Wisden
1964

Obituaries in 1963

ALLETSON, EDWARD B., who died on July 5, aged 79, was celebrated as the batsman who hit more runs in a single over than any other player in the history of the first-class game. That was for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Hove in 1911, when he punished E. H. Killick for 34, comprising three 6's and four 4's, in an over which included two no-balls. Alletson scored 189 out of 227 in ninety minutes. Beginning quietly, he spent an hour over 50, but, by terrific driving, doubled his score in fifteen minutes and added another 89 in quarter of an hour. From seven overs he obtained 115 out of 120 and in all he hit eight 6's, twenty-three 4's, four 3's, ten 2's and seventeen singles.

While he never achieved another quite such punishing performance, he played fourteen hard-hit innings of 50 or more for his county during a professional career extending from 1906 to 1914 in which he scored 3,217 runs, average 18.47. His most successful season was that of 1913 when he made 634 runs, average 21.13, and hit Wilfred Rhodes, the Yorkshire and England left-arm slow bowler, for three 6's from following deliveries in the game at Dewsbury. He was also a useful fast bowler, as he showed when, with six wickets for 43 in the match with Kent at Trent Bridge in 1913, he helped to bring about the defeat of the eventful Champions. His total of wickets was 33 at 18.90 runs each and he brought off 68 catches.

AUSTIN, GEORGE, who died on May 22, aged 73, served as scorer to Warwickshire for 52 years. Chicko, as, because of his youthful appearance, he was known to cricketers, took up the position in 1911 and carried on without a break, except for the two World Wars, till he was taken ill during the match with Essex at Edgbaston a week before his death. His kindly manner made him popular, and not least with members of the Press, wherever he went. In 1954 Warwickshire granted him and E. J. Smith, the coach, a joint testimonial.

BLAMIRES, THE REV. ERNEST OSWALD, who died at Takapuna, Auckland, on June 6, aged 81, represented New Zealand against New South Wales in 1925. Born in Australia, he went to New Zealand in 1903, serving as a minister of the Methodist Church for 56 years. A hard-hitting batsman, widely known as The Cricketing Cleric, he played for Wellington and for Otago, whom he captained when in 1924-25 they won the Plunket Shield for the first time.

BUTLER, ROBERT HENRY, who died in a London hospital on September 20, was a Vice-President of Warwickshire C.C.C. Chairman of Mitchells and Butlers, and grandson of one of the founders, he played for some years for their team in the Birmingham and District League and had been captain.

CAMPBELL, IAN PERCY FITZGERALD, who died on December 25, aged 73, got his Blue as a Freshman at Oxford, playing in the University matches of 1911 and 1912 and playing Association football against Cambridge in the same two years. At Repton he was in the cricket and football elevens from 1906 to 1910, captaining both teams in 1909 and 1910, and also represented the school at fives. He assisted Surrey Second XI as a batsman in 1908 and made occasional appearances for the county side till 1913. Twice in 1911 he appeared against the Players, being a member of the team at the Oval deemed by Sir Pelham Warner to be the best ever to represent the Gentlemen.

CARR, ARTHUR WILLIAM, who collapsed and died after shovelling snow at his home at West Witton, Yorkshire, on February 7, aged 69, was a celebrated Nottinghamshire and England captain. Born at Mickleham, Surrey, he was educated at Sherborne where he was captain of every game except cricket. Nevertheless he earned an early reputation as a cricketer. He headed the School averages in 1910 with 638 runs at 45.47 per innings and took with fast bowling 32 wickets for 15.06 runs each; the following year, with the aid of an innings of 224, he averaged 62. While still at school he made a few appearances for Nottinghamshire and in 1913, at the age of 18, he gave a display of that strong-driving, attacking play which always characterised his cricket when he hit 169 against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. He and G. M. Lee (200 not out) shared in a stand of 333 in just over three hours.

Not till he took over the captaincy in 1919--a position he occupied till 1934, when he gave up, following a heart attack--did he occupy a regular place in the county eleven. Then, with improved judgement allied to his forcing methods, he became a highly valuable batsman. In each of eleven seasons he exceeded 1,000 runs, his most successful being that of 1925 when, with the help of seven centuries, including his highest--206 against Leicestershire at Leicester--he aggregated 2,338 runs with an average of 51.95. That summer he hit no fewer than forty-eight 6's. During his first-class career he made 21,884 runs, average 31.12, took 28 wickets at 38.17 apiece and, an exceptionally alert fieldsman anywhere near the wicket, held 361 catches.

Carr played for England on eleven occasions. He toured South Africa under F. T. Mann in 1922-23, taking part in all five Test matches; he led his country in four games against Australia in 1926 till he was superseded by A. P. F. Chapman at the Oval--a decision which aroused much controversy--and in 1929 he was recalled to the leadership for the last two matches with South Africa, replacing J. C. White, captain in the first three. In thirteen Test innings he hit 237 runs, with a top score of 63 at Johannesburg, average 19.75. He made a number of appearances for Gentlemen against Players between 1919 and 1929.

Of somewhat stern appearance, but kind and generous at heart and a lover of cricket, Carr was a man of forthright views. He was specially outspoken in defence of H. Larwood and W. Voce, his team-mates who were principals in the body-line tour of Australia in 1932-33. During his long reign as captain he led Nottinghamshire to first place among the counties in 1929--the last time they headed the Championship.

CHAPMAN, JAMES WINGATE, who died after a long illness on October 21, aged 74, was a well-known and popular sports journalist. Born in Scotland, Chappie, as he was generally known, began his career as a writer with the Sporting Chronicle, Manchester, and after serving for a time with The Sportsman and the Cricket Reporting Agency, spent 38 years as a free-lance at Brighton, where he was cricket and football correspondent for the Press Association, the Exchange Telegraph Company and several national newspapers. As part-time publicity agent and later assistant secretary to the Sussex County Club, he was known to many first-class cricketers. In his younger days, he was himself a skilful off-break bowler.

CHICHESTER-CONSTABLE, BRIGADIER RALEIGH CHARLES, who died on May 26, 72, captained Yorkshire II. XI from 1926 to 1938 and later served on the County Committee. A fast bowler, he was in the XI at Stonyhurst and toured India with A. E. R. Gilligan's M.C.C. Team in 1926-27. He received the D.S.O. and was six times wounded during the First World War, and in the Second was awarded a Bar to the D.S.O. for his services at Dunkirk.

CRAWFORD, JOHN NEVILLE, who died on May 2, aged 76, was one the best all-rounders of his era, although he habitually played in spectacles. Son of the Rev. J. C. Crawford and nephew of Major F. F. Crawford, both of whom played for Kent, he created such a reputation as a batsman and a bowler of varying pace at Repton that he was invited to play for Surrey in 1904 at the age of 17. He was an immediate all-round success and he and H.C. McDonell bowled unchanged through both innings of Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, Crawford taking 10 wickets for 78 and his fellow amateur 10 for 89.

Jack Crawford appeared regularly for Surrey from 1906 till 1909. Twice in succession he completed the cricketers' double and in 1908 failed to do so a third time by two wickets. During this period he made twelve appearances for England, going to South Africa in 1905-06 and to Australia in 1907-08, when he headed the Test bowling averages with 30 wickets for 24.79 runs each. After a mid-season dispute with Surrey in 1909 he settled in Australia, playing with distinction for South Australia and paying a visit to New Zealand with an Australian XI, in 1914. In the course of this tour he played an extraordinary innings in a two-day fixture with a South Canterbury XV at Temuka. Of a total of 922 for nine wickets, he obtained 354--264 of them from fourteen 6's and forty-five 4's--in five and a half hours. He and Victor Trumper put on 298 in sixty-nine minutes for the eighth wickets and he and M. A. Noble at one point added 50 in nine minutes.

Crawford returned to England following the First World War and, the disagreement having been settled, played again for Surrey from 1919 till he retired in 1921. A hard-hitting batsman, he shared a match-winning stand of 96 in thirty-two minutes with J. B. Hobbs against Kent in 1919 and the same season played what was described as the innings of his life. Going in at No. 8 against the Australian Imperial Forces side at the Oval, he hit 144 not out. When Tom Rushby, the last man, reached the wickets, Surrey needed 45 to avoid a follow-on; but Crawford attacked the bowling with such ferocity that 80 runs were added in thirty-five minutes. Rushby's share in this partnership amounted to two runs. Of Crawford, Wisden of the time recorded: The way in which he drove Gregory's fast bowling was magnificent. In all first-class cricket, Crawford hit 7,005 runs, average 30.19, dismissed 600 batsmen at a cost of 20.50 runs each and brought off 117 catches.

DANIELL, JOHN, who died on January 24, aged 84, rendered splendid service to cricket and Rugby football over many years as player and administrator. He was in the Clifton XI--and the XV--in 1895, 1896 and 1897, heading the batting averages in the last year. Though he created little impression as a cricketer when he went up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, S. M. J. Woods, the Somerset captain, included him in the county team for six games in 1898. When, the following season, Daniell hit 107 against such a powerful bowling side as Lancashire, G. L. Jessop felt compelled to award him the last place against Oxford. Daniell also played in the following two University matches and, as a lively and enthusiastic Rugby forward, he represented Cambridge from 1898 to 1900. In 1899, The Prophet, as he was then usually known, was first chosen for England at football and he gained seven caps between then and 1904, twice being captain. A member of the Rugby Football Union Selection Committee from 1913 to 1939, he was chairman for the last eight years; he became a Vice-President of the Union in 1938, was acting-President from 1940 to 1945 and President from 1945 to 1947.

After going down from Cambridge, he was a schoolmaster for a brief spell and then took up tea-planting in India till, in 1908, he returned to England and accepted the captaincy of Somerset. A keen and highly popular leader, intolerant of slackers, he possessed a forcefully picturesque vocabulary when things did not go as he expected: but because he was always scrupulously fair, his sometimes caustic criticism left no ill-effects. He remained Somerset captain for four seasons and then retired, but after serving in the Army in the First World War, he responded to an appeal by the county and resumed the position from 1919 to 1926.

Altogether Daniell, a hard-driving batsman at his best against off-spin bowling, scored 10,415 runs in first-class cricket, average 21.12, but it is as a fearless fieldsman at silly point, where he brought off the vast majority of his 222 catches, that he will be best remembered as a cricketer. However hard the hit, Daniell generally seemed able to hold any catch within reach. Of his nine centuries, he obtained two in one match at the age of 46--174 not out and 108 against Essex at Taunton in 1925.

When his playing days finally ended, Daniell served as an England cricket selector and also, to help his county in a financial crisis, acted for a time as honorary secretary to Somerset.

DOGGART, ALEXANDER GRAHAM, who died while occupying the chair at the annual meeting of the Football Association on June 7, aged 66, played both cricket and Association football for Cambridge University. Educated at Bishop's Stortford College, he saw service in the Army during the First World War before going to the University, where he got his Blue at cricket in 1921 and the following season. With innings of 45 and 71 he helped in substantial victories over Oxford. He also assisted Middlesex and Durham on occasion and in first-class matches between 1919 and 1930 he scored 1,790 runs, average 30.33, took 88 wickets for 31.14 runs each and held 48 catches. He was a member of the Sussex Committee and of the full M.C.C. Committee. As an inside-left, he appeared in the Cambridge football eleven in 1920 and 1921, gained a full International cap for England against Belgium in 1924 and took part in four Amateur Internationals. He was a leading forward for the famous Corinthians, scoring the goal by which they defeated Blackburn Rovers in the F. A. Cup in 1924, and played for Bishop Auckland and the Casuals.

Tributes Included:

Mr. S. C. Griffith, Secretary of M.C.C.: This is a heavy blow to me, for he was a personal friend of mine for many years. With his death we have lost not only a great cricketer, but a splendid committee-man and administrator whose services meant more to us at Lord's than I can say.

Mr. Denis Follows, Secretary of the Football Association: Graham was a man of high principles and tremendous sense of duty. He never spared himself in the interests of the Association and was punctilious in his attention to his duties. In spite of his health, he never gave up and died serving the game he loved and which he had adorned for so long both as a player and as an administrator.

DRUMMOND, CAPT. GEORGE H., who died on October 12, aged 80, was President of Northamptonshire C.C.C. for five years from 1924.

GIBSON, DR. IAN, who died on May 3, aged 26, played for Oxford University from 1955 to 1958, his best score against Cambridge being 63 in the second innings in 1957. In that season he took part in six matches for Derbyshire, hitting 66 not out from the Nottinghamshire bowling at Ilkeston. As excellent batsman especially strong in strokes off the back foot, a fine fieldsman and a useful leg-break bowler, he was in the Manchester Grammar School XI from 1951 to 1954, being captain in the last two years when he also appeared in representative school matches at Lord's. In 1953 he headed his school's averages with 760 runs in 19 innings, including three centuries. After going down from Oxford, he played much cricket for Guy's Hospital.

GREEN, COLONEL LEONARD, who died on March 2, aged 73, captained Lancashire when they won the County Championship in the three years from 1926 to 1928. Though not himself a brilliant cricketer, he possessed the strength of will and good-natured tact to weld a team of individual talent into a title-winning combination. A useful batsman, besides a reliable fieldsman, he scored 3,575 runs for his county between 1922 and 1935, average 24.65. His highest innings, 110 not out against Gloucestershire at Gloucester in 1923, played a big part in a win for Lancashire by 75 runs after being 26 in arrear on first innings.

He took part in the game with Essex at Colchester in 1928 when Lancashire, needing four runs to win at the close of the second day, had to wait till the third morning to essay the task. That match led to the extra half hour being allowed on the second day if a result could thereby be achieved. It was in this fixture that the late J. W. H. T. Douglas, captaining Essex, flung up his bat, lost his grip on it and fell headlong when a short-pitched delivery from E. A. McDonald rose head-high. Anxious fieldsmen, fearing that he had been hurt, clustered around the batsman, but beat a hasty retreat as Douglas expressed his views in loud and virulent terms. When at length he arose and resumed his stance at the crease, he was informed that he was out, for the ball had struck the handle of the bat and glanced into the hands of H. Makepeace at short-leg!

After leaving Bromsgrove School, Green joined the East Lancashire Regiment, earning the Military Cross during the First World War. For many years a member of the Lancashire Committee, he became President in 1951 and 1952. He also represented the county at hockey and Rugby football.

GREENWOOD, FRANK E., who died on July 30, aged 59, suffered a cerebral haemorrhage while watching the fourth Test match between England and the West Indies on Television at the Huddersfield Conservative Club. Educated at Oundle, Greenwood played as an amateur for Yorkshire from 1929 to 1932, when he gave up the game because of business commitments. In all first-class cricket, he scored 1,558 runs, average 26.86, his highest innings being 104 against Glamorgan at Hull in 1929. He led the side to the County Championship in 1931, when he was involved in the first of the freak declarations of that season. After two blank days through rain at Sheffield, he and B. H. Lyon, the Gloucestershire captain, each agreed to declare his first innings after four byes had been given away, so making it possible for a definite result to be reached.

GRIMSDELL, ARTHUR, who died on March 13, aged 68, though more celebrated as a footballer, served Hertfordshire as an amateur wicket-keeper and batsman from 1922 to 1947. In Minor Counties' cricket he hit 3,458 runs, average 19.00, for Hertfordshire, his highest innings being 107 in 1934. He played Association football for St. Albans City before becoming professional with Watford, his native town. From there he joined Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he played as left half-back from 1912 to 1929. He gained an F.A. Cup-winners' medal in 1921 and played in six full and two Victory international matches for England.

GUNN, JOHN, who died in hospital at Nottingham on August 21, aged 87, was a member of a celebrated Nottinghamshire cricketing family. Nephew of William Gunn and elder brother of George, he was uncle of G.V., all of whom, like himself, played for the county. A fine all-rounder, John Gunn made his first appearance for Nottinghamshire in 1896 and continued his professional career with the county till 1925. In that time he scored 24,601 runs, average 33.19, took 1,243 wickets at 24.50 runs each and held 233 catches.

A left-hander possessing both sound defence and well-varied powers of hitting, he registered 41 centuries, the heighest being 294 in less than four and a half hours against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in 1903 when he and William Gunn, in adding 369, established a Nottinghamshire third-wicket record which still stands. That season was the first of four in succession in which John Gunn scored over 1,200 runs and took more than 100 wickets. Two years later, against Essex at Leyton, he and A. O. Jones added 361 for the fourth wicket, which also remains a record for the county.

As a left-arm slow-medium bowler with skilful variation of flight and spin, he achieved some notable successes, among them 14 wickets for 132 runs (eight for 63 and six for 69) against Surrey at the Oval and 14 for 174 runs (six for 53 and eight for 121) against Essex at Leyton, both in the same week in 1903, his most notable summer as an all-rounder with 1,665 runs (average 42.69) and 118 wickets (average 19.34). He performed the hat-trick at the expense of Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1904 and of Middlesex at Lord's in 1899 and in 1921 at Nottingham he dismissed three Lancashire batsmen, all leg before, in four balls. He excelled as a fieldsman at cover-point, where, clever in anticipation, he had few superiors.

He made six appearances for England. His one visit to Australia was in 1901-2 with that unfortunate team led by A. C. MacLaren which, after winning the first of the Test matches in a single innings, suffered defeat in the other four. He played once against Australia in England, at Trent Bridge under F. S. Jackson in 1905. He represented Players v. Gentlemen on 13 occasions.

After leaving Nottinghamshire he played for Retford in the Bassetlaw League, heading the League batting averages when 54, and later acted as head groundman at the ground owned by Sir Julien Cahn.

HAMBRO, SIR CHARLES JOCELYN, who died in August, aged 65, played for Eton in 1914 and 1915. Tall and of medium pace, he was chosen primarily as a bowler, but in 1914 he shone with the bat, scoring 37 and 77 against Harrow and 81 and 19 against Winchester and heading the school averages with 39.37. Next season, when captain, he distinguished himself by making top score, 19, in an Eton total of 98 at Ridding Field and then, in 10 overs and one ball, taking seven wickets for six runs and bringing about the dismissal of Winchester for 24. That year he topped the Eton bowling figures with 38 wickets at 7.07 runs each. He won the Military Cross when serving with the Coldstream Guards in the First World War and in the Second filled several Government posts with distinction. Chairman of Hambro's Bank, he had been chairman of the now defunct Great Western Railway Company and in 1928, at the age of 30, became the youngest director of the Bank of England in history.

HARTLEY, COLONEL JOHN CABOURN, who died on March 8, aged 88, played as a slow-medium bowler for Oxford University and England. In the Tonbridge XI of 1893, he gained a Blue at Oxford in 1896 and the following year. In the first match against Cambridge he bore a leading part in a victory by four wickets, scoring 43 and taking 11 wickets for 239. When dismissing eight men on the opening day for 161 runs, he bowled W. G. Grace, junior, son of the great Doctor, for the first of his two ducks in the match. Hartley went to America with Frank Mitchell's team in 1893 and, as a member of P. F. Warner's M.C.C. side in South Africa in 1905-06, took part without much success in two Test matches. He later played occasionally for Sussex. He served in the South African War and the First World War, being twice wounded and four times mentioned in dispatches.

HENLEY, FRANCIS ANTHONY HOSTE, who died on June 26, aged 79, was in the Forest School XI before going to Oxford, for whom he played against Cambridge in 1905. A fast bowler, he took one wicket for 40 runs and three for 39 and scored one and 11. He experienced an extraordinary piece of good fortune during the second innings, when a ball touched his leg stump without removing a bail. In 1905, too, he was a member of the M.C.C. team who, under the captaincy of E. W. Mann, visited the U.S.A., where he scored 207 runs, average 20.70, and headed the bowling figures with 42 wickets for 8.40 runs each. He took part in three matches with Middlesex in 1908 and also appeared for Suffolk.

HERBERT, ERIC JAMES, who died in a Wellingborough hospital after a long illness on October 14, aged 55, played as a professional in 35 matches for Northamptonshire from 1937 to 1939. A medium-pace bowler, he took 69 wickets, average 33.65.

HILL, J. ERNEST, who died in a Birmingham nursing home on December 2, aged 96, enjoyed the distinction of hitting the first century registered for Warwickshire after they attained first-class status in 1894--139 not out against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. His position as Public Prosecutor for Birmingham allowed him to play only occasionally for the county between 1894 and 1898, in which time he scored 791 runs, average 25.

HOBBS, SIR JOHN BERRY, died December 21.

(See special memoir in features section.)

HOLDEN, CHARLES, who died on June 30, aged 67, was for some years head groundman at the Sussex County Ground, Hove, retiring in 1961.

HURST, CHRISTOPHER SALKELD, who died on December 18, aged 77, was a free-scoring batsman specially strong in driving. In the Uppingham XI from 1903 to 1905, when he was captain, he headed the batting averages in each season, hitting 167 not out against Malvern in 1904. Going up to Oxford, he played against Cambridge in the matches of 1907, 1908 and 1909, being captain the last year. With innings of 61 and 46, he bore a big part in an Oxford victory by two wickets in 1908. He also represented the University at hockey from 1906 to 1909. He subsequently appeared occasionally for Kent and in 1922, after an absence from the county side of ten years, distinguished himself by hitting centuries against Lancashire, Essex and Leicestershire during the month of June, scoring 383 runs in seven innings and finishing first in the batting figures with an average of 76.70.

JAMIESON, DOUGLAS J. T., who died in January, aged 75, was a member of the Aberdeenshire team who won the Scottish Counties' Cricket Championship in 1903. Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and Fettes, he played regularly for many years for the Fettesian-Lorettonian C.C. on annual tours of the North of England.

MCBEATH, DANIEL J., who died at Timaru on April 13, aged 66, appeared for New Zealand in nine matches and was a member of the touring team in Australia in 1925-26. A left-arm medium pace bowler, he played from 1917 to 1927 for Otago, Canterbury and Southland, taking 170 wickets, average 20.83. For Canterbury in the 1918-19 season, he distinguished himself by dismissing 15 batsmen in the Plunket Shield game against Auckland--9 for 56 and 6 for 113.

MILES, SIR JOHN CHARLES, who died on January 12, aged 92, captained the Shrewsbury XI in the 1880's.

MOYES, ALBAN GEORGE, who died suddenly at his home in Sydney on January 18, aged 70, was a celebrated cricket radio-commentator and author. Johnny Moyes, as he was generally known, played for South Australia in Sheffield Shield matches from 1912 to 1915, scoring 104 against Western Australia in the first season and, after service with the Australian Forces during the First World War, in which he won the M.C., assisted Victoria in 1920-21. As a team-selector for New South Wales in 1926-27, he helped Sir Donald Bradman to get his first chance in State cricket. His services to sport earned him the M.B.E. At one time he was news editor of the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

NISSAR, MAHOMED, who died at Lahore on March 11, aged 52, played as a fast bowler in six Test matches for India against England. Tall and well-built, he was specially dangerous with the new ball, possessing the ability to make it swing and break back. He twice visited England. In 1932, under the captaincy of the Maharajah of Porbandar, he headed the India bowling averages for first-class matches with 71 wickets, average 18.09, and in the only Test match that year dismissed five batsmen for 93 and one for 42. Other good performances by Nissar on that tour were six wickets for 32 v. Oxford University; six for 45 v. Somerset; six for 92 v. Kent and 6 for 26 in the match with Yorkshire. As a member of the Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram's team in 1936, he topped the Test averages with 12 wickets at a cost of 28.58 runs each and, with 66 wickets for 25.13 apiece, proved the most successful Indian bowler in all first-class games. He took part in two Tests against D. R. Jardine's side in India in 1933, taking five wickets for 90 runs in the first innings of the opening match of the series.

PEARSON, FREDERICK, who died on October 11, aged 83, played as an all-round professional for Worcestershire from 1900 to 1926, hitting 18,737 runs, average 24.23 taking 823 wickets for 29.38 runs each and holding 151 catches. Born at Mitcham, Surrey, Dick Pearson attracted attention in 1900 when, while qualifying for Worcestershire, he earned a match-analysis of 10 wickets for 98 runs against the West Indies team captained by R. S. A. Warner, brother of Sir Pelham. An opening batsman, he scored the first of his 22 County Championship centuries the following season, and hit the highest of them, 167 against Glamorgan at Swansea, in 1921 when heading the county averages with 1,498 at 36.53 an innings. Six times he exceeded 1,000 runs in a season and in 1923, when 43, he achieved the cricketer's' double, this being the one summer in which he dismissed 100 batsmen. For some years after the First World War he and F. Root between them virtually comprised the Worcestershire attack.

POWELL, ARCHIE, who died on December 27, aged 95, played for Gloucestershire Colts and, when catching W. G. Grace at cover point, was reputed to be the only newspaper man ever to dismiss the Doctor for a duck. Powell contributed articles on cricket and Rugby football to the Daily Mail for forty years. A Bristol journalist, he was a director of the Western Daily Press.

RIPPON, ALBERT DUDLEY ERIC, who died on April 16, aged 70, opened the innings with his twin brother, A. E. S. Rippon, for Somerset between 1914 and 1920. A patient amateur batsman, he scored 1,043 runs, average 20.05. In making the first of his two centuries, he carried his bat for 105 against Sussex at Bath in 1914 though lame and having to employ a runner. When hitting 134 from the Essex bowling at Leyton in 1919, he shared with his brother in a partnership of 144. Troubled by the effects of a wound received in the First World War, he played only one innings in 1920 and never appeared afterwards.

ROBERTS, HENRY EDMUND, who died on June 28, aged 73, played as a professional for Sussex from 1911 to 1925. A fast bowler, he took during that time 340 wickets for 24.27 runs each and hit 2,312 runs, average 13.21, besides holding 66 catches. His most successful season with the ball was that of 1922, when he and Maurice Tate, bowling unchanged, disposed of Yorkshire, the eventual Champions, at Hove for 42. Each bowler took five wickets for 20 runs. Curly Roberts hit his highest innings against Worcestershire on the same ground in 1920, he and G. Stannard sharing in a partnership of 209. In 1914, too, he shone as a batsman when scoring 62 of a last-wicket stand of 112 with Albert Relf (175 not out) from the Lancashire bowling at Eastbourne.

ROBINSON, LIEUT.-COLONEL DOUGLAS CHARLES, who died on July 30, aged 79, played for Gloucestershire from 1905 to 1926, being captain in the last three years. In all matches, he hit 4,239 runs, average 16.95, and brought off 173 catches and 44 stumpings. He kept wicket for Marlborough in 1901 and appeared for Essex before joining Gloucestershire, for whom his best season was that of 1925 when he scored 838 runs, average 18.62. Only once did he reach three figures, when in 1912 he obtained 150 not out from the Worcestershire bowling at Worcester. He played six times for Gentlemen v. Players between 1912 and 1919 and was a member of the Gentlemen team who beat the Australian Imperial Forces by an innings and 133 runs at Lord's in 1919.

SANDFORD, THOMAS FREDERICK, who died on September 21, aged 77, was in the Marlborough XI of 1905. He also represented the School at Rugby football and hockey.

SMITH, SYDNEY GORDON, who died in Auckland on October 25, aged 82, was a capital left-handed all-rounder. He played for Trinidad, where he was born, and in 1901-2 distinguished himself by taking 16 wickets at a cost of 85 runs for a Combined West Indies XI against R. A. Bennett's team of English amateurs at Trinidad. Touring England with H. B. G. Austin's West Indian team in 1906, he headed both batting and bowling averages for all matches. He scored 1,107 runs, average 33.54, and with slow bowling of excellent length dismissed 116 batsmen for 19.31 runs each. Against Northamptonshire he gained a match-record of 12 wickets for 99 runs and the following season began qualifying by residence for that county. From 1909 to 1914, playing as an amateur, he rendered them splendid service, becoming captain in 1913, when G. A. T. Vials fell ill, and the following summer.

From his first full season he brought about a tremendous rise in the fortunes of Northamptonshire for whom he became the first batsman to reach 1,000 runs. He achieved the cricketers' double in 1909, 1913 and 1914. Generally a hard-hitting batsman, specially strong in cutting, driving and leg-side strokes, he could offer the soundest of defences when the situation demanded such tactics. His highest innings was 204 against Gloucestershire at Northampton in 1910. Twice he performed the hat-trick, at the expense of Leicestershire at Leicester in 1912 and when taking four Warwickshire wickets with following deliveries at Edgbaston in 1914. He frequently appeared for Gentlemen against Players and met with marked success with A. F. Somerset's M.C.C. team in the West Indies in 1910-11. After the First World War, he played for Auckland and represented New Zealand against the Australians in 1920-21, M.C.C. in 1922-23 and New South Wales in 1923-24. He continued playing till he was in his fifties. Smith was one of the Five Cricketers Of The Year in the 1915 edition of Wisden.

SOYZA, DODWELL SEBASTIAN, who died on September 2, aged 59, was for 30 years a leading umpire in Ceylon and was secretary and treasurer of the Umpires' Association of Ceylon which he founded. He played for the Notts Cricket and Athletic Club and the Survey Department, in which he was a draughtsman.

STEVENS, GEOFFREY ALDEN, who died at Norwich on March 24, aged 72, played for Norfolk from 1906, when he was 15, to 1930 and for years was one of the most successful batsmen in the Minor Counties' Competition. He scored 8,625 runs for the county, hitting 15 centuries. Twice he exceeded 200, his 201 in the Championship Challenge Match of 1910 helping substantially in an unexpected victory by an innings and 150 runs over Berkshire. The youngest of three brothers who played as amateurs for Norfolk, he was Secretary of the County Club from 1952 to 1961.

TAYLOR, F. H., who died on December 6, aged 73, played as an amateur in a few matches for Derbyshire between 1908 and 1911. He was brother of W. T. Taylor, Secretary to the County Club for over fifty years.

TOMKINSON, SIR GEOFFREY STEWART, who died on February 8, aged 81, played in two matches for Worcestershire early in the century and became President of the County Club in 1956. In the Winchester XI of 1900, he went up to King's College, Cambridge, for whom he rowed and played cricket, Rugby and Association football; but after leaving the University he found the claims of the family carpet-making business so strong that he played little more cricket till he was past 40. Then he appeared regularly for Kidderminster, once scoring 200 not out inside two hours in a Birmingham League game. A founder of Kidderminster R.F.C., he was captain from 1921 to 1924 and played in a match at the age of 63 when a side was a man short.

TWIGG, WALTER H., who died on February 5, aged 79, was in the Staffordshire team which, in beating Surrey II. XI by 334 runs in the Challenge match won the Minor Counties' Championship in 1911. A fine hockey player, he represented his county in many games and played eight times for England early in the century. He was a member of Stafford Hockey Club for over 60 years and President for more than ten.

WALKER, JAMES C., who died on August 16, aged 81, was the first secretary of Wimbledon and District Charity Cricket Match Committee, which, with the assistance of Sir Jack Hobbs, raised thousands of pounds for local hospitals. Walker played as a fast bowler for the Pelham, Wimbledon Town and Merton clubs before joining Malden Wanderers, becoming captain of the first team for twelve years and afterwards President. A member of the Council of the Club Cricket Conference from its inception, he was President in 1951.

WARNER, SIR PELHAM FRANCIS, died January 30.

(See special memoir in features section.)

WELLS, CYRIL MOWBRAY, a former Cambridge cricket and Rugby football Blue, died on August 22, aged 92. A member of the Dulwich XI from 1886 to 1890, inclusive, he was captain in the last year and when going up to Cambridge got his Blue as a Freshman. He played three times against Oxford and though achieving little in batting, he bore a big part in victory by 266 runs in 1893 when taking seven wickets for 66 runs. In that game he was concerned in a memorable incident that in all probability led to an alteration a few years later in the law governing the follow-on.

At that time the side 80 runs behind on first innings had to follow on and in this match Oxford, in reply to a total of 182, lost nine wickets for 95 when T. S. B. Wilson and W. H. Brain became associated. Three more runs were added, taking Oxford to within 84 of the Cambridge score, when a consultation between the batsmen suggested that the Dark Blues, in order that Cambridge might bat last on a pitch likely to crumble, intended to throw away their remaining wicket. Sensing the drift of the conversation, Wells decided to frustrate the plan. He immediately bowled a no-ball wide to the boundary and followed a little later with a round-arm delivery that also reached the ring, thus destroying Oxford's chance of following on. This action led to M.C.C. increasing the deficit which meant a follow-on from 80 to 120, but when, three years later, E. B. Shine, in very similar circumstances, gave away 12 runs to prevent Oxford from following their innings, further consideration of the question became necessary. So in 1900 the Law was amended, leaving the side leading by 150 with the option of enforcing the follow-on.

Wells assisted Surrey as an amateur from 1890 to 1893 but appeared for Middlesex, the county of his birth, from 1895 to 1909. He represented Gentlemen v. Players in 1892, 1893 and 1901. A free-hitting batsman, he also bowled right-arm slow-medium with a deceptive delivery. He generally bowled off-breaks, but sometimes employed the leg-break and took many wickets with a ball which went straight through.

Wells played for Cambridge in the University Rugby matches of 1891 and 1892, first as full-back and then as half-back, and was half-back for England in six matches between 1893 and 1897. He also appeared for the Harlequins and Middlesex.

WESCOTT, EDWARD J., who died at Bradford in January, aged 74, in his younger days was amateur opening batsman first for Northumberland and then for Cumberland.

WHISTLER, GENERAL SIR LASHMER GORDON, who died in Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot, on July 4, aged 64, played for Harrow in the second of the season's unofficial one-day war-time matches with Eton in 1916. He scored 8 and 25 and brought off two catches. At one time it looked as though this match would not take place. Breaking bounds and other offences had resulted in half-holidays at Harrow being suspended. What was described as a quite unpardonable comment upon this decision was written across the School Rules in the yard and as the miscreant could not be discovered, the match was cancelled. Only at a late hour on the night before the game did the Headmaster yield to urgent representations and give permission for the team to travel to Eton. The whole-day holiday to the rest of the School was stopped.

WINSTONE, ALICK, who died on March 29, aged 84, played as a professional for Gloucestershire under the captaincy of G. L. Jessop between 1906 and 1909, scoring 975 runs, average 12.66. His highest innings was 58 against Hampshire at Bournemouth in 1907.

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