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Dover Society Plaque Cuthbert John Ottaway England's first Football Captain in an international match Barry O'Brien and Jeremy Cope

n Friday 16th March at Camden summer he represented Kent against Crescent a plaque to the MCC. The legendary WC Grace O CUTHBERT commemorate a Dover man bowled Cuthbert out in both OTTAWAY Cuthbert John Ottaway, was 1850-1878 innings although Wisden later unveiled by Richard McCarthy a LIVED IN described the barely 19 year CAMDEN CRESCENT practising football referee, AS A BOV old's performance as “a something of which Richard f ir s t c a p t a in o f a n promising display of careful ENGLAND SOCCER TEAM was proud. Richard was IN AN INTERNATIONAL , batting and good all round introduced to the gathering by 30 NOVEMBER hitting”. Derek Leach who also expressed the Society's gratitude to Ralph and In 1870 he played in both his first Jean Bigrag who funded and gave Gentlemen vs Players match and his permission for installation of the plaque and first varsity match. A right-handed batsmen, to John Hill, of John Hill Building Services, he also played for Middlesex and represent who installed the plaque without cost. the south of England. He was considered to have one of the finest batting techniques of Derek introduced Barry O'Brien who gave a his tim e hitting a total of 1,691 career runs, history of Cuthbert John Ottaway, a with a batting average of 27.27. Following a presentation that left us all somewhat 150-run partnership with WC Grace, the gobsmacked by Ottaway's achievements sporting superstar of the day, in a Gentlemen accomplished in such a short life. Barry's v Players match - the highest level of summary of that remarkable story follows: at the time - he was invited to take part in a Born 19th July 1850 at 5 Hammond Place, a “Gentlemen of England" tour of North “stone's throw" from St James' Parish Church, America effectively then the national team. the son of James Cuthbert Ottaway, mayor of Whilst on this tour Ottaway met his wife-to- Dover in 1859, and his wife Jane (nee be, the, then 13-year-old, Marion Stinson, a Bridge), Cuthbert John Ottaway first young lady from Hamilton, Ontario. established himself as a sportsman at Eton, he played the Eton field game and won the Cuthbert played for public schools rackets championships in 1868 Oxford, at a time when the new code was & 1869. Aged 16 he played cricket for Eton gaining considerable popularity within the against the MCC, scoring 55 runs, and 3 years game, he also represented Old Etonians, later, in 1869, scored nine centuries in a Oxford University, Crystal Palace and single season. Marlow. On his return to England from the “Gentlemen of England" cricket tour he was Matriculated at Brasenose College Oxford on selected to captain the England football team 20th May 1869, aged 18, Cuthbert to meet Scotland on 30th November 1872 in represented Oxford at real tennis, cricket, Glasgow, now recognised as the first ever racquets, athletics and association football representative international match. Played becoming the only man ever to have played before a crowd of around 4,000 at the West of five different sports to 'blue' level. That Scotland Cricket Club England dominated 10 the match, unable to break down an obdurate in the 1874/75 FA Cup competition was in Scottish defence the game ended in a 0-0 the colours of Old Etonians. This took draw. Ottaway did not play in the return Ottaway to a 3rd successive final again fixture, in London on 8th March 1873, but against The . again captained his country in the third With 30 minutes gone, from a corner, Bonsor England-Scotland international, played in scored for the Old Etonians, then with the Glasgow on 7th March 1874. The result was a scores level at 1-1 after an “unfortunate 2-1 victory for Scotland. accident", with Engineers half back Lieutenant Richard Ruck, Cuthbert “received The inaugural FA Cup tournament began in a severe kick on the ankle and had to be November 1871. The 1872/73 competition carried off the ground". Although the precise saw Oxford University, including Ottaway, nature of his ankle injury remains unknown, reach the final against Wanderers, played at there is no evidence that, at the age of 25, he the Lillie Bridge sports ground on the Fulham ever again played senior football after that side of West Brompton, London. Oxford final. His cricket career did carry on and in dominated the early stages due largely to the 1876 he had the fourth highest first-class strong running of Arnold Kirke-Smith batting average in England, also recording the although 'The Sportsman' newspaper first of his two first-class centuries whilst commented that “the whole eleven work[ed] playing for Middlesex. well together and with great energy". Wanderers, after having a goal disallowed, Called to the Bar on 17th November 1876 w ent on w in 2-0. Also in 1873 C uthbert Cuthbert, presumably, as he was unable to captained Oxford University in their first pursue his winter sport of football, seems to varsity football match defeating Cambridge have turned his attention to his career as a University, 1-0. barrister before, in August 1877, returning to Canada to marry Marion Stinson. In the 1873/74 season, Oxford University again made the final against Major The newlywed couple appear to have spent Marindin's Royal Engineers played at Christmas 1877 in Dover with Cuthbert's London's Kennington Oval on Saturday 14 th parents and thereafter settled into their home March 1874. Mackarness scored an early goal near London's Sloane Square. Sadly, within a for Oxford then 10 minutes later following matter of weeks Cuthbert had passed away, some skilful dribbling by at the age of 27, on 2nd April Ottaway, the captain, and 1878, leaving his pregnant Vidal, Patton scored a second, teenage wife a widow. The Oxford w inning 2-0. C uthbert exact cause of his death is Ottaway adding a winners unknown although it is often medal to his previous year's listed as Pneumonia. It is runners up medal. known that he spent the night of his death out dancing and is Having graduated from Oxford thought to have caught a chill. and relocated to London in His family though had a order to undertake vocational history of diabetes, increasing study with a view to becoming the chances of respiratory a barrister Cuthbert switched diseases, and it has also been his cricket allegiances to Cuthbert John Ottaway suggested that Cuthbert had, Middlesex and his participation 1850 - 1878 for some time, been living with 11 tuberculosis. Marion, who was 18-years-old cricketer, the finest amateur racquet player and 5/2 months pregnant at the time of his in the country and perhaps the most diverse death, returned to Canada. With the university sportsman in history. outbreak of WWI she became heavily involved in the Canadian Red Cross Society Ottaway's college, Brasenose, have an annual and is remembered as one of the great tradition whereby each Shrove Tuesday an female figures of Canadian history. Her son undergraduate would write an Ale Toast, in Harry, by her 2nd marriage, went on to 1871 th e toast w as w ritten b y C uthbert become Canada's leading field commander Ottaway and included the verse: in WW2. And though strength and weight help a crew, And though confidence help it still more, The true tragedy of Cuthbert Ottaway, Yet 'tis pluck that shall pull us through perhaps, is not his untimely death aged 27, As it has many times before. or that he never got to meet his daughter, but, rather, the manner in which history has, In 1879, the year following Ottaway's death until recently, forgotten him. His grave, at the toast included the lines: Paddington Old Cemetery, was practically in Alas your flag is half-mast high ruins before, in 2013, it was restored by the All is not jest today Football Association as befits England's first On Cowleys meads the breezes sigh football captain, who was also an exceptional For gone is Ottaway

MEMBERSHIP NEWS Sheila Cope s always at this time of year my thanks the new General Data Protection Regulation A g o to those members who have paid their (GDPR) which nobody will have avoided subscriptions on time or by Standing Order hearing about if they receive information which obviates the need for reminders. from any organisation. We are no exception and need our members to help both us and At one time many reminder letters were themselves by ticking the appropriate box. sent out but now email and telephone is We shall also modify our Application for used. In an email message, particulars of the Membership form. Society's Bank account may be given, which enables those who prefer to pay by direct At the same time our Marketing Group is Bank transfer to do so. This payment striving to improve our website. We must method is becoming increasingly popular move with the times if we are to continue to although I emphasise that payments by cash attract young members who are prepared to or cheque are equally welcome. do the work required to take the Society forward into the future. During the year we are planning to transfer details of members on to a database and it We number 484 at present and in addition to may well be that our paper file will be 1 returner we have welcomed: Mr T Cleaver, superseded, hopefully saving time for the Mr L & Mrs J Newman, Mr J Watts, Mr M & membership secretary but being no less Mrs R Anderson, Mr C & Mrs S Jolliff, Mrs R secure. Such modernisation will run & Mr R Fournier, Mr G Sutcliffe, Miss J alongside our essential need to comply with Wheeler and Mr D & Mrs L Burden.