Ian Akers-Douglas
Encyclopedia
Ian Stanley Akers-Douglas (November 16, 1909 – December 16, 1952) was an English
cricket
er. He was a right-handed batsman who played first-class cricket for Kent
between 1929 and 1938. He was born in Kensington
and died in Frant
.
Akers-Douglas' cricketing career began with one match for the Kent Second XI in the 1928 Minor Counties Championship, but he made his breakthrough playing in his debut for the first team in 1929. He had played for Oxford University
in three matches, before making his Kent debut in the same summer, against Warwickshire
. Akers-Douglas made a good account of himself in the first innings of the match, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the first innings, with 33 runs to his name. He played four further County Championship matches for the team in the 1929 season.
Once again Akers-Douglas returned to play for Oxford University in 1930, his second and final year playing for the side. He made four further appearances in the County Championship in the 1930 season, while Kent were to finish the season fifth in the County Championship table. Akers-Douglas spent 1931 and 1933 out of the team, save for one single first-class match, though 1932 saw him score his debut century for the side, his career-best first-class score of 123. He played frequently during 1934 and 1936, but in 1935, 1937 and 1938 played just a single first-class game in each year.
Following the close of the 1938 season, Akers-Douglas played just one further cricket match for Kent, against the Rest of England. Akers-Douglas' grandfather was onetime Test cricketer Stanley Christopherson
, and his great-uncle was two-time Kent player Percy Christopherson
.
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. He was a right-handed batsman who played first-class cricket for Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
between 1929 and 1938. He was born in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
and died in Frant
Frant
-Demography:The population of Frant rose steadily from just under 1,100 in 1801 to a peak in 1891 of around 3,500. The records show a marked drop to 1,692 in 1901, but this is due to the transfer of the Broadwater Down parish to Tunbridge Wells that took place in 1894...
.
Akers-Douglas' cricketing career began with one match for the Kent Second XI in the 1928 Minor Counties Championship, but he made his breakthrough playing in his debut for the first team in 1929. He had played for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
in three matches, before making his Kent debut in the same summer, against 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...
. Akers-Douglas made a good account of himself in the first innings of the match, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the first innings, with 33 runs to his name. He played four further County Championship matches for the team in the 1929 season.
Once again Akers-Douglas returned to play for Oxford University in 1930, his second and final year playing for the side. He made four further appearances in the County Championship in the 1930 season, while Kent were to finish the season fifth in the County Championship table. Akers-Douglas spent 1931 and 1933 out of the team, save for one single first-class match, though 1932 saw him score his debut century for the side, his career-best first-class score of 123. He played frequently during 1934 and 1936, but in 1935, 1937 and 1938 played just a single first-class game in each year.
Following the close of the 1938 season, Akers-Douglas played just one further cricket match for Kent, against the Rest of England. Akers-Douglas' grandfather was onetime Test cricketer Stanley Christopherson
Stanley Christopherson
Stanley Christopherson was the best of the ten Christopherson brothers who played the sport of cricket as an amateur in Kent in the late 19th century...
, and his great-uncle was two-time Kent player Percy Christopherson
Percy Christopherson
Percy Christopherson was an English sportsman who played rugby union as a threequarter for Blackheath and represented England at international level. Christopherson also played cricket for Oxford University, and represented Kent in a single First Class match...
.
External links
- Ian Akers-Douglas at Cricket Archive