Emmott Robinson
Encyclopedia
Emmott Robinson was an English
first-class cricket
er, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
from 1919 to 1931. He was awarded his county cap in 1920. Robinson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium pace.
, Yorkshire
, England
. He is remembered as a distinctive Yorkshire character with a dry sense of humour and a solid sense of purpose. Sir Neville Cardus
often wrote about him with great affection in his newspaper articles, frequently referring to him as "the old Emmott". This was not an unfair description for Robinson did not make his first-class debut until the 1919 season
, when cricket resumed in England after World War I
. Robinson was aged 35 by then and yet he continued playing until 1931, when he was 47. Cardus imagined that the Lord one day gathered together a heap of Yorkshire clay, and breathed into it, saying, "Emmott Robinson, go on and bowl at the pavilion end for Yorkshire". Robinson himself had a different take on his spawning: "I reckon Mr Cardus invented me".
Although he was not himself an outstanding individual player (he never played for England), he was a great team player and he was always regarded as "Wilfred's lieutenant", a reference to his role as Yorkshire's second senior professional behind Wilfred Rhodes
. Many of the anecdotes and remembered incidents about Rhodes and Robinson make clear that Rhodes was the de facto captain of Yorkshire at this time, despite the club's policy of always appointing an amateur gentleman as nominal captain.
One oft-quoted anecdote, first recorded by Cardus, concerned Yorkshire's 1926 captain, Arthur Lupton
, who started padding up after a wicket fell. Robinson reportedly said to him: "Tha's no need to pad up, Major. Wilfred's declaring at t'end o' t'over".
The arrangement worked well for this was one of Yorkshire's most successful periods. In the thirteen seasons that Robinson played for the first team, Yorkshire won the County Championship
six times and were rarely out of contention. He was an intense competitor and was known to brood, only half in jest, on lost matches decades after stumps had been drawn.
In the early 1920s, Emmott made two winter tours to India with Abe Waddington and others to train the children of the Maharaja of Patiala, returning to England for the summer. Two of the Maharaja's sons, Yuvraj of Patiala and Raja Bhalindra Singh, both played first-class cricket. Yuvraj played in one Test for India, in 1934.
In his first-class career, Robinson played in 416 matches. He scored 9,744 runs in 460 innings (78 not out) at 25.50 with a highest score of 135*. He made seven centuries and forty eight fifties. He twice scored over a thousand runs in a season, 1,104 in 1921 and 1,097 in 1929, topping 900 on three occasions. He was a good fielder who took 322 catches. He was an effective change bowler, taking 902 wickets at 22.04. His best analysis was 9 for 36. He took five wickets in an innings thirty six times and ten wickets in a match on five occasions. He took 100 wickets in a season once: 113 in 1928. He took 96 in 1923.
Jack Hobbs
said Robinson was the best swing bowler he had ever seen. Robinson was certainly protective of the new ball. If some fielder was rash enough to return it to the keeper on the bounce, a wail of "Nay, nay!" could be heard from a wincing Emmott.
After his retirement from the playing arena, Robinson became a first-class umpire
. Robinson was a nephew of Wilfred Flowers
, the former Nottinghamshire and England
player.
Robinson died in Hinckley
, Leicestershire
.
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...
first-class cricket
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...
er, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
from 1919 to 1931. He was awarded his county cap in 1920. Robinson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium pace.
Life and career
Robinson was born in KeighleyKeighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He is remembered as a distinctive Yorkshire character with a dry sense of humour and a solid sense of purpose. Sir Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
often wrote about him with great affection in his newspaper articles, frequently referring to him as "the old Emmott". This was not an unfair description for Robinson did not make his first-class debut until the 1919 season
1919 English cricket season
The 1919 English cricket season was the first to stage first-class cricket since 1914. Yorkshire won the title but in their team as in everyone else's, the sense was of overwhelming loss. The county matches in this season were played over a course of two days...
, when cricket resumed in England after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Robinson was aged 35 by then and yet he continued playing until 1931, when he was 47. Cardus imagined that the Lord one day gathered together a heap of Yorkshire clay, and breathed into it, saying, "Emmott Robinson, go on and bowl at the pavilion end for Yorkshire". Robinson himself had a different take on his spawning: "I reckon Mr Cardus invented me".
Although he was not himself an outstanding individual player (he never played for England), he was a great team player and he was always regarded as "Wilfred's lieutenant", a reference to his role as Yorkshire's second senior professional behind Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
. Many of the anecdotes and remembered incidents about Rhodes and Robinson make clear that Rhodes was the de facto captain of Yorkshire at this time, despite the club's policy of always appointing an amateur gentleman as nominal captain.
One oft-quoted anecdote, first recorded by Cardus, concerned Yorkshire's 1926 captain, Arthur Lupton
Arthur Lupton
Arthur William Lupton was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played 104 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1908 to 1927. He also played for the MCC , the Gentlemen of England and H.D.G...
, who started padding up after a wicket fell. Robinson reportedly said to him: "Tha's no need to pad up, Major. Wilfred's declaring at t'end o' t'over".
The arrangement worked well for this was one of Yorkshire's most successful periods. In the thirteen seasons that Robinson played for the first team, Yorkshire won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
six times and were rarely out of contention. He was an intense competitor and was known to brood, only half in jest, on lost matches decades after stumps had been drawn.
In the early 1920s, Emmott made two winter tours to India with Abe Waddington and others to train the children of the Maharaja of Patiala, returning to England for the summer. Two of the Maharaja's sons, Yuvraj of Patiala and Raja Bhalindra Singh, both played first-class cricket. Yuvraj played in one Test for India, in 1934.
In his first-class career, Robinson played in 416 matches. He scored 9,744 runs in 460 innings (78 not out) at 25.50 with a highest score of 135*. He made seven centuries and forty eight fifties. He twice scored over a thousand runs in a season, 1,104 in 1921 and 1,097 in 1929, topping 900 on three occasions. He was a good fielder who took 322 catches. He was an effective change bowler, taking 902 wickets at 22.04. His best analysis was 9 for 36. He took five wickets in an innings thirty six times and ten wickets in a match on five occasions. He took 100 wickets in a season once: 113 in 1928. He took 96 in 1923.
Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
said Robinson was the best swing bowler he had ever seen. Robinson was certainly protective of the new ball. If some fielder was rash enough to return it to the keeper on the bounce, a wail of "Nay, nay!" could be heard from a wincing Emmott.
After his retirement from the playing arena, Robinson became a first-class umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. Robinson was a nephew of Wilfred Flowers
Wilfred Flowers
Wilfred Flowers was a professional cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club between 1877 and 1896....
, the former Nottinghamshire and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
player.
Robinson died in Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
External links
Further reading
- Neville CardusNeville CardusSir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
, Second Innings, Collins, 1950 - Neville CardusNeville CardusSir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
, The Roses Matches 1919 - 1939, Collins, 1982 - J M Kilburn, A Century of Yorkshire County Cricket, Yorkshire PostYorkshire PostThe Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
, 1963