Archibald Fargus
Encyclopedia
Rev.
Archibald Hugh Conway Fargus M.A. (15 December 1878 – 6 October 1963) was an English
cricket
er who was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast
. He was also a scholar and clergyman and served in the Royal Navy
.
, Bristol
, Fargus was the son of novelist Frederick John Fargus
and Elizabeth Marson, herself an auctioneer, author and playwright. He was later educated at Clifton College
and Haileybury
before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge
.
Fargus made his first-class
debut for Gloucestershire
in the 1900 County Championship against Middlesex
. In the that same season he also made his first-class debut for Cambridge University
against Surrey
. Fargus played first-class cricket for both teams in 1900 and 1901, typically playing for Cambridge University in the months of June and July and for Gloucestershire in August. He played 12 matches for the University, from whom he won a Cambridge Blue in 1900 and 1901, and 15 for Gloucestershire, plus one match for the Gentlemen
in 1900. Overall, Fargus was a superior batsman while playing for Cambridge University, scoring 292 runs at a batting average
of 16.22, plus scoring his only half century in first-class cricket, a score of 61. For Gloucestershire he batted in 27 innings, scoring 210 runs at an average of 9.13. With the ball, the reverse was true; his bowling with Gloucestershire was more successful. For the county he took 33 wickets at a bowling average
of 26.54, with best figures of 7/55, one of two five wicket hauls he took. His best figures came in his debut match against Middlesex, with the 7/55 coming in the Middlesex second-innings and following on from the 5/32 in their first-innings. These figures were the best by any player on debut in the County Championship at that time, it would be a record which would stand for 104 years, until it was beaten by Heath Streak
who took match figures of 13/158 on his Warwickshire
debut in 2004. In contrast, for the University he took 27 wickets at an average of 41.66, with best figures of 4/35. His first-class career ended at the end of the 1901 season
. However, in 1904 he represented Devon
in that seasons Minor Counties Championship, playing a single match against Glamorgan
.
Outside of cricket, Fargus played rugby
for Devon.
in 1906. He initially took up duties at Forton, Hampshire
. He joined the Royal Navy
in 1907 as a Chaplain
, serving aboard HMS Encounter from 1908–1910, in 1910 and 1911, in 1911 and 1912, in 1912 and in 1912 and 1913. In 1913 he was appointed as the vicar of Askham Richard
, Yorkshire
. In order to take up this post he allowed to withdraw from the Royal Navy with a gratuity. Later in the First World War he rejoined the navy, where he served as a Temporary Chaplain on board and was seemingly present during its sinking in the battle Battle of Coronel
in the Pacific. Indeed the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
included an obituary for him in its 1915 edition. But by a quirk of fate he missed the train and was thus unable to board the ship, instead being posted to another. He remained a Temporary Chaplain until 1919.
He later became Chancellor of St.Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Valetta, Malta
from 1919 to 1923. Later in 1923, Fargus took the post of Chaplain in Huelva
, Spain
, a position he held until 1925. By 1941 he was resident at Horfield rectory in Bristol. He died in Eastville
, Bristol on 6 October 1963. Unlike his 'death' in 1914, his actual death was not reported in the 1964 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and his obituary did not appear until the 1994 edition.
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Archibald Hugh Conway Fargus M.A. (15 December 1878 – 6 October 1963) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
er who was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
. He was also a scholar and clergyman and served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Early life and cricket
Born in CliftonClifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Fargus was the son of novelist Frederick John Fargus
Hugh Conway
Hugh Conway, the pen name of Frederick John Fargus , was an English novelist born in Bristol, the son of an auctioneer.-Early life:...
and Elizabeth Marson, herself an auctioneer, author and playwright. He was later educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and Haileybury
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
.
Fargus made his first-class
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...
debut for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
in the 1900 County Championship against 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...
. In the that same season he also made his first-class debut for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
against 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...
. Fargus played first-class cricket for both teams in 1900 and 1901, typically playing for Cambridge University in the months of June and July and for Gloucestershire in August. He played 12 matches for the University, from whom he won a Cambridge Blue in 1900 and 1901, and 15 for Gloucestershire, plus one match for the Gentlemen
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
in 1900. Overall, Fargus was a superior batsman while playing for Cambridge University, scoring 292 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 16.22, plus scoring his only half century in first-class cricket, a score of 61. For Gloucestershire he batted in 27 innings, scoring 210 runs at an average of 9.13. With the ball, the reverse was true; his bowling with Gloucestershire was more successful. For the county he took 33 wickets at a bowling 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 26.54, with best figures of 7/55, one of two five wicket hauls he took. His best figures came in his debut match against Middlesex, with the 7/55 coming in the Middlesex second-innings and following on from the 5/32 in their first-innings. These figures were the best by any player on debut in the County Championship at that time, it would be a record which would stand for 104 years, until it was beaten by Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
who took match figures of 13/158 on his 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...
debut in 2004. In contrast, for the University he took 27 wickets at an average of 41.66, with best figures of 4/35. His first-class career ended at the end of the 1901 season
1901 English cricket season
Yorkshire defended their County Championship title in the 1901 English cricket season, though, unlike in 1900, they lost one game during the season, to 12th-placed Somerset....
. However, in 1904 he represented Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
in that seasons Minor Counties Championship, playing a single match against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
.
Outside of cricket, Fargus played rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Devon.
Naval career and later life
Fargus was ordained by the Bishop of WinchesterHerbert Edward Ryle
Herbert Edward Ryle KCVO DD , was an author, Old Testament scholar, and the Dean of Westminster.-Early life:Dr Ryle was born in Onslow Square, South Kensington, London, on 25 May 1856, the second son of John Charles Ryle , the first Bishop of Liverpool, and his second wife, Jessie Elizabeth Walker...
in 1906. He initially took up duties at Forton, Hampshire
Forton, Hampshire
Forton is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Andover, which lies approximately 4 miles north-west. The village lies east to the River Test....
. He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1907 as a Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, serving aboard HMS Encounter from 1908–1910, in 1910 and 1911, in 1911 and 1912, in 1912 and in 1912 and 1913. In 1913 he was appointed as the vicar of Askham Richard
Askham Richard
Askham Richard is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in the north of England, six and a half miles south west of York, close to Copmanthorpe, Bilbrough and Askham Bryan. Prior to 1996 it formed part of the district of Selby. The village became a Conservation Area in...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. In order to take up this post he allowed to withdraw from the Royal Navy with a gratuity. Later in the First World War he rejoined the navy, where he served as a Temporary Chaplain on board and was seemingly present during its sinking in the battle Battle of Coronel
Battle of Coronel
The First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
in the Pacific. Indeed the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
included an obituary for him in its 1915 edition. But by a quirk of fate he missed the train and was thus unable to board the ship, instead being posted to another. He remained a Temporary Chaplain until 1919.
He later became Chancellor of St.Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Valetta, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
from 1919 to 1923. Later in 1923, Fargus took the post of Chaplain in Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, a position he held until 1925. By 1941 he was resident at Horfield rectory in Bristol. He died in Eastville
Eastville, Bristol
Eastville is the name of both a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom and a suburb of the city that lies within that ward. The Eastville ward covers the areas of Eastville, Crofts End , Stapleton and part of Fishponds...
, Bristol on 6 October 1963. Unlike his 'death' in 1914, his actual death was not reported in the 1964 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and his obituary did not appear until the 1994 edition.
External links
- Archibald Fargus at ESPNcricinfo
- Archibald Fargus at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...