Percy de Paravicini
Encyclopedia
Percy John de Paravicini (15 July 1862 – 11 October 1921) was an English
amateur cricket
er and international footballer
in the late nineteenth century.
He was born in Kensington
, London
, the son of Baron James Prior de Paravicini, of Riverside, Datchet
, Windsor
. He was educated at Aldin House, Slough
and Eton College
, where he was a member of the cricket eleven from 1878 to 1881, being captain in 1880 and 1881.
cricket XI for four consecutive years, and arguably he was one of the best players the school has had. He was captain in 1880 and 1881 (i.e. Keeper of the Field). He played against his brother, Harry, in the annual Eton v Harrow
cricket match held at Lord's Cricket Ground
.
He made his first class
debut for Middlesex
on 15 August 1881 at Old Trafford, Manchester in the County Tournament against Lancashire
. He continued to appear for Middlesex throughout August, playing in four county matches, scoring only 33 runs and taking one wicket. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman, a slow round-arm bowler and an outstanding fielder.
In the autumn of 1881 he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
where he won a cricket blue in each of his four years (1882 to 1885). He played his first cricket match for the University on 25 May 1882 against the "Gentlemen of England". In 1882 he appeared six times for Cambridge University
.
1883 was his best season, making 17 appearances (7 for the University, 8 for Middlesex and 2 for representative teams) scoring 595 runs at an average of 24.79 and taking 16 wickets at an average of 20.75. In the match at The Oval
for the University against Surrey
in June he made his best score to date with 61 in the first innings and taking 4 wickets for 26 runs. In this match Charles Studd
made his best ever score with 175 n.o. as the University won the match by 200 runs.
In 1888 he improved his best batting performance, with 77 for Middlesex against Nottinghamshire
in June; he scored a total of 485 in the season at an average of 14.69.
During his first class
career he played 62 times for Middlesex and 25 for Cambridge University. He also played for Buckinghamshire
from 1899 to 1911.
in 1883. A "speedy, two-footed defender", he appeared in two FA Cup
Finals for Old Etonians
, being on the winning side in 1882
against Blackburn Rovers
, but losing out the following year to Blackburn Olympic
.
In the 1882 final, he was part of the last "all amateur" side to win the FA Cup as well as the last team from south of Birmingham to win it during the nineteenth century. The Old Etonians fielded a team with nine players with previous FA Cup final experience, having reached the final four times in the previous seven seasons. In the match itself, de Paravicini and Arthur Kinnaird
managed to contain the Blackburn Rovers forwards, whilst the Old Boys' forwards continually created problems for the Rovers' defence until Reginald Macaulay
managed to steer the ball between the Blackburn goalposts for the only goal of the game.
In February and March 1883
he was selected for all three England
internationals, against Scotland
, Wales
and Ireland
. England comfortably defeated the Welsh 5–0 (with a hat trick from Clement Mitchell
) and the Irish 7–0, but lost out to the Scots by the odd goal in five.
On 31 March 1883, the Old Etonians reached the FA Cup final
for the third consecutive year and were comfortable favourites to defeat Blackburn Olympic
. Olympic however were well organised and defeated the Old Boys 2–1 after extra time.
After his exploits in the FA Cup and for England, de Paravicini made occasional appearances for the Corinthians.
He was a J.P.
for Buckinghamshire
and during the First World War took command of the Datchet
Volunteer Platoon. He was decorated with the Commander, Royal Victorian Order (C.V.O.)
.
He is also credited with being on the inaugural committee for Stoke Park Club
based in Stoke Poges
, and the only member of the Corinthians on the committee at the time.
On 21 May 1891, he married Lady Marcia Charlotte Maria Cholmondeley, daughter of Charles George, the Viscount Malpas. They lived in the family home at Riverside, Datchet and had three sons. He died on 11 October 1921 at Hill Fields, Pangbourne
, Berkshire
, England aged 59 following an operation. His obituary in Wisden
stated: "Few men personally more popular have ever been seen in the cricket field. His career was in one respect peculiar. He was in proportion a far greater force in his school days than he ever became in first-class matches."
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...
amateur 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 and international footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in the late nineteenth century.
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...
, 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...
, the son of Baron James Prior de Paravicini, of Riverside, Datchet
Datchet
Datchet is an English Thameside village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974....
, Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
. He was educated at Aldin House, Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
and Eton College
Eton 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"....
, where he was a member of the cricket eleven from 1878 to 1881, being captain in 1880 and 1881.
Cricket career
de Paravicini was one of an elite few to have played for the 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"....
cricket XI for four consecutive years, and arguably he was one of the best players the school has had. He was captain in 1880 and 1881 (i.e. Keeper of the Field). He played against his brother, Harry, in the annual Eton v Harrow
Eton v Harrow
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. It one of the longest-running annual cricket fixtures in the world. It is the last annual school cricket match played at Lord's Cricket Ground...
cricket match held at Lord's Cricket Ground
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 made 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 for 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...
on 15 August 1881 at Old Trafford, Manchester in the County Tournament 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...
. He continued to appear for Middlesex throughout August, playing in four county matches, scoring only 33 runs and taking one wicket. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman, a slow round-arm bowler and an outstanding fielder.
In the autumn of 1881 he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
where he won a cricket blue in each of his four years (1882 to 1885). He played his first cricket match for the University on 25 May 1882 against the "Gentlemen of England". In 1882 he appeared six times for 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...
.
1883 was his best season, making 17 appearances (7 for the University, 8 for Middlesex and 2 for representative teams) scoring 595 runs at an average of 24.79 and taking 16 wickets at an average of 20.75. In the match 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...
for the University against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in June he made his best score to date with 61 in the first innings and taking 4 wickets for 26 runs. In this match Charles Studd
Charles Studd
Charles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd, was born 2 December 1860, Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, and died 16 July 1931, Ibambi, Belgian Congo....
made his best ever score with 175 n.o. as the University won the match by 200 runs.
In 1888 he improved his best batting performance, with 77 for Middlesex against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in June; he scored a total of 485 in the season at an average of 14.69.
During 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...
career he played 62 times for Middlesex and 25 for Cambridge University. He also played for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
from 1899 to 1911.
Football career
At Cambridge University he won his blue for footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in 1883. A "speedy, two-footed defender", he appeared in two FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Finals for Old Etonians
Old Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
, being on the winning side in 1882
1882 FA Cup Final
The 1882 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1–0, the only goal scored by Reginald Macaulay...
against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, but losing out the following year to Blackburn Olympic
Blackburn Olympic F.C.
Blackburn Olympic F.C. was an English association football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire in the late 19th century. Although the club was only in existence for just over a decade, it is significant in the history of football in England as the first club from the north of the country and the...
.
In the 1882 final, he was part of the last "all amateur" side to win the FA Cup as well as the last team from south of Birmingham to win it during the nineteenth century. The Old Etonians fielded a team with nine players with previous FA Cup final experience, having reached the final four times in the previous seven seasons. In the match itself, de Paravicini and Arthur Kinnaird
Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird
Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird KT was a principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer....
managed to contain the Blackburn Rovers forwards, whilst the Old Boys' forwards continually created problems for the Rovers' defence until Reginald Macaulay
Reginald Macaulay
Reginald Heber Macaulay was an amateur English footballer who won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882 and made one appearance for England in 1881 playing as a forward.-Career:...
managed to steer the ball between the Blackburn goalposts for the only goal of the game.
In February and March 1883
1882-83 in English football
The 1882–1883 season was the 12th season of competitive football in England.-National team:* England score given firstKey* H = Home match* F = Friendly-Honours:...
he was selected for all three 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...
internationals, 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...
, 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...
and Ireland
Ireland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
. England comfortably defeated the Welsh 5–0 (with a hat trick from Clement Mitchell
Clement Mitchell
Clement Mitchell was an English sportsman who represented the England national football team and played first-class cricket with Kent....
) and the Irish 7–0, but lost out to the Scots by the odd goal in five.
On 31 March 1883, the Old Etonians reached the FA Cup final
1883 FA Cup Final
The 1883 FA Cup Final was contested by Blackburn Olympic and Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. Blackburn Olympic won 2–1 after extra time. Jimmy Costley and Arthur Matthews scored for Blackburn; Harry Goodhart for Old Etonians.-Teams:-References:...
for the third consecutive year and were comfortable favourites to defeat Blackburn Olympic
Blackburn Olympic F.C.
Blackburn Olympic F.C. was an English association football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire in the late 19th century. Although the club was only in existence for just over a decade, it is significant in the history of football in England as the first club from the north of the country and the...
. Olympic however were well organised and defeated the Old Boys 2–1 after extra time.
After his exploits in the FA Cup and for England, de Paravicini made occasional appearances for the Corinthians.
Honours
Old EtoniansOld Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner: 18821882 FA Cup FinalThe 1882 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1–0, the only goal scored by Reginald Macaulay... - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalist: 18831883 FA Cup FinalThe 1883 FA Cup Final was contested by Blackburn Olympic and Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. Blackburn Olympic won 2–1 after extra time. Jimmy Costley and Arthur Matthews scored for Blackburn; Harry Goodhart for Old Etonians.-Teams:-References:...
Life outside sport
At Eton he was a president of 'Pop'; the group of 25 elected prefects.He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and during the First World War took command of the Datchet
Datchet
Datchet is an English Thameside village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974....
Volunteer Platoon. He was decorated with the Commander, Royal Victorian Order (C.V.O.)
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
.
He is also credited with being on the inaugural committee for Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park is a historic estate in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. The Mansion is located amongst of parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments. The site is now a hotel, spa and country club....
based in Stoke Poges
Stoke Poges
Stoke Poges is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, about three miles north of Slough and a mile east of Farnham Common....
, and the only member of the Corinthians on the committee at the time.
On 21 May 1891, he married Lady Marcia Charlotte Maria Cholmondeley, daughter of Charles George, the Viscount Malpas. They lived in the family home at Riverside, Datchet and had three sons. He died on 11 October 1921 at Hill Fields, Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England aged 59 following an operation. His obituary in Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
stated: "Few men personally more popular have ever been seen in the cricket field. His career was in one respect peculiar. He was in proportion a far greater force in his school days than he ever became in first-class matches."