AA Priestley's XI cricket team in West Indies in 1896-97
Encyclopedia
A team of Amateurs under the captaincy of Mr. A. A. Priestley toured the West Indies in the 1896-97 season playing matches between January and March 1897. They played a total of 16 matches of which 9 are regarded as first class. They did not play in British Guiana.
A party of 13 was taken:
Bush, Leigh-Barratt and Priestley had been in the Slade Lucas tour to the West Indies two year previously. Priestley had played a single first class match for the M.C.C. in 1895 but otherwise none of the 3 had played first class cricket between the two tours. Elliott had not played first class cricket before the tour while Williams and Leigh had not played first class cricket for almost 10 years. However the remaining 7 had played first class cricket in 1896 and so the team was clearly stronger than Lucas's two years earlier. In 1896 Palairet, Stanley and Woods had played for Somerset, Beldam and Stoddart for Middlesex, Stone for Leicestershire and Lewis for Oxford University. Stoddart had played for England during the 1896 season while Woods had played against South Africa in 1895-96. All the 13 played at least one first class match on the tour. G.A. Maclean played in a minor match.
The team left Southampton on December 30 and arrived back in England on April 14.
Matches played were:
First class matches are highlighted.
Of the 9 first class matches, 4 were won and 5 lost. Overall 10 matches were won, 5 lost and 1 drawn. All 5 matches in Jamaica were won, Gilbert Livingston
being the only effective player for Jamaica. The results achieved by the tourists were regarded as disappointing, Stoddart being the one great success.
Stoddart was the leading batsman scoring over 1000 runs in all games at an average of over 50. In first-class matches he scored 416 runs at an average of 27. He scored all 6 of the centuries scored by the tourists including 2 in first-class games.
Stoddart was also the leading bowling with over 100 wickets in all matches at an average under 8 and over 50 in first-class games alone averaging under 10.
The most important match was that against All West Indies. The West Indies team contained players from Trinidad, British Guiana and Barbados and was captained by Aucher Warner
the brother of Plum Warner
. The tourists set their opponents 141 to win in the last innings which they achieved for the loss of 7 wickets, having been 41-6 at one stage. Richard Palairet was leading scorer in both the tourist's innings with 45 and 46. Clifford Goodman
and Archie Cumberbatch
took 9 wickets each for the West Indians as did Andrew Stoddart for the tourists. The leading batsmen for the West Indies were Harold Austin
and Lebrun Constantine
.
A party of 13 was taken:
- Mr. A.A. PriestleyArthur PriestleySir Arthur Alexander Priestley was an English Liberal Party politician and cricketer. After three unsuccessful candidacies he held a seat in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1918...
, Captain - Mr. C. A. Beldam
- Mr. F. W. Bush
- Dr. G. Elliott
- Mr. J. Leigh
- Mr. R. Leigh-Barratt (his real name was Legh Barratt)
- Mr. R. P. Lewis
- Mr. R. C. N. PalairetRichard PalairetRichard Cameron North Palairet, born 25 June 1871 at Grange-over-Sands, then in Lancashire and died 11 February 1955 at Budleigh Salterton, Devon was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Somerset...
- Mr. H. T. Stanley
- Mr. A. E. StoddartAndrew StoddartAndrew Ernest Stoddart was an English cricketer and rugby union player. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.-Cricket career:...
- Mr. C. C. Stone
- Mr. W. Williams
- Mr. S. M. J. WoodsSammy WoodsSamuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey...
Bush, Leigh-Barratt and Priestley had been in the Slade Lucas tour to the West Indies two year previously. Priestley had played a single first class match for the M.C.C. in 1895 but otherwise none of the 3 had played first class cricket between the two tours. Elliott had not played first class cricket before the tour while Williams and Leigh had not played first class cricket for almost 10 years. However the remaining 7 had played first class cricket in 1896 and so the team was clearly stronger than Lucas's two years earlier. In 1896 Palairet, Stanley and Woods had played for Somerset, Beldam and Stoddart for Middlesex, Stone for Leicestershire and Lewis for Oxford University. Stoddart had played for England during the 1896 season while Woods had played against South Africa in 1895-96. All the 13 played at least one first class match on the tour. G.A. Maclean played in a minor match.
The team left Southampton on December 30 and arrived back in England on April 14.
Matches played were:
- January 13, 14 : v Barbados
- January 15, 16 : v St. Vincent (in Barbados)
- January 18, 19 : v Barbados
- January 21, 22, 23 : v Barbados
- January 28, 29, 30 : v Antigua
- February 1, 2, 3 : v St. Kitts
- February 6, 8 : v United Services (in Barbados)
- February 12, 13 : v Queen's Park (in Trinidad)
- February 15, 16, 18 : v All West Indies (in Trinidad)
- February 19, 20, 22 : v Trinidad
- February 25, 26, 27 : v Trinidad
- March 13, 15 : v All Jamaica, 12-a-side
- March 16, 17 : v All Jamaica
- March 19, 20 : v Black River C.C. (in Jamaica) 12-a-side
- March 24, 25 : v North Side (in Jamaica) 12-a-side
- March 27, 29 : v All Jamaica, 12-a-side
First class matches are highlighted.
Of the 9 first class matches, 4 were won and 5 lost. Overall 10 matches were won, 5 lost and 1 drawn. All 5 matches in Jamaica were won, Gilbert Livingston
Gilbert Livingston (cricketer)
Gilbert Vivian Livingston was a West Indian cricketer who toured with the first West Indian touring side to England in 1900....
being the only effective player for Jamaica. The results achieved by the tourists were regarded as disappointing, Stoddart being the one great success.
Stoddart was the leading batsman scoring over 1000 runs in all games at an average of over 50. In first-class matches he scored 416 runs at an average of 27. He scored all 6 of the centuries scored by the tourists including 2 in first-class games.
Stoddart was also the leading bowling with over 100 wickets in all matches at an average under 8 and over 50 in first-class games alone averaging under 10.
The most important match was that against All West Indies. The West Indies team contained players from Trinidad, British Guiana and Barbados and was captained by Aucher Warner
Aucher Warner
Robert Stewart Aucher Warner was a West Indian cricketer. He was known as Aucher Warner...
the brother of Plum Warner
Plum Warner
Sir Pelham Francis Warner MBE , affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket was a Test cricketer....
. The tourists set their opponents 141 to win in the last innings which they achieved for the loss of 7 wickets, having been 41-6 at one stage. Richard Palairet was leading scorer in both the tourist's innings with 45 and 46. Clifford Goodman
Clifford Goodman
Clifford Everard Goodman , was a cricketer. A right arm fast bowler, he was educated at The Lodge School, Barbados. He stood at 6 ft 4ins and took 126 wickets at 10.70 in his 15 match first class career...
and Archie Cumberbatch
Archie Cumberbatch
Archibald Belford Cumberbatch was a West Indian cricketer who toured England in 1906. He was a right arm fast bowler....
took 9 wickets each for the West Indians as did Andrew Stoddart for the tourists. The leading batsmen for the West Indies were Harold Austin
Harold Austin
Sir Harold Bruce Gardiner Austin OBE was a West Indian politician and cricketer. He was known as H.B.G.....
and Lebrun Constantine
Lebrun Constantine
Lebrun Samuel Constantine was a coloured West Indian cricketer who toured England in 1900 and 1906 and was a regular member of the Trinidad team from 1893-94 to 1922-23. He was primarily a batsman. He often kept wicket but was also a useful occasional bowler...
.
Averages
The following averages are in the 9 first class matches (Batting Bowling).Batting
| Player | P | I | NO | R | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | C/S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE Stoddart Andrew Stoddart Andrew Ernest Stoddart was an English cricketer and rugby union player. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.-Cricket career:... |
9 | 15 | 0 | 416 | 143 | 27.73 | 2 | - | 10 |
| RCN Palairet Richard Palairet Richard Cameron North Palairet, born 25 June 1871 at Grange-over-Sands, then in Lancashire and died 11 February 1955 at Budleigh Salterton, Devon was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Somerset... |
8 | 14 | 1 | 336 | 65* | 25.84 | - | 1 | 8 |
| FW Bush | 8 | 13 | 1 | 169 | 45* | 14.08 | - | - | 6 |
| SMJ Woods Sammy Woods Samuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey... |
9 | 14 | 0 | 193 | 28 | 13.78 | - | - | 8 |
| G Elliott | 5 | 8 | 2 | 78 | 36* | 13.00 | - | - | 3 |
| CA Beldam | 7 | 11 | 2 | 115 | 24* | 12.77 | - | - | 3 |
| J Leigh | 8 | 13 | 0 | 149 | 26 | 11.46 | - | - | 4 |
| L Barratt | 9 | 15 | 0 | 171 | 38 | 11.40 | - | - | 7 |
| HT Stanley | 9 | 15 | 0 | 151 | 38 | 10.06 | - | - | 6 |
| W Williams | 9 | 15 | 3 | 98 | 40 | 8.16 | - | - | 6 |
| CC Stone | 3 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 16* | 7.60 | - | - | - |
| RP Lewis | 8 | 12 | 7 | 16 | 7 | 3.20 | - | - | 7/6 |
| AA Priestley Arthur Priestley Sir Arthur Alexander Priestley was an English Liberal Party politician and cricketer. After three unsuccessful candidacies he held a seat in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1918... |
9 | 15 | 1 | 37 | 9 | 2.64 | - | - | 5 |
Bowling
| Player | O | M | R | W | BB | Ave | 5i | 10m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE Stoddart Andrew Stoddart Andrew Ernest Stoddart was an English cricketer and rugby union player. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.-Cricket career:... |
303.4 | 128 | 520 | 53 | 7-67 | 9.81 | 5 | 2 |
| W Williams | 203.2 | 55 | 464 | 43 | 7-38 | 10.79 | 3 | 1 |
| SMJ Woods Sammy Woods Samuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey... |
230.2 | 75 | 501 | 35 | 6-60 | 14.31 | 2 | - |
| HT Stanley | 9 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 2-20 | 19.50 | - | - |
| G Elliott | 12 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 1-13 | 29.00 | - | - |
| FW Bush | 102.4 | 19 | 245 | 8 | 2-15 | 30.62 | - | - |
| L Barratt | 113 | 41 | 225 | 6 | 3-40 | 37.50 | - | - |
| CA Beldam | 11 | 1 | 54 | 1 | 1-30 | 54.00 | - | - |
| CC Stone | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| J Leigh | 3.2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||||
See also
- Lord Hawke's XI cricket team in West Indies in 1896-97Lord Hawke's XI cricket team in West Indies in 1896-97A team of Amateurs under the captaincy of Lord Hawke toured the West Indies in the 1896-97 season playing matches between January and April 1897. They played a total of 14 matches of which 7 are regarded as first class...
for reasons for the 'twin' tours.
External sources
Annual reviews
- James Lillywhite's Cricketers' AnnualJames Lillywhite's Cricketers' AnnualJames Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual was a cricket annual edited by Charles W Alcock the secretary of Surrey County Cricket Club between 1872 and 1900. It is generally referred to as Red Lillywhite because of colour of the cover. It was published by James Lillywhite, Frowd & Co...
1898 page 53 - Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
1898, pages 396 to 404
Further reading
- Peter Wynne-Thomas, The Complete History of Cricket Tours at Home & Abroad, Guild, 1989
- Cricket - A Weekly Record of the Game 1897