Albert Bailey (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Albert E Bailey played first-class
cricket
for Somerset
from 1900 to 1911 as a lower-order right-handed batsman and a slow left-arm spin bowler. Bailey was born at Norwood
, now in London
but then in Surrey
, on 14 March 1872, but his date of death and his middle name remain unknown.
Bailey played for Surrey
in second eleven matches in the early to mid 1890s, but made no first-class appearances for Surrey. In 1900, he played in two matches in the north of England for Somerset in the space of a week; he took only one wicket in these games, both of which were lost heavily.
He reappeared in the Somerset side halfway through the 1905 season and then for the next two years was a fairly regular member of what was a very weak side. In his second match of the season, against Hampshire
he took seven first innings wickets for 113 runs in a high-scoring game. Two games later, in his first home match for Somerset, he took eight Middlesex
wickets for 67 runs and followed that with three of the four Middlesex wickets to fall in the second innings to finish with match figures of 11 for 78. And in his final game of the season, against Warwickshire
at Taunton he took six for 67 in 38 overs, bowling throughout the Warwickshire innings. His 29 wickets in five matches at an average
of 15.31 put him at the head of Somerset's bowling figures for the season.
The first match of the 1906 season saw the same opponents at the same venue as the last game of 1905, and Bailey did even better against Warwickshire than before: he took five for 59 in the first innings and then six wickets for six runs (in 8.4 overs) in the second to finish with match figures of 11 for 65, the best match figures of his career. There were nine wickets in the next game against Sussex
at Bath, including a first innings return of six for 118. But though Bailey remained in the side for the rest of the season, there were no further successes and he did not take five wickets in an innings again in the season. He finished with a total of 65 wickets at the relatively high average for the time of 26.29.
The 1907 season followed a similar pattern, in that Bailey's first appearance of the season was sensational and the rest was disappointment. In Somerset's first match, against Yorkshire at Taunton, he took eight wickets for 46 runs in the first innings, plus the only wicket that fell in Yorkshire's second innings: the innings return was the best of his career. The fall-off in performance, though, was even more marked than in 1906 and he lost his place in the side well before the end of the season.
In 1908, 1909 and 1910, Bailey was playing cricket in Scotland and he made appearances in first-class matches for the Scottish national cricket team against Nottinghamshire
in 1908 and against the Australians
in 1909. There were only minor matches in 1910, but in 1911, he reappeared again for Somerset in two late-season games, without success. Those were his final first-class appearances, and his subsequent whereabouts are not known.
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
from 1900 to 1911 as a lower-order right-handed batsman and a slow left-arm spin bowler. Bailey was born at Norwood
West Norwood
West Norwood is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is primarily a residential suburb of south London but with some light industry near Knights Hill in the south....
, now in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
but then in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, on 14 March 1872, but his date of death and his middle name remain unknown.
Bailey played for Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in second eleven matches in the early to mid 1890s, but made no first-class appearances for Surrey. In 1900, he played in two matches in the north of England for Somerset in the space of a week; he took only one wicket in these games, both of which were lost heavily.
He reappeared in the Somerset side halfway through the 1905 season and then for the next two years was a fairly regular member of what was a very weak side. In his second match of the season, against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
he took seven first innings wickets for 113 runs in a high-scoring game. Two games later, in his first home match for Somerset, he took eight Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
wickets for 67 runs and followed that with three of the four Middlesex wickets to fall in the second innings to finish with match figures of 11 for 78. And in his final game of the season, against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
at Taunton he took six for 67 in 38 overs, bowling throughout the Warwickshire innings. His 29 wickets in five matches at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 15.31 put him at the head of Somerset's bowling figures for the season.
The first match of the 1906 season saw the same opponents at the same venue as the last game of 1905, and Bailey did even better against Warwickshire than before: he took five for 59 in the first innings and then six wickets for six runs (in 8.4 overs) in the second to finish with match figures of 11 for 65, the best match figures of his career. There were nine wickets in the next game against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
at Bath, including a first innings return of six for 118. But though Bailey remained in the side for the rest of the season, there were no further successes and he did not take five wickets in an innings again in the season. He finished with a total of 65 wickets at the relatively high average for the time of 26.29.
The 1907 season followed a similar pattern, in that Bailey's first appearance of the season was sensational and the rest was disappointment. In Somerset's first match, against Yorkshire at Taunton, he took eight wickets for 46 runs in the first innings, plus the only wicket that fell in Yorkshire's second innings: the innings return was the best of his career. The fall-off in performance, though, was even more marked than in 1906 and he lost his place in the side well before the end of the season.
In 1908, 1909 and 1910, Bailey was playing cricket in Scotland and he made appearances in first-class matches for the Scottish national cricket team against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in 1908 and against the Australians
Australian cricket team in England in 1909
The Australian cricket team in England in 1909 played 37 first-class matches including 5 Tests.Australia was captained by Monty Noble. England's captain in the first three Tests was Frederick Fane...
in 1909. There were only minor matches in 1910, but in 1911, he reappeared again for Somerset in two late-season games, without success. Those were his final first-class appearances, and his subsequent whereabouts are not known.