Cricket legend in the Black Country
ONE of the most famous players in the history of cricket was W.G. Grace. The all-rounder drew crowds in their thousands wherever he played and he was one of Britain’s biggest celebrities of his day.
Our picture shows the great man on a visit to the Black Country. Over two days, July 21-22, 1911, Grace played in a special match at Wolverhampton Cricket Club’s Danescourt Road ground in Tettenhall.
Sitting at the front are, from left, are: H. Hextall, F.W. Page, W.W. Odell and W.J. Beadows.
Sitting on the middle row are: P. Healing, A.C. Finnis, Rev E.M. Baker, H.D. Stratton, W.G. Grace, G.L. Jessop, Sir Cecil Moon and C.P. Blewitt.
Standing at the back are: unknown umpire, P.S. Bayliss, J.A. Healing, W.C. Hands, A.B. Crawford, Grimshaw, Charlesworth, Alleston, C.B. Grace, Dennet, W.J. Hodgkinson, and Datton the umpire.
The match was between G.L. Jessop’s XI and H.D. Stratton’s XI, with Jessop winning the match. Stratton was Wolverhampton Cricket Club’s captain from 1882 to 1911, so the match may have been to celebrate his retirement.
Wickets
Grace, then aged 63, did not score highly in either of his innings but he did take two wickets in the match.
Grace was born in 1848 and played first class cricket for 44 seasons, from 1865 to 1908. In that time he captained England, Gloucestershire, the Gentlemen, Marylebone Cricket Club, and the United South of England Eleven. A pioneer of the modern game, skilled at batting, bowling and fielding, he continued playing minor cricket until he was 66 and passed away, aged 67, in 1915.