Kent County Cricketers a to Z
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Kent County Cricketers A to Z Part Two 1919-1939 By Derek Carlaw Statistics by John Winnifrith This collection of biographies have been written, on behalf of the ACS, by Derek Carlaw. For those readers wishing to obtain more detailed statistical information, it is recommended that a search is undertaken on the relevant pages of the CricketArchive website ( http://cricketarchive.com/ ). Kent County Cricketers A to Z Part Two 1919 to 1939 Introduction Part Two of the Kent A to Z covers the 92 cricketers who made their entry into first-class cricket for Kent between the wars. With 12 Championship titles, 330 wins and only 49 defeats, Yorkshire dominated throughout the two decades, but Kent could reasonably claim to be the most successful of the Southern counties, twice ending runners-up and in only three seasons failing to finish in the top half of the table. During those inter-war years, cricket was becoming increasingly professional. Of the names listed in the county averages in the 1921 Wisden, over 57% were amateurs. By 1931 the figure had fallen to 41%; and in the last pre-war season it was down to 33%. Kent, in common with one or two other counties, fought hard against the prevailing trend. Throughout the period, they stuck to their long- established policy of endeavouring to field a minimum of three amateurs in every match. In practice, they were quite frequently unable to do so, especially early in the season but, of the 92 cricketers listed in the following pages, 60, i.e. over 65%, were, in the idiom of the time, ‘Gentlemen’. Except perhaps in one or two instances, it does not appear to be a case of amateurs drafted in to make the numbers up. Of the 60, only 18 made five or fewer first team appearances; nine were ‘one match wonders’. For comparison purposes, among the 32 professionals, eight made five or fewer appearances; two of them played only once. As an indication of the Kent management’s determination to preserve the amateur element, whereas more than 65% of those playing between the wars were from the ‘expenses only’ fraternity, in the period covered by Kent County Cricketers A to Z Part One, 1806 to 1914, the figure was lower, a little over 61%. However, it is perhaps worth adding that, in the early days of Kent cricket, the line between amateur and professional was sometimes more than a little blurred. Part Two follows the format of Part One with a table of contents and first class records included for each player. Acknowledgments & Sources Once again thanks are due to the Kent CCC Honorary Statistician Howard Milton who, from the outset, has contributed so much to the Kent A to Z project and continues to do so. Similarly, the A to Z would not have been a practicable proposition without the freedom granted by Kent’s (now retired) Honorary Curator, David Robertson, to browse the Club’s archives – particularly the Minute Books and the Trial Book. Thanks are due too to his successor, Caroline Ellis, for her help with matters which have arisen since David’s retirement. With his usual generosity, Paul Lewis once again shared the results of his extensive research into the service records of Kent cricketers in the two World Wars. Another to be singled out for particular thanks is Derek Barnard who made available his extensive archive on the formative years and subsequent career of Douglas Wright, as well as sharing information on the careers of several other players, some resulting from face-to-face interviews with the cricketer concerned and/or relatives thereof, notably in the case of Hugh Dinwiddy. Others who have aided our research include Mike Braham of Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club, David Frith, David Kelly, Ian Lambert, Nigel Mannouch, Roger Packham, Phil Paine, the late Alan Priest who sent me the results of his research into the career of ‘Father’ Marriott, and Chris Swadkin. 2 Relatives of players featured in A to Z have been an important source and in this respect, special thanks are due to Alex Legge, grandson of the late Lt. Commander Geoffrey Legge RNVR, and Mrs Anthea Unsworth, daughter of the late Lt. Colonel William Leggatt RA. Former players have played a major role in the A to Z, none more so than Derek Ufton and Bob Wilson, who, although both began their careers post-war, have endured prolonged questioning about players of earlier vintage with unfailing good humour. The late Claude Lewis and the late Howard Levett were likewise rich sources of information on cricket between the wars as was the late Brian Luckhurst on the subject of Arthur Fagg. Mention should also be made of the late Bob Cristofani (Australian Services & New South Wales) who, long years ago in that land of lost content, the bar of Alf Gover’s Cricket School, treated the writer to an analysis of the bowling of his fellow leg spinner Doug Wright, based on his experience of playing against him in the Victory Test Series and in the historic England v Dominions match at Lord’s which followed. Among numerous Archivists/Historians who have contributed, mention must be made of those of Aldenham, Charterhouse, Durham, Harrow, Mill Hill, Repton, Rugby, St. Edmund’s, Canterbury, Uppingham and Westminster schools, Bradfield, Brighton, Clifton, Eton, Kent, Lancing, Malvern, Marlborough, Wellington and Winchester colleges, Berkshire, Dorset and Norfolk County Cricket Clubs and Harborne Cricket Club. At all stages, extensive use has, of course been made of the Cricket Archive website and, among printed sources, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the ACS First-Class Cricket Scores series and the First-Class Cricket: a complete record series. Also frequently consulted have been the official History of Kent County Cricket Club from Appendix F onwards, the Kent County Cricket Club Annual 1933-1936 and 1939, the Kent County Cricket Club Yearbook 1947-1950, and the Kent County Cricket Club Annual 1951 to date. R.L.Arrowsmith’s Kent, a history of county cricket (Arthur Barker 1971) has also proved a valuable source on the inter-war years. A little surprisingly, only six Kent cricketers from the period covered have so far been the subject of biographies or autobiographies; details will be found in appropriate places in the text. Among periodicals, thee titles most often consulted were The Cricketer magazine, under its various titles, the short-lived Wisden Cricket Monthly, of national newspapers The Times and The Daily Telegraph and of locals, The Kentish Gazette and The Kent Messenger. The Kentish Mercury was always useful on cricket in Metropolitan Kent. For biographical information, much use has been made of genealogical websites, mainly ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk. Others consulted are mentioned in the text. Because some of the content is based on research carried out many years before the A to Z was considered as a project, it is likely that the names of some who have contributed have been omitted. If so, I apologise for the oversight. The fault is entirely mine. 3 Contents Ian Stanley Akers-Douglas ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Cyril George Prat Alliston ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Leslie Ethelbert George Ames ................................................................................................................................ 9 William Henry Ashdown ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Arthur Harry Ashwell ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Lt. Colonel Thomas Hugh Pitt Beeching .............................................................................................................. 17 George Prior Beslee .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Arthur Frederic Bickmore..................................................................................................................................... 19 Arthur Blunden ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Captain Sidney Boucher ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Brigadier Godfrey James Bryan ........................................................................................................................... 22 John Lindsay Bryan .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Ronald Thurston Bryan ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Charles Harry Bull ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Charles John Capes ............................................................................................................................................... 29 Peter Victor Ferdinand Cazalet ............................................................................................................................. 30 Frederick Gerald