Willie Quaife
Encyclopedia
William Quaife, known as "Willie", born at Newhaven
, Sussex
on 17 March 1872 and died at Edgbaston
, Birmingham
, on 13 October 1951, was a cricketer
who played for Sussex
, Warwickshire
and England
.
A diminutive right-handed batsman with a strong defence, Quaife played one match for Sussex before moving, with his older brother Walter, to Warwickshire in 1894. He made a century on his debut and, 35 years later at the age of 56, made another on his last appearance for the county in 1928. In between, he scored more than 36,000 runs with a further 70 centuries and, for good measure, took 900 wickets with leg break
bowling that, early in his career, was suspected to be illegal. He passed the 1,000 run mark in 25 seasons and was the leading batsman as Warwickshire won the County Championship
for the first time in 1911. His career total of 36,012 runs puts him 36th on the all-time list of run-getters.
Quaife made only seven Test match
appearances, starting with two matches against the Australians
in 1899, and then featuring in all five games on the 1901-02 tour to Australia under Archie MacLaren. He met with little success, except at Adelaide
, where he scored 68 and 44 in the third Test.
Quaife also played for W. G. Grace
's London County
team and spent the winter of 1912-13 playing for Griqualand West
in South Africa
. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1902.
In his playing career, Quaife was usually listed as "W.G.Quaife" and Wisden
lists him as "William George Quaife" in its obituary in 1952. The middle initial (or name) appears, however, to have been acquired merely to differentiate him from his brother, Walter, who was eight years his senior and an established Sussex cricketer before moving with William to Warwickshire, where he played until 1901.
Quaife played with his son Bernard
twenty times in first-class matches. On one occasion, for Warwickshire against Derbyshire
at Derby in 1922, the Quaifes played against the father-son combination of Billy Bestwick
and Robert Bestwick
. The Smart brothers Jack and Cyril also played for Warwickshire in this match.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/f/9/f9965.html.
After retirement, Quaife became a cricket bat manufacturer.
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
on 17 March 1872 and died at Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, on 13 October 1951, was a cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
, 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...
and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
.
A diminutive right-handed batsman with a strong defence, Quaife played one match for Sussex before moving, with his older brother Walter, to Warwickshire in 1894. He made a century on his debut and, 35 years later at the age of 56, made another on his last appearance for the county in 1928. In between, he scored more than 36,000 runs with a further 70 centuries and, for good measure, took 900 wickets with leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
bowling that, early in his career, was suspected to be illegal. He passed the 1,000 run mark in 25 seasons and was the leading batsman as Warwickshire won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
for the first time in 1911. His career total of 36,012 runs puts him 36th on the all-time list of run-getters.
Quaife made only seven Test match
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...
appearances, starting with two matches against the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1899, and then featuring in all five games on the 1901-02 tour to Australia under Archie MacLaren. He met with little success, except at Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, where he scored 68 and 44 in the third Test.
Quaife also played for W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
's London County
London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
team and spent the winter of 1912-13 playing for Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1902.
In his playing career, Quaife was usually listed as "W.G.Quaife" and Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
lists him as "William George Quaife" in its obituary in 1952. The middle initial (or name) appears, however, to have been acquired merely to differentiate him from his brother, Walter, who was eight years his senior and an established Sussex cricketer before moving with William to Warwickshire, where he played until 1901.
Quaife played with his son Bernard
Bernard Quaife
Bernard William Quaife was an English cricketer who played more than 300 first-class matches between the wars. He played first for Warwickshire, but later found much more success at Worcestershire, where he became the usual wicket-keeper...
twenty times in first-class matches. On one occasion, for Warwickshire against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
at Derby in 1922, the Quaifes played against the father-son combination of Billy Bestwick
Billy Bestwick
William Bestwick was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1898 and 1926. He was a demon medium-fast bowler who took over 1400 wickets for the county, including 10 in one innings...
and Robert Bestwick
Robert Bestwick
Robert Saxton Bestwick was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1920 and 1922....
. The Smart brothers Jack and Cyril also played for Warwickshire in this match.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/f/9/f9965.html.
After retirement, Quaife became a cricket bat manufacturer.