William Herbert Fowler
Encyclopedia
William Herbert Fowler also known as Bill Fowler and Herbert Fowler, was an English amateur cricket
er who played 26 first-class cricket
matches during the 1880s, principally for Somerset County Cricket Club
. He was an all-rounder
who was best known for his big-hitting when batting. He was also a famous golf course architect, and designed Walton Heath Golf Club
among many others in the United Kingdom and United States.
, London
as the son of son of William Fowler, a barrister
, and Rachel Maria, née Howard. In 1893, he worked as a banker, and during this time, he invested heavily, especially in the Americas.
in 1877. A move to Somerset in the late 1870s saw him switch counties, and he began playing for Somerset County Cricket Club
in 1879. His first-class
debut was not for a county team, but instead for the well-known Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) in 1880. Facing Cambridge University
, Fowler scored 36 runs in his only innings. He passed 50 for the first time in his following match, also for the MCC, scoring 61 runs after opening the innings against Oxford University
. He played in Somerset's first ever first-class match in 1882, opening the innings alongside Edward Sainsbury
, but his scores of 9 and 18 were the county's highest in each innings as they lost the match by an innings. Later that season, playing against the MCC at Lord's
, Fowler had his best bowling performance in first-class cricket, claiming four wickets during his seven overs, conceding just eight runs. In the same match, having scored a duck
in the first innings, he scored 23 in the second, which included a boundary which travelled a reputed 157 yards before landing, leaving the ground. When the MCC visited Taunton that season, he reached his highest total in first-class cricket, totalling 139, his innings scattered with boundaries.
The 1882 season was Fowler's best with the bat in first-class cricket; the following year he failed to score a half-century, despite batting in 18 innings, and his average of 12.27 was significantly lower than the 21.36 he had managed the previous season. He only appeared twice for Somerset in 1884, and also played a side representing the South of England, and the MCC during the year. During the match for the MCC, played against Oxford University, he struck his final half-century, top-scoring for his side in the first innings with 60 runs. His final appearance in first-class cricket came the following season during the same fixture, during which he scored 8 and 20. He played occasionally for Somerset in 1887 and 1888, when they had lost their first-class status.
Fowler was known as a bit-hitter of the ball, his 157 yard strike at Lord's in 1882 was reckoned to be one of the longest hits in first-class cricket at the time. A tall player, he was reckoned to weigh around 14 or 15 stone. David Foot describes him as "perhaps the earliest Somerset batsman to parade the fundamental skills of slogging." His drive was compared to his golf drive.
, Devon
. A Royal Navy
Captain
took him to a course at Westward Ho!
. He played the game with borrowed clubs, but after enjoying it he became a member of the club and continued to play. He won the handicap prize in the club's autumn tournament, but his cricketing commitments curtailed his involvement in the game during the 1880s. He returned to the game a decade later, winning a medal at Westward Ho!, playing as a scratch golfer. His improvement was marked; a 1901 newspaper described it: "A few years ago he was unknown and as he is now in his mid-forties his recent exploits appear particularly brilliant. He drives almost as far as James Braid, the Open champion." He finished joint 26th in the 1900 Open Championship
, and competed for England against Scotland in each year from 1903–1905. He was known as an eccentric player, often varying the size of the balls and clubs with which he played: "Mr. Fowler putts sometimes with a driving iron but often uses a mallet which looks like a sandwich box with a stick stuck through the middle."
Fowler's brother-in-law, Sir Cosmo Bonsor approached him in 1899 about the possibility of making a golf course on Walton Heath, in Surrey
, England. Three years later, Bonsor bought the ground and gave Fowler the task of designing the course. Fowler's first opinion was that "there was very little to make one suppose that a first-class course could be made upon it [Walton Heath]." When the course was opened in 1904, it was an instant success. He believed strongly that courses should follow the contours of the land, and have a natural feeling, shunning the use of "man-made contrivances", believing that topography could test the world's best golfers just as adequately. He had strong views on many aspects of a golf course, including bunkers, which he believed should have gradual slopes to allow the ball to roll to the base. Contemporaries suggested that he designed large courses that would favour big hitters such as himself, but Fowler strenuously denied this, always claiming that they were designed with fairness in mind. He was described in a book by Bernard Darwin
as "perhaps the most daring and original of all golfing architects, and gifted with an inspired eye for the possibility of a golfing country". He designed a number of other golf courses in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Crystal Springs Course, Beau Desert Course, and in 1922 he redesigned the 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links
. He had been hired to redesign the Del Monte Golf Course, but also made some suggestions to update the Pebble Beach course, which were ignored. However, during a 1921 championship, the course owners received complaints about the short 18th hole, and asked Fowler to resolve the problem. He added just under 200 yards to the hole, transforming it from a 379 yard par 4 to a 548 yard par 5.
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 26 first-class cricket
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 during the 1880s, principally for Somerset County Cricket Club
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...
. He was an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who was best known for his big-hitting when batting. He was also a famous golf course architect, and designed Walton Heath Golf Club
Walton Heath Golf Club
Walton Heath Golf Club is a golf club located just outside Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, England, that was founded in 1903.The club comprises two 18-hole golf courses, both of which are well known for having heather covering many of the areas of rough. The Old Course was the first to open in 1904,...
among many others in the United Kingdom and United States.
Early and personal life
Fowler was born in TottenhamTottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, 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...
as the son of son of William Fowler, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, and Rachel Maria, née Howard. In 1893, he worked as a banker, and during this time, he invested heavily, especially in the Americas.
Cricket career
Fowler began his county cricket career at Essex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
in 1877. A move to Somerset in the late 1870s saw him switch counties, and he began playing for Somerset County Cricket Club
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...
in 1879. 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 was not for a county team, but instead for the well-known 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...
(MCC) in 1880. Facing 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...
, Fowler scored 36 runs in his only innings. He passed 50 for the first time in his following match, also for the MCC, scoring 61 runs after opening the innings 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...
. He played in Somerset's first ever first-class match in 1882, opening the innings alongside Edward Sainsbury
Edward Sainsbury
Edward Sainsbury was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
, but his scores of 9 and 18 were the county's highest in each innings as they lost the match by an innings. Later that season, playing against the MCC 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...
, Fowler had his best bowling performance in first-class cricket, claiming four wickets during his seven overs, conceding just eight runs. In the same match, having scored a duck
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...
in the first innings, he scored 23 in the second, which included a boundary which travelled a reputed 157 yards before landing, leaving the ground. When the MCC visited Taunton that season, he reached his highest total in first-class cricket, totalling 139, his innings scattered with boundaries.
The 1882 season was Fowler's best with the bat in first-class cricket; the following year he failed to score a half-century, despite batting in 18 innings, and his average of 12.27 was significantly lower than the 21.36 he had managed the previous season. He only appeared twice for Somerset in 1884, and also played a side representing the South of England, and the MCC during the year. During the match for the MCC, played against Oxford University, he struck his final half-century, top-scoring for his side in the first innings with 60 runs. His final appearance in first-class cricket came the following season during the same fixture, during which he scored 8 and 20. He played occasionally for Somerset in 1887 and 1888, when they had lost their first-class status.
Fowler was known as a bit-hitter of the ball, his 157 yard strike at Lord's in 1882 was reckoned to be one of the longest hits in first-class cricket at the time. A tall player, he was reckoned to weigh around 14 or 15 stone. David Foot describes him as "perhaps the earliest Somerset batsman to parade the fundamental skills of slogging." His drive was compared to his golf drive.
Golf career
Cricket dominated Fowler's free time during his early years, and he played golf for the first time in 1879, aged 23 after a business trip to BidefordBideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. A Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
took him to a course at Westward Ho!
Westward Ho!
Westward Ho! is a seaside village near Bideford in Devon, England. The A39 road provides access from the towns of Barnstaple, Bideford and Bude...
. He played the game with borrowed clubs, but after enjoying it he became a member of the club and continued to play. He won the handicap prize in the club's autumn tournament, but his cricketing commitments curtailed his involvement in the game during the 1880s. He returned to the game a decade later, winning a medal at Westward Ho!, playing as a scratch golfer. His improvement was marked; a 1901 newspaper described it: "A few years ago he was unknown and as he is now in his mid-forties his recent exploits appear particularly brilliant. He drives almost as far as James Braid, the Open champion." He finished joint 26th in the 1900 Open Championship
1900 Open Championship
The 1900 Open Championship was a golf competition held at the Old Course at St Andrews. John Henry Taylor won the competition....
, and competed for England against Scotland in each year from 1903–1905. He was known as an eccentric player, often varying the size of the balls and clubs with which he played: "Mr. Fowler putts sometimes with a driving iron but often uses a mallet which looks like a sandwich box with a stick stuck through the middle."
Fowler's brother-in-law, Sir Cosmo Bonsor approached him in 1899 about the possibility of making a golf course on Walton Heath, in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England. Three years later, Bonsor bought the ground and gave Fowler the task of designing the course. Fowler's first opinion was that "there was very little to make one suppose that a first-class course could be made upon it [Walton Heath]." When the course was opened in 1904, it was an instant success. He believed strongly that courses should follow the contours of the land, and have a natural feeling, shunning the use of "man-made contrivances", believing that topography could test the world's best golfers just as adequately. He had strong views on many aspects of a golf course, including bunkers, which he believed should have gradual slopes to allow the ball to roll to the base. Contemporaries suggested that he designed large courses that would favour big hitters such as himself, but Fowler strenuously denied this, always claiming that they were designed with fairness in mind. He was described in a book by Bernard Darwin
Bernard Darwin
Bernard Richard Meirion Darwin CBE JP a grandson of the British naturalist Charles Darwin, was a golf writer and high-standard amateur golfer. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
as "perhaps the most daring and original of all golfing architects, and gifted with an inspired eye for the possibility of a golfing country". He designed a number of other golf courses in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Crystal Springs Course, Beau Desert Course, and in 1922 he redesigned the 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links is a golf course located in Pebble Beach, California, on the west coast of the United States.Pebble Beach is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of Carmel Bay, opening to the Pacific Ocean,...
. He had been hired to redesign the Del Monte Golf Course, but also made some suggestions to update the Pebble Beach course, which were ignored. However, during a 1921 championship, the course owners received complaints about the short 18th hole, and asked Fowler to resolve the problem. He added just under 200 yards to the hole, transforming it from a 379 yard par 4 to a 548 yard par 5.