Joseph Gibbs (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Arthur Gibbs was an English cricket
er who made ten first-class
appearances between 1891 and 1896. He played five first-class matches for Somerset
, and also appeared for the MCC
and I Zingari
. He also published a number of books, including A Cotswold Village; or, country life and pursuits in Gloucestershire and The Improvement of Cricket Grounds on economical principles.
, and then Christ Church, Oxford
. He spent two years with the family banking firm in London
before moving to Ablington
, near Cirencester
in 1892, where he lived as the squire of a small estate at Ablington Manor. He died of sudden heart failure in 1899, aged only 31.
the batting and scoring 10 runs, and then claiming two wickets as Eton beat them by seven wickets. The next summer he played two matches for Somerset
, during their successful 1890 season
. During these matches, he averaged 25 while batting in the lower order. His first-class
debut came in the following season, after Somerset's readmission to the first-class game. Playing against Lancashire
at the County Ground, Taunton, Gibbs made six in both innings during a nine wicket defeat. That was his only first-class appearance of the season, his next coming eleven months later, playing for H Hewett
's XII against Cambridge University
. He followed this up with two matches for I Zingari
in Ireland, and a further two for the MCC
at Lord's
.
During the English winter of 1892–93, Gibbs travelled to Ceylon
and India
as part of Lord Hawke's tour. Gibbs' top-score on the tour was 14, and although he bowled, he failed to take any wickets. During his only first-class match of the tour, against Bombay
, Gibbs caught his Somerset team-mate John Trask
in Bombay's second innings. Gibbs made his highest score in first-class cricket, 75 against Oxford University
for Somerset only a week after making a pair
for the MCC. The last of his five first-class appearances for Somerset was in June 1894, in which he scored seven runs in his only innings of the match. His highest recorded score came two years later, playing in a one-day, single-innings match for the MCC against Dulwich. Opening the batting, Gibbs made 178 of the MCC's 358 runs, as they won by seven wickets.
In his work, A Cotswold Village, Gibbs describes county cricket as being "a little over done", believing the time demands of the game, playing two three-day matches each week through the summer, too great. He thinks that an amateur who has received a good education, composed of public-school followed by university is wasting this education if they then send the majority of the week playing cricket each year. Despite this belief, he is in favour of some amateurs remaining in the game, to "prevent the further development of professionalism." Gibbs hypothesises that the "abnormal extent" of the development of cricket was due to the peaceful times that he lived in, but that in times of war, Englishmen would be glad of the useful lessons in courage and coolness that sport taught them.
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 made ten 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...
appearances between 1891 and 1896. He played five first-class matches for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
, and also appeared for 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 I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
. He also published a number of books, including A Cotswold Village; or, country life and pursuits in Gloucestershire and The Improvement of Cricket Grounds on economical principles.
Life and career
Gibbs was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, and then Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He spent two years with the family banking firm in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before moving to Ablington
Ablington, Gloucestershire
Ablington is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located in Coln Valley.-External links:...
, near Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
in 1892, where he lived as the squire of a small estate at Ablington Manor. He died of sudden heart failure in 1899, aged only 31.
Cricket career
While at Oxford, Gibbs played in a one-day, single innings match against Eton College, openingBatting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
the batting and scoring 10 runs, and then claiming two wickets as Eton beat them by seven wickets. The next summer he played two matches for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
, during their successful 1890 season
Somerset County Cricket Club in 1890
The 1890 season saw Somerset County Cricket Club playing thirteen fixtures against other county teams. These matches were not considered first-class, after Somerset had five years earlier been removed from the County Championship due to playing too few matches against other first-class counties...
. During these matches, he averaged 25 while batting in the lower order. His 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...
debut came in the following season, after Somerset's readmission to the first-class game. Playing against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
at the County Ground, Taunton, Gibbs made six in both innings during a nine wicket defeat. That was his only first-class appearance of the season, his next coming eleven months later, playing for H Hewett
Herbie Hewett
Herbert Tremenheere "Herbie" Hewett was an English amateur cricketer who played for Somerset, captaining the county from 1889 to 1893, as well as Oxford University and the Marylebone Cricket Club. A battling left-handed opening batsman, Hewett could post a large score in a short time against even...
's XII against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. He followed this up with two matches for I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
in Ireland, and a further two for 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...
at Lord's
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...
.
During the English winter of 1892–93, Gibbs travelled to Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as part of Lord Hawke's tour. Gibbs' top-score on the tour was 14, and although he bowled, he failed to take any wickets. During his only first-class match of the tour, against Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
, Gibbs caught his Somerset team-mate John Trask
John Trask
Surgeon-Captain John Ernest Trask was an English cricketer who made 16 first-class appearances. He played nine times for Somerset between 1884–1895, and also appeared in first-class matches in India...
in Bombay's second innings. Gibbs made his highest score in first-class cricket, 75 against 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...
for Somerset only a week after making a pair
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
for the MCC. The last of his five first-class appearances for Somerset was in June 1894, in which he scored seven runs in his only innings of the match. His highest recorded score came two years later, playing in a one-day, single-innings match for the MCC against Dulwich. Opening the batting, Gibbs made 178 of the MCC's 358 runs, as they won by seven wickets.
In his work, A Cotswold Village, Gibbs describes county cricket as being "a little over done", believing the time demands of the game, playing two three-day matches each week through the summer, too great. He thinks that an amateur who has received a good education, composed of public-school followed by university is wasting this education if they then send the majority of the week playing cricket each year. Despite this belief, he is in favour of some amateurs remaining in the game, to "prevent the further development of professionalism." Gibbs hypothesises that the "abnormal extent" of the development of cricket was due to the peaceful times that he lived in, but that in times of war, Englishmen would be glad of the useful lessons in courage and coolness that sport taught them.