George Beldam
Encyclopedia
George William Beldam was an English
cricketer
and a pioneer of action photography
in sport.
George Beldam came from a cricketing family of Huguenot
refugees. He was a steady right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler who represented Middlesex
, MCC
and London County
in 102 first-class
matches between 1900 and 1907. He scored 4,796 runs (average 30.16) with a personal best of 155* versus Surrey at Lord's in 1902 and took 66 catches and 76 wickets (average 27.14) with a personal best of 5/28 versus Lancashire at Liverpool in 1902.
He became a noted artist and photographer. He was the first action photographer of sport in Britain, specialising in cricket and golf
. He collaborated with C.B. Fry on two instructional books, with Beldam providing the illustrations and some of the text:
His brother, Cyril Beldam, and a cousin, Ernest Beldam, also played first-class cricket.
A biography of him was written by a descendant:
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...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and a pioneer of action photography
Sports photography
Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports.In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism, while amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing association football, is a branch of vernacular...
in sport.
George Beldam came from a cricketing family of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
refugees. He was a steady right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler who represented 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...
, MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and London County
London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
in 102 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...
matches between 1900 and 1907. He scored 4,796 runs (average 30.16) with a personal best of 155* versus Surrey at Lord's in 1902 and took 66 catches and 76 wickets (average 27.14) with a personal best of 5/28 versus Lancashire at Liverpool in 1902.
He became a noted artist and photographer. He was the first action photographer of sport in Britain, specialising in cricket and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. He collaborated with C.B. Fry on two instructional books, with Beldam providing the illustrations and some of the text:
- Great Batsmen: Their Methods at a Glance (1905)
- Great Bowlers and Fielders: Their Methods at a Glance (1907)
His brother, Cyril Beldam, and a cousin, Ernest Beldam, also played first-class cricket.
A biography of him was written by a descendant:
- George Alastair Beldam, Third Man in: Lost World of a Camera Artist - G.W.Beldam and the Art of Edwardian Cricket, The George Beldam Collection, 1995, ISBN 978-0951667606