-health for some years, Harris appeared to have recovered when he was appointed a first-class umpire last season, but after standing in a few matches he broke down and was compelled to resign.

Well known as one of cricket's humorists, he habitually greeted the fieldsmen when going in to bat at the start of a day with the remark: Good morning, fellow workers. On one occasion when the light was far from good, he made his way from the pavilion carrying a flare and headed straight for square-leg!

HELMORE, MR. JOHN HAROLD, who died at Bath in January, aged 80, played on a number of occasions for Somerset representative teams under the captaincy of the late S. M. J. Woods. He also represented Somerset at bowls and at one time was West of England table-tennis champion.

HIGGINS, JAMES, who died at Wibsey in July, aged 77 kept wicket for Yorkshire in several matches early in the century. For many years afterwards he captained Featherstone till retiring from the game in 1932.

HILL-WOOD, SIR BASIL SAMUEL, 2nd Bart., who died at Farley Hill, Reading on July 3, aged 54, played for Eton in unofficial war-time matches against Harrow in 1916 and 1918. He was chairman of the Eton Society in 1918. Going up to Trinity College, Cambridge, he did not gain a place in the eleven, but from 1919 to 1925 made occasional appearances for Derbyshire. Son of Sir Samuel Hill-Wood, former chairman of Arsenal F.C., he served in the Grenadier Guards before becoming a member of the London Stock Exchange.

HIRST, GEORGE HERBERT, who died at his Huddersfield home a few miles from his birthplace, Kirkheaton, on May 10, aged 82, was one of the most illustrious cricketers who graced the Golden Age. On the 24 occasions on which he played for England, Hirst achieved only a few noteworthy performances, but such was his prowess with bat and ball for Yorkshire in a career spanning forty years that Lord Hawke described him as the greatest county cricketer of all time. Certainly this blunt, outspoken man of extreme buoyancy and cheerfulness brought such a tenacity to the game that no match in which he figured was won or lost till the last ball was bowled. Small wonder, therefore, that in Yorkshire he was an unchallenged hero, and throughout the length and breadth of England his popularity stood unrivalled.

Figures alone tell only part of the story of Hirst, but they show unmistakably his supreme prowess as an all-round cricketer in the fullest meaning of the phrase. Between his first county game for Yorkshire in 1889 and his last in 1929, Hirst scored 36,203 runs, average 34.05, and took 2,727 wickets, average 18.77; at his peak friends and opponents alike recognised him as the best mid-off in the country, with a pair of hands so sure that a considerable proportion of his 550 catches were made from scorching drives in a period when strong driving was an essential component in every batsman's game. The measure of Hirst's ability is best reflected in that he accomplished the double feat of l,000 runs and 100 wickets fourteen times, a number surpassed only by his renowned contemporary, Wilfred Rhodes (16), and that he alone made 2,000 runs and took 200 wickets in a season, which he did in 1906. His figures were 2,385 runs and 208 wickets. Years afterwards, when asked if he thought his record might be broken, Hirst made an answer typifying his whole approach. With a twinkle in his eye, he replied: I don't know, but whoever does it will be very tired. Yet, through the years, he himself showed little evidence of fatigue. Only a very fit man, such as he was, could have reached 1,000 runs in 19 seasons and taken 100 wickets in fifteen different years.

The people of Kirkheaton and the surrounding areas almost lived for cricket and from an early age Hirst, born on September 7, 1871, showed that he would be a player of more than ordinary skill. He became associated with Huddersfield when 18 and before his 19th birthday his first ambition, that of playing for Yorkshire, was realised. Hirst was fond of recalling that in those days his equipment, which he carried to the ground in a canvas bag, was worth no more than ten shillings, that he wore a shilling cap, a sixpenny belt and brown boots. Success in county cricket came slowly, but after some seasons of quiet progress, he established himself in 1896 by scoring 1,122 runs and taking 104 wickets. Thenceforward he gathered strength as he went along. Of his 60 first-class centuries, all but four were played for Yorkshire, his highest being 341--still a county record against-- Leicestershire in 1905. Leicestershire suffered particularly from his bowling as well as from his batting. Twice he did the hat-trick against them, once in a match in 1907 in which he took 15 wickets, his greatest success in one game. Five times Hirst bowled unchanged through a match, Rhodes being his partner on three occasions and Schofield Haigh on the other two, and twice he took three wickets in four balls.

The combination of Hirst and Rhodes was feared as much by batsmen as that of Peel and Briggs, Gregory and McDonald and, in later years, Grimmett and O'Reilly. In the 1902 Test match at Birmingham, Hirst and Rhodes bowled out Australia for 36 runs, their lowest total in any Test. Rhodes took seven wickets for 17, and Hirst three for 15. This was the most memorable joint feat of Hirst and Rhodes, but in the next match the Australians met Yorkshire, who put them out for 23 ( Hirst five for 9 runs and F. S. Jackson five for 12). Another Yorkshire bowling triumph in which Hirst played a notable part occurred in 1908 when he and Schofield Haigh dismissed Northamptonshire for 27 and l5, Hirst taking twelve wickets for 19 runs and Haigh six for 19.

On his two tours to Australia, with A. E. Stoddart's team in 1897-98, and P. F. Warner's side in 1903-4, Hirst did not realise English hopes but he played a conspicuous role in a dramatic victory over Australia at The Oval in 1902. When Hirst, who scored 58 not out in the final innings, was joined by the last man, his lifelong friend and colleague, Rhodes, England required 15 to win. The story has been passed on that, as Rhodes met him on the way to the wicket, Hirst confidently murmured: We'll get'em in singles, Wilfred--which they proceeded to do. Whether true or not, that is the type of remark Hirst would have made. One last instance of his versatility; in 1906 he scored two centuries and took eleven wickets in the match against Somerset at Bath.

Essentially a self-taught batsman, Hirst frequently gave of his best when the pitch afforded help to bowlers. His remarkable quickness of eye and feet enabled him to develop the hook and pull strokes so well that some bowlers complained that they found exceeding difficulty in bowling to him anything except a yorker which he did not treat as a long-hop. His liking for the hook was costly only in Australia. By contrast to his right-handed batting, Hirst was a natural left-arm bowler, a shade faster than medium. After a long bounding run, he delivered with a free, easy action and he often made the new ball swerve and dip into the batsman so late that many of his victims confessed themselves as suspecting that they had been thrown out from cover. Hirst, in fact, has been described as the father of all modern seam and swing bowling. Before he showed its possibilities, bowlers rubbed the new ball in the dirt to take off the polish.

Hirst, short and thick-set, found perpetual pleasure in every game he played and captains such as Sir Pelham Warner have testified that they could not have wished for a better man to be in their teams. Both as a player and as a personality, none could speak too highly of him. Sir Pelham has said that when things were going wrong on tour Hirst was first to come to the aid of everybody with his ready wit.

When Hirst was given a benefit by Yorkshire in 1904 he received a sum of £3,703, a remarkable figure in those days. Seventeen years later a testimonial for him produced £700. Virtually that came at the finish of his active career, for he became coach at Eton College in 1921, but he played occasionally for Yorkshire for another eight years. During his 18 years at Eton, Hirst endeared himself to hundreds of young cricketers who benefited from his kindly guidance, and nothing was more fitting than that M.C.C. should include him in the 26 professionals whom they honoured in 1949 with Honorary Life Membership.

Cricket was George Hirst's life and less than a year before his death he sat with Rhodes, now sightless, while England recovered from a seemingly hopeless position against Australia at the Leeds ground on which he himself so often stood in the breach.

HOARE, SIR REGINALD HERVEY, who died in London on August 12, aged 72, was in the Eton XI of 1901, scoring 37 and 32 in the match with Winchester. Formerly British Minister in Teheran and Bucharest, he was managing-partner of C. Hoare and Co., the bankers.

JONES, MR. PERCY SYDNEY TWENTYMAN, who died on March 8, aged 77, following a serious operation, played for South Africa at both cricket and Rugby football. Born on September 13, 1876, he appeared as a batsman for Western Province from 1898 to 1905. Against the Australian touring team of 1902, he was, with 33 and 50, top-scorer in each innings for Western Province on a bad pitch. This performance earned him a place in the third Test match at Cape Town, but he was twice dismissed without scoring. He represented South Africa at football in 1896. In later years he became a well-known sports administrator. He was formerly Judge President of the Cape of Good Hope Division of the Supreme Court.

LAVERTON, MR. GEORGE AYLMER, who died at Wallingford on July 8, aged 64, was in the Harrow XI in 1906 and 1908. In the first World War he served as a captain in the Wiltshire Regiment.

LEVESON GOWER, SIR HENRY DUDLEY GRESHAM, who died in London on February 1, aged 80, was associated with M.C.C., Surrey and Scarborough Festiva1 cricket for over fifty years. Known wherever cricket is played as Shrimp, a nickname given him, presumably because of his slight physique, during his schooldays, he was born at Limpsfield, Surrey, on May 8, 1873, the seventh of twelve sons of Mr. G. W. G. Leveson Gower. At Winchester, where he was one of three brothers to gain colours at cricket and where, according to him, he really learned the game, he was in the eleven for three years from 1890. In 1892 he led the school to their first victory--by 84 runs--at Eton since 1882. He and J. R. Mason, later famous with Kent, took chief honours in that success. Mason hit 147 and 71 and took eight wickets for 139; Leveson Gower made 16 and 83 and dismissed eight batsmen for 33 runs.

At Magdalen College, Oxford, he got his Blue as a Freshman in 1893 and figured in the team in the three following years, being captain in 1896 when E. B. Shine bowled three balls to the boundary in the University match in order to prevent Oxford from following on as, according to the Laws prevailing at the time, they would otherwise have been compelled to do. His highest innings against Cambridge was 73 in 1895, when he also took seven wickets for 84 runs. In that season, too, began the association with Surrey which continued till his death. A skilful right-handed batsman and a keen field, usually at cover-point or mid-off, he hit his biggest innings for the county, 155 against his former University at Oxford, in 1899, and he captained Surrey from 1908 to 1910. Several times he appeared for Gentlemen against Players, and besides regularly getting together teams to meet the Universities at Eastbourne, he was responsible from 1899 till 1950 for the selection of the sides taking part in the Scarborough Festival. Recognition of his work in this direction came in 1950 when he was made a Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough.

Leveson Gower also had considerable experience of cricket outside England. He went to South Africa with M.C.C. teams in 1905-6 and 1909-10, being captain on the second occasion; visited the West Indies under Lord Hawke in 1896-97, and in the autumn of 1897 toured in America with the side captained by P. F. (now Sir Pehlam) Warner. During the American trip some of the newspapers experienced difficulty over Leveson Gower's name, and he found himself referred to in print as The Hyphenated Worry and The Man with the Sanguinary Name. Between 1928 and 1934, he also played with teams in Malta, Gibraltar and Portugal. Altogether in first-class cricket he scored 7,662 runs, average 22.88.

Aside from his playing ability, probably his best service to cricket, for which he was knighted in 1953, was rendered as a legislator and Test Selector. For many years a member of the Committee of the M.C.C. and Treasurer of Surrey from 1926 to 1928, he succeeded G. H. Longman as President of the County Club in 1929. In 1909 he became a member of the Test Team Selection Committee, of which he was chairman in 1924 and from 1928 to 1930. During the first Great War he served in the Army, attaining the rank of major and being mentioned in dispatches. He contributed articles to Wisden, in 1937 on Recollections of Oxford Cricket, and in 1946 on 100 Years of Surrey Cricket and also wrote a book, On and Off the Field.

MCBAIN, MR. ALAN, who died at Aberdeen on August 6, was a prominent cricketer at Aberdeen Grammar School. He captained Aberdeenshire and was President of that club from 1938 to 1949.

MCIVER, MR. COLIN D., died suddenly, aged 73, when on a visit to Worcester College, Oxford, on May 13. Born at Hong Kong on January 23, 1881, he was in the Forest SChool XI from 1897 to 1901 and in the last season attracted special attention by scoring 1,003 runs, average 100.30. He gained a Blue at Oxford in 1903 and 1904 and in his first match against Cambridge helped towards a win by 268 runs by scoring 51 in the second innings and sharing with K. M. Carlisle in a stand of 109. When a Freshman, he made his first appearance for Essex in 1902 and he played a number of times for the county after leaving the University. As an efficient wicket-keeper, he played until over 60 for M.C.C., the Grasshoppers and the local club at Ashtead, Surrey, where he lived for so long. As an Association footballer, he got a Blue as centre-forward in 1904, and in 1906, when a member of Old Foresters, played at wing half-back for the England amateur team who beat France in Paris by 15 goals to none.

MANGOLD, MR. CHARLES AUGUST, who died at Port Elizabeth on August 6, aged 78, played for Eastern Province in the Currie Cup Competition. In 1896, for XVIII of Port Elizabeth against Lord Hawke's team, he performed the hat-trick, his victims being A. J. L. Hill, Lord Hawke and H. R. Bromley-Davenport.

MANN, MR. ERIC WILLIAM, who died at Rye on February 15, aged 71, was in the Harrow XI from 1899 to 1901, being captain in the last year when his innings of 69 helped in a victory by ten wickets over Eton. A hard-hitting batsman with free style and special strength on the leg-side, he was also a useful change bowler. Going up to Trinity College, Cambridge, he gained a Blue in 1903 and two following seasons, leading the side in 1905. His highest score in the three University matches was 42 in 1904, but he played a number of fine innings in other games. In 1902 and 1903, Mann appeared six times for Kent with little success. He captained the M.C.C. team which engaged in a short tour of America and Canada in 1905.

MANNING, WILLIAM J. M., who died suddenly at Cambridge on July 26, aged 75, was head groundsman at Emmanuel College from 1908 to 1947. In his younger days, Billy Manning played for Cambridgeshire.

MARTIN, WILLIAM ALBERT, who died at Slough in June, age 92, was known to generations of Eton boys as Slough Martin. Servant to successive housemasters from 1894 to 1940, he was coach at cricket for many years. Martin, who served in the Guards before going to Eton, was a special guest at the Old Boys dinner of 1952.

MEAD, WALTER, who died in hospital at Ongar on March 18, aged 84, was in his day one of the most notable of slow-medium right-arm bowlers. With an easy delivery and remarkable command of length, he possessed exceptional powers of spin and could make the ball turn on the best of pitches. While generally employing the off-break, he sent down an occasional leg-break with good effect, this ball bringing him many of the 1,906 wickets he took at an average cost of 19.08 runs during his first-class career. Twice he performed the rare feat of taking 17 wickets in a match, an achievement equalled only by A. P. Freeman, of Kent. The first of these was in 1893 against the Australians, when Mead dismissed nine men for 136 in the first innings and eight for 69 in the second. Two years later against Hampshire at Southampton he took eight for 67 and nine for 52.

Born at Clapton, in Middlesex, on March 25, 1869, Mead was invited by Bob Thoms, a celebrated umpire, to take part in a colts' match for the county of his birth in 1885 but declined and five years later, having qualified by residence, made his first appearance for Essex. He continued to play for the eastern county till 1913, except for the seasons of 1904 and 1905 when, because of a dispute over the question of winter pay, he took no part in county cricket. During those two summers he played for M.C.C. and London County without achieving much success. His best season for Essex was that of 1895 when he took 179 wickets for less than 15 runs apiece and gained fifth place in the first-class bowling averages. In three successive innings he disposed of 24 batsmen for 192 runs.

Mead rarely distinguished himself as a batsman, but at Leyton in 1902 he hit 119 against Leicestershire. At Sheffield in 1893, when no other Essex player exceeded 20, he went in at No. 10 and scored 66 not out, followed by taking four wickets for eight runs in the first Yorkshire innings and six for 73 in the second and so bore a leading part in a victory by seven wickets. As a fieldsman, Mead generally occupied the cover-point position with distinction.

His sole appearance for England was against Australia at Lord's in 1899 when, though bowling 53 overs, 24 of them maidens, he took only one wicket for 91 runs. From 1891 to 1918, he was a member of the M.C.C. staff at Lord's.

MORRES, MR. EDWARD RAYMOND, who died in Guernsey on December 27, aged 80, was in the Winchester XI of 1891. Going up to Magdalen College, Oxford, he took part in the Freshmen's match of 1892 and in the Seniors' match three years later scored 146, but did not gain a Blue. He served in the R.A.S.C. in the first World War, reaching the rank of major, and was mentioned in dispatches.

PATEFIELD, MR. THOMAS W., who died in a Bradford hospital on January 5, aged 54, was secretary-manager of Bradford C.C. He started his playing career with the Park Avenue Club in 1919 and served as a professional in Bradford League cricket with Baildon Green, Idle, Lightcliffe and Undercliffe. In 1934, when with Lightcliffe, he took all ten Spen Victoria wickets for 33 runs in a Priestley Cup game.

PEARSON, SIR ROBERT BARCLAY, who died in London on February 12, aged 82, was a notable all-round athlete. In the Loretto XI from 1889 to 1891, he took part in the Oxford Freshmen's match of 1892 but appeared for the University in only one game, against Somerset in 1894. A member of the University golf team in 1892 and 1894, he played in the Rugby football fifteen, rowed twice in the Brasenose boat in the head of the river contest and got his trial eight cap. He also played Rugby for the Harlequins. For many years he was chairman of the London Stock Exchange.

PEMBER, DR. FRANCIS WILLIAM, who died at Cambridge on January 19, aged 91, was a member of the Harrow XI who in 1880 beat Eton by 95 runs. For 18 years from 1914 he was Warden of All Souls College.

POOL, MR. C. J. T., who died at Epsom on October 13, aged 78, did fine work as a batsman for Northamptonshire from the time they attained first-class status in 1905 till 1910. In 1905 he headed the county's averages, his 110 against Hampshire being the one century obtained for Northamptonshire during the season, and remained a consistent and attractive run-getter till he retired from the first-class game. His best summer was that of 1909, when he scored 796 runs, average 22.12. He hit the highest of his four three-figure innings at Worcester in 1906 when Northamptonshire, after following on 165 behind Worcestershire, won by 41 runs thanks largely to his 166, made without chance in three hours. Sound in defence, he neglected few scoring chances and was specially strong in on-side strokes. He was also a good hockey player.

POWELL, MR. W. A., who died on January 1, aged 68, played occasionally for Kent in the last few seasons before the first World War.

PREST, MR. HAROLD EDWARD WESTRAY, who died at Shalford, Surrey, in January, aged 64, was in the Malvern XI before going up to Cambridge, where he gained a Blue in 1909 and 1911. Against Oxford in 1909, he scored 54. He also played at centre half-back in the Association football match with Oxford in 1909.

ROBERTS, MR. E. L., who died in his sleep on February 4 after a long illness, was well known as a cricket statistician. For some years he made important contributions to the Records section in Wisden and was responsible for several books of statistics on cricket. A Yorkshireman by birth, he spent much of his life in Surrey.

ROOT, CHARLES FREDERICK, who died in the Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton, on January 20, aged 63, was celebrated as a leading exponent of leg-theory bowling. Born in Derbyshire on April 16, 1890, Fred Root, as he was always known, served for a time on the Leicestershire ground staff before commencing his first-class career with the county of his birth in 1910. After five seasons of moderate success as an orthodox bowler came the first World War, and in 1921 Root joined Worcestershire.

With his new county he changed his style, bowling fast-medium in-swingers on the leg stump with five fieldsmen stationed on the leg-side close to the batsman. So successful did these tactics prove that from 1923 onwards he took over 100 wickets in nine successive seasons, eight times heading the county averages. His best year was 1925 when, with 219 victims, average 17.21, he set up a record for a Worcestershire bowler. That achievement earned him a special testimonial fund in the county. In 1926, for North of England at Edgbaston, he startled the cricket world by dismissing seven of H. L. Collins's Australian team in an innings for 42 runs. This gained him a place in the England team in three of the Test matches. Rain ruined the first, at Nottingham, but in the other two Root bowled well without repeating his earlier devastating form. In the fourth Test at Old Trafford, he gained these figures: 52 overs, 27 maidens, 84 runs, 4 wickets.

Three times in his career Root took nine wickets in an innings--for 23 runs against Lancashire in 1932, for 40 runs against Essex in 1924, both at Worcester, and for 81 against Kent at Tunbridge Wells in 1930, when he disposed of three batsmen in four balls. He was also a batsman of no mean ability and in 1928 he completed the cricketers' double, scoring 1,044 runs and taking 118 wickets. Altogether before his retirement from first-class cricket in 1933 he took 1,512 wickets for 21.11 runs each, scored 8,089 runs, average 15.37 and held 219 catches. Afterwards he played in Lancashire League cricket for a time, acted as coach to Leicestershire and as cricket correspondent of a national newspaper. In 1937 he wrote a book, A Cricket Pro's Lot, in which he expressed admirably the point of view of the professional player.

RYAN, FRANK, who died at Leicester on January 6, aged 65, was one of the best slow left-arm bowlers of his day. Tall, with a high easy action, he not only spun the ball considerably but maintained admirable accuracy. Born in New Jersey, U.S.A., on November 14, 1888, he came to England at an early age and was educated at Bedford Grammar School. Following service in the Royal Flying Corps during the first World War, he began his first-class cricket career with Hampshire in 1919, but after two seasons turned to Lancashire League cricket before joining Glamorgan in 1923. With his arrival the Welsh county's attack increased in effectiveness, and in 1924, when dismissing 120 batsmen for 14.58 runs each, Ryan enjoyed his most successful season. Among his feats that summer were six wickets for 17 and six for 48 v. Somerset at Taunton; six for 46 and five for 18 v. Leicestershire and four for 69 and six for 40 v. Lancashire, both at Swansea. In 1927, by taking nine wickets for 95 runs, he played a big part in the defeat in a single innings at Swansea of Nottinghamshire--a sensational result which enabled Lancashire to snatch the County Championship. Before leaving Glamorgan in 1931, Ryan brought his aggregate of wickets to 1,000 at an average cost of 21.20. He later took part in South Wales League, Yorkshire Council and Lancashire League cricket.

SIMMONS, MR. GEORGE THOMAS WAGSTAFFE, who died at his home at Willesden on February 1, aged 87, served for nearly fifty years on the staff of the Sporting Life, reporting cricket and other sports. He sat on the Council of the Football Association for twenty-five years; was a member of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. board of directors from 1925 and vice-chairman from 1943, and served for over fifty years with the Hertforshire F.A. In his younger days, he played centre half-back for Hertford Town and St. Albans and, when becoming a referee, officiated in international matches. As an F.A. Councillor, he took charge of teams abroad

STOCKDALE, BRIGADIER-GENERAL HERBERT EDWARD, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., who died at Little Houghton, Northampton, on December 28, aged 86, was in the Wellington XI before going to the R.M.A., Woolwich, where he was in the XI and the Rugby football XV. He was gazetted to the R.A. in 1886, serving in the South African War, and retired in 1919.

STUART-FRENCH, MAJOR PASCOE W. G., who died in Cork in February, aged 85, was in the Sherborne XI in 1884. A well-known cricketer, he captained the Cork County Club and played frequently for Gentlemen of Ireland.

SUSSKIND, MR. BERNARD VICTOR, who died at Johannesburg on January 1, aged 59, played for Orange Free State from 1921 to 1926, his highest score being 102 against Griqualand West at Bloemfontein in 1924-25. Like his elder brother, M. J. Susskind, who toured England with H. W. Taylor's South African team in 1924, he was educated at the Univesity College School, where he was in the XI in 1909 and 1910.

TANDY, MR. JOHN HUBERT, who died at Cape Town on August 26, aged 71, played a few times for Transvaal between 1909 and 1914. A member of the South African Test Selection Committee from 1927 to 1936, he was manager of the team which toured Australasia in 1931-32, and also served as a Border representative on the South African Rugby Football Board. In the first World War, Sass Tandy won the M.C. in France and in the second was awarded the O.B.E.

THOMPSON, MR. EDWARD, who died at Wrexham on July 18, aged 74, was, in the Marlborough XI of 1899. He was formerly Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North-Eastern Railway.

THOMPSON, WILLIAM HOLLOWAY, who died at Spondon on October 19, aged 72, played in one match for Derbyshire in 1908. He was a member of Spondon C.C. who won the Derby and District League Championship four times between 1904 and 1914.

WALKER, MR. WILLIAM A., who died at Eastbourne on March 11, had been Secretary of the Sussex County Cricket Association since the second Great War and in 1945 was one of the founders of the Sussex Young Amateurs team.

WANKLYN, MR. DOUGLAS ENDELL, who died in January, aged 62, was a celebrated cricket administrator in New Zealand. Treasurer of the New Zealand Cricket Council in 1936, he was chairman of the Management Committee for twelve years from 1937 and became a life member upon his retirement in 1950.

WARD, REV. C. G., who died on June 27, aged 78, played occasionally for Hampshire at the turn of the century, and later appeared for Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire.

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