Fanny Walden
Encyclopedia
Frederick Ingram "Fanny" Walden (1 March 1888 – 3 May 1949) was an English
professional footballer who played on the right-wing
for Northampton Town
, Tottenham Hotspur
and at international level for England
during the 1910s and 1920s. He also played cricket
for Northamptonshire
and was an English cricket umpire
.
, Northamptonshire
and after playing football for various clubs in his home town, he started his professional career in 1909 at Northampton Town
, then playing in the Southern League
.
On 13 April 1913, he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
for a fee of £1,700. Being only 5 ft 2 in tall he was often described as a ‘diminutive winger’ and known for his ‘darting jinking runs down the right flank’.
His small stature also accounted for his nickname ‘Fanny’ which was in common use during his time to describe those of ‘dainty physique'.
He continued to play for Tottenham after the enforced break caused by the First World War. He made his most important contribution for Spurs in the team which won the Second Division title
in 1920 but the following year unfortunately missed the 1921 FA Cup Final
due to injury. He went on to play in over 300 games for Spurs including 215 league games (scoring 21 goals) and 22 FA Cup matches (3 goals) before returning to play again for Northampton Town in July 1924.
Walden won his first of two England Caps
on 4 April 1914 against Scotland
. The second, on 13 March 1922, was against Wales
. Unsurprisingly, he holds the record for being the smallest ever footballer to represent England at national level.
between 1910 and 1929. A right-handed batsman scoring over 7538 runs and slow right-hand bowler taking 119 wicket
s in 258 matches.
After retiring from playing he became a Test Match standard cricket umpire, standing in 212 First Class matches between 1930 and 1939 and 11 test matches from 1934 (England v Australia at Old Trafford) until 1939 (England vs West Indies at Lords
). He stood with Frank Chester
at The Oval
in 1938 during England's record Ashes victory of an innings and 579 runs.
Walden died in Northampton
age 61, on 3 May 1949.
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...
professional footballer who played on the right-wing
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and at international level for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
during the 1910s and 1920s. He also played 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 Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
and was an English cricket 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...
.
Football career
Walden was born in WellingboroughWellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and after playing football for various clubs in his home town, he started his professional career in 1909 at Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, then playing in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
.
On 13 April 1913, he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
for a fee of £1,700. Being only 5 ft 2 in tall he was often described as a ‘diminutive winger’ and known for his ‘darting jinking runs down the right flank’.
His small stature also accounted for his nickname ‘Fanny’ which was in common use during his time to describe those of ‘dainty physique'.
He continued to play for Tottenham after the enforced break caused by the First World War. He made his most important contribution for Spurs in the team which won the Second Division title
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1920 but the following year unfortunately missed the 1921 FA Cup Final
1921 FA Cup Final
The 1921 FA Cup Final was contested by Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge. Spurs won by a single goal, scored by Jimmy Dimmock, eight minutes into the second half...
due to injury. He went on to play in over 300 games for Spurs including 215 league games (scoring 21 goals) and 22 FA Cup matches (3 goals) before returning to play again for Northampton Town in July 1924.
Walden won his first of two England Caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
on 4 April 1914 against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. The second, on 13 March 1922, was against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. Unsurprisingly, he holds the record for being the smallest ever footballer to represent England at national level.
Cricket career
Walden played Cricket at county level for NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
between 1910 and 1929. A right-handed batsman scoring over 7538 runs and slow right-hand bowler taking 119 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in 258 matches.
After retiring from playing he became a Test Match standard cricket umpire, standing in 212 First Class matches between 1930 and 1939 and 11 test matches from 1934 (England v Australia at Old Trafford) until 1939 (England vs West Indies at Lords
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
). He stood with Frank Chester
Frank Chester (umpire)
Frank Chester was an English first-class cricketer and notable international cricket umpire.Chester was an all-rounder, a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, who played 55 first-class matches for county side Worcestershire as a teenager from 1912 to 1914...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in 1938 during England's record Ashes victory of an innings and 579 runs.
Walden died in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
age 61, on 3 May 1949.