George Wood (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
George Edward Charles Wood (August 22, 1893, Blackheath, London
– March 18, 1971, Christchurch, Hampshire
) was an English
cricket
er who played in 3 Tests
in 1924.
A wicket keeper who habitually stood up to the stumps against all styles of bowling, he was educated at Cheltenham College
and Pembroke College
, Cambridge
and played first class cricket for Cambridge University from 1913 to 1920. He won Blues both before and after the First World War and proved his all round sporting talent by also gaining Blues in hockey and rugby. He made his debut for Kent in 1919, winning his cap in 1920, and played for the county until 1927. He turned down an invitation to tour Australia in 1920/21 but played for the amateur team led by Archie Maclaren which defeated the Australians in 1921.
He also appeared in matches for Marylebone Cricket Club
from 1924 to 1932, and, with a smattering of matches for L Robinson's XI (1913-1921), the Gentlemen (1920-1932), South of England (1920), Free Foresters (1921-1928), England XI (1921), CI Thornton's XI (1921), The Rest of England (1923) and HDG Leveson-Gower's XI (1936) made 101 first class appearances in all. A right-handed lower order batsman, promoted on occasion to open. his only first class century, 128, came against Free Foresters.
His three tests were played against the touring South Africans in 1924. The first was the remarkable match at Edgbaston in June which saw South Africa bowled out for just 30 in reply to England's imposing 438. The tourists rallied in their second innings, posting 390, to lose by an innings and 18 runs in the three day match. Batting at number 10, Wood contributed just a single on debut before being bowled by Parker, and caught Dave Nourse
from the bowling of Arthur Gilligan
when South Africa followed on. England won the second Test at Lords by exactly the same margin, thanks to a double century by Jack Hobbs and centuries from Sutcliffe and Woolley. Wood caught South Africa's captain Herbie Taylor
for 4, again from the bowling of Gilligan. Wood's last Test match was the third in the series, played at Headingley in July, which England again won in convincing style. Although run out for just 6, Wood took 3 catches and completed a stumping as England ran out winners by 9 wickets.
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
– March 18, 1971, Christchurch, Hampshire
Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
) was an English
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...
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 played in 3 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
in 1924.
A wicket keeper who habitually stood up to the stumps against all styles of bowling, he was educated at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
and Pembroke College
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...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and played first class cricket for Cambridge University from 1913 to 1920. He won Blues both before and after the First World War and proved his all round sporting talent by also gaining Blues in hockey and rugby. He made his debut for Kent in 1919, winning his cap in 1920, and played for the county until 1927. He turned down an invitation to tour Australia in 1920/21 but played for the amateur team led by Archie Maclaren which defeated the Australians in 1921.
He also appeared in matches for Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
from 1924 to 1932, and, with a smattering of matches for L Robinson's XI (1913-1921), the Gentlemen (1920-1932), South of England (1920), Free Foresters (1921-1928), England XI (1921), CI Thornton's XI (1921), The Rest of England (1923) and HDG Leveson-Gower's XI (1936) made 101 first class appearances in all. A right-handed lower order batsman, promoted on occasion to open. his only first class century, 128, came against Free Foresters.
His three tests were played against the touring South Africans in 1924. The first was the remarkable match at Edgbaston in June which saw South Africa bowled out for just 30 in reply to England's imposing 438. The tourists rallied in their second innings, posting 390, to lose by an innings and 18 runs in the three day match. Batting at number 10, Wood contributed just a single on debut before being bowled by Parker, and caught Dave Nourse
Dave Nourse
Arthur William "Dave" Nourse, born at Croydon, England on 26 January 1878 and died at Port Elizabeth, South Africa on 8 July 1948, was a cricketer who played for Natal, Transvaal, Western Province and South Africa....
from the bowling of Arthur Gilligan
Arthur Gilligan
Arthur Edward Robert Gilligan was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Sussex, Surrey and England....
when South Africa followed on. England won the second Test at Lords by exactly the same margin, thanks to a double century by Jack Hobbs and centuries from Sutcliffe and Woolley. Wood caught South Africa's captain Herbie Taylor
Herbie Taylor
Herbert Wilfred Taylor MC was a South African cricketer who played 42 Tests for his country including 18 as captain of the side. Specifically a batsman, he was an expert on the matting pitches which were prevalent in South Africa at the time and scored six of his seven centuries at home...
for 4, again from the bowling of Gilligan. Wood's last Test match was the third in the series, played at Headingley in July, which England again won in convincing style. Although run out for just 6, Wood took 3 catches and completed a stumping as England ran out winners by 9 wickets.