Obituaries in 1954/1953

BULLOCK, BURN W. who died suddenly on December 23, aged 58, scored many runs as a professional for Surrey II XI between 1921 and 1925, his highest innings being 153 in 1923. As Surrey were specially strong in batting at that time, he could rarely find a place in the first team and in 1926 he became coach and cricket organiser to the late Mr. Jimmy White, the millionaire financier. He later returned to the Mitcham Club, for whom he made his first appearance at the age of 15.

BUSHER, MR. S. E., who died in Australia, where he had lived for many years, played in a few matches for Worcestershire in 1908 and 1910. Educated at Lancing, he appeared for Surrey in the Easter-tide game at The Oval in 1908 against Gentlemen of England. He scored 52 and in the match took seven wickets for 92, twice bowling Dr. W. G. Grace, then close upon 60 and making his only first-class appearance of the season.

CHARLTON, MR. PERCY CRATER, who died at Sydney on September 30, aged 87, was a member of the Australian team which visited England under W. L. Murdoch in 1890, taking part in two Test Matches. During the tour he scored 534 runs, average 14.30, and with fast-medium bowling took 42 wickets, average 19.04. He played his early cricket for the Ivanhoe and Belvedere clubs in Sydney, N.S.W., and first achieved prominence when, for Eighteen Sydney Juniors in 1888, he took seven wickets, including that of Shrewsbury, against Shaw, Shrewsbury and James Lillywhite's English team. Ill-health limited his first-class career.

DOUGLAS, MR. CECIL HERBERT, who died at Frinton-on-Sea in September, aged 68, was the younger brother of J. W. H. T. Douglas, the Essex and England captain. Cecil, generally known as "Pickles," played for Essex in a few matches from 1912 to 1914, his highest innings being 78 against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 1919. He was a celebrated boxing referee.

FANE, MR. FREDERICK LUTHER, who died on December 9, aged 79, was a prominent figure in the cricket world for some twenty years before the First World War. Born at the Curragh Camp on April 27, 1875, he was educated at Charterhouse, where he was in the XI from 1892 to 1894, and Oxford and played a lot for Essex, whom he captained from 1904 to 1906. Though he did not quite realise expectations at the University, he gained a Blue in 1897 and the following year. Meanwhile in 1905 he began his long association with Essex, for whom he exceeded 1,000 runs in each of five years. His best season was that of 1906, when he scored 1,572 runs, average 34. In 1899 he hit his highest innings, 207 against Leicestershire, in which he showed all his attractive style and sound judgment. In 1905, when Essex beat the Australians by 19 runs, Fane finished the match with a truly remarkable catch, not for any exceptional excellence as a piece of fielding, but from the place where it was made. With a close finish clearly in sight and Buckenham bowling at great pace, Fane, to save a possible boundary from byes, took up a position practically in line with the wickets and just inside the Pavilion rails--in short, that of very deep long-stop. Frank Laver, sweeping the ball right round with a curious stiff-armed stroke from the shoulder, lifted it high and straight to where Fane was standing. Though not as a rule the safest of fieldsmen, Fane did not fail his side on that occasion.

In the winter of 1907-8, when going to Australia as a member of the side under A. O. Jones, Fane led the Englishmen in the first three Test Matches when his captain fell ill. During the tour he scored 774 runs, average 33, his first notable innings being 101 against New South Wales. In the four Test Matches in which he played, he averaged 24. Fane also visited South Africa twice, in 1905--6 and in 1909-10, New Zealand in 1902--3 and the West Indies in early 1902.

GODSELL, MR. R. T., who died in March, aged 74, played in the 1903 University match for Cambridge. Dismissed without scoring in the first innings, he was first in and last out for 59 in the second. In the Clifton XI in 1898, he assisted Gloucestershire on occasion from 1903 to 1910. His best season for the county was that of 1905, when he scored 356 runs, average 22.25. That year, against Nottinghamshire at Bristol, he carried his bat through an innings of 269 with 98 not out.

OSBORN, F., who died on October 12, aged 64, played in two matches for Leicestershire in 1911 and 1913.

THOMSON, MR. E. W. S., who died at Littlehampton in May, was for many years secretary to the Argentine Cricket Association and managed tours in South America and England.

WAUGH, MR. H. P., who died in a London hospital on December 13, aged 56, played occasionally as opening batsman for Essex. Specially good in cutting, he scored 128

against Glamorgan at Leyton in 1928, he and J. A. Cutmore sharing in an opening partnership of 161. From 1934 he appeared for Suffolk, being captain for five years till the start of the Second World War, scoring 1,515 runs and, with fast-medium bowling, taking 84 wickets. He played for Minor Counties and Club Cricket Conference in representative matches.

OBITUARY, 1953

GEHRS, MR. D. R. A., who died in June, aged 72, was a prominent batsman for South Australia in the early part of the century. In all he scored 3,387 runs for his State, average 39.38. He took part in one Test Match against England in 1903 and one when visiting this country with J. Darling's team in 1905, showing disappointing form. During the tour he scored 675 runs in all matches, average 21.77. In 1910, when South Africa went to Australia. "Algy" Gehrs did better, making four Test appearances and hitting 67 at Sydney and 58 at Melbourne.