Ralph Oliver Prouton (1 March 1926 –12 September 2018) was an English first-class cricketer and footballer.
Prouton was born at Southampton in March 1926. He was recommended to Arsenal by their former captain Tom Parker. [1] Though he did not feature for Arsenal's first team,he did play 45 times for their 'A' team and twelve times for their reserves between 1949 and 1952,playing as a left-sided wing half. [1] Alongside his football career with Arsenal,in the summer Prouton played cricket. He made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Leicestershire at Southampton in the 1949 County Championship. It would be another two years before his next appearance for Hampshire,which came in 1951 against Oxford University. [2] Prouton was one of a number of candidates to replace Hampshire's recently retired wicket-keeper Neil McCorkell. [3] In 1952,he missed only three matches all season,playing in 26. This number reduced in 1953,when he made seventeen appearances,before making just three appearances in 1954. [2] After 1954,Leo Harrison established himself as first choice wicket-keeper. Prouton made 52 first-class appearances for Hampshire,scoring 982 runs at an average of 14.44. As wicket-keeper,he took 84 catches and made thirteen stumpings. [4] His highest first-class score of 90 was made against Leicestershire at Portsmouth in 1953. [5] Having found opportunities at Arsenal lacking,Prouton was signed by Swindon Town in July 1952,with the club signing him during the middle of a County Championship match against Sussex at Portsmouth. [1] He made sixteen first team appearances for Swindon Town during the 1952–53 season,including two appearances in the FA Cup. In the summer of 1953,he signed for Bath City and played for their reserves for a number of seasons. [1]
Prouton later taught for many years at Downside School in Somerset. [1] He maintained an association with county cricket by standing as an umpire in minor counties cricket,adjudicating in 56 matches in the Minor Counties Championship between 1957 and 1969. [6] Prouton died at Bath in September 2018. [3]
John Arnold was an English professional cricketer and footballer. He played both sports at international level,earning a single Test cap for the England cricket team in 1931 against New Zealand,whilst also earning a single cap for the England national football team against Scotland in 1933. He is one of only twelve male professional football and cricket players for England. He played both sports extensively at domestic level,making over 400 appearances in first-class cricket,predominantly for Hampshire,where as a mostly opening batsman he made over 21,000 runs. In football,he played as an outside left for Oxford City,Southampton and Fulham,making over 300 professional appearances and scoring over 100 goals. Following the end of his cricket career,he became a first-class umpire between 1961 and 1972.
Henry Horton was an English sportsman who played both association football and cricket. As a footballer,Horton played as a wing-half,beginning his career at Worcester City. He then played in the Football League for Blackburn in 1946,before joining Southampton as their record transfer in 1951. He would later play for Bradford Park Avenue,before ending his career with Hereford United. As a first-class cricketer,he began his career as an amateur at Worcestershire,playing a few matches without success. He would later play over 400 first-class matches as a professional for Hampshire,scoring over 21,500 runs. After the end of his playing career,he had two spells as coach of Worcestershire,and stood as a first-class umpire.
Richard Alexander Bennett was an English first-class cricketer,who made 37 appearances in first-class cricket from 1896 to 1903. He led his own personal cricket team on a tour of the West Indies in early 1902,as well as playing county cricket for Hampshire. Militarily active,he served in the First World War with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.
Robert James Parks is a former English first-class cricketer who played predominantly for as a wicket-keeper for Hampshire. In a playing career for Hampshire which spanned from 1980 to 1992,Parks took exactly 700 dismissals in first-class cricket,which as of 2024 makes him the most successful wicket-keeper in Hampshire's history. He later briefly played for Kent in 1993,before holding numerous coaching roles at Hampshire.
James Stone was an English first-class cricketer and umpire. A batsman and wicket-keeper,he played for Hampshire and Glamorgan between 1900 and 1923,making over 300 first-class appearances,in which he scored over 10,000 runs and claimed over 400 dismissals as a wicket-keeper. He later stood as an umpire in nearly 240 matches between 1912 and 1934.
Oswald William"Lofty" Herman was an English first-class cricketer and cricket umpire. Herman played county cricket either side of the Second World War for Hampshire,taking over 1,000 wickets as a right-arm fast-medium and later off break bowler,whilst also scoring over 4,000 runs. He later became an umpire,standing in over 200 first-class and 50 List A one-day matches.
Duncan Victor Norbury was an English sportsman who played football and first-class cricket. In football,Norbury most notably played in the Southern Football League for Southampton. His first-class cricket career had a greater longevity,with Norbury playing eitherside of the First World War for Hampshire and Lancashire. He had a prominent career as a professional cricketer in the North West of England playing in the Lancashire League,mostly with East Lancashire Cricket Club.
William Lloyd Budd was an English first-class cricketer and international cricket umpire. Budd initially played first-class cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club between 1934 and 1938,and briefly following the Second World War. He later became an umpire,standing in four Test matches and twelve One Day Internationals from 1976 to 1979.
Leo Harrison was an English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire from 1939 to 1966. Making his debut in the County Championship before the Second World War,Harrison played initially as a batsman and reserve wicket-keeper to Neil McCorkell,an arrangement which continued until McCorkell's retirement in 1951,and Hampshire's brief experiment with Ralph Prouton as first-choice wicket-keeper,after which Harrison assumed the role of first-choice wicket-keeper after 1953. He played 387 first-class appearances for Hampshire,out of a total of 396 career first-class matches,and was a member of Hampshire's 1961 County Championship winning team.
Michael John Bailey is an English former cricketer.
Lawrence 'Larry' Roosevelt Worrell is a Barbadian-born English former first-class cricketer.
Arthur Edwards Kimish was an English first-class cricketer.
George Ubsdell was an English first-class cricketer and umpire.
Frederick George Willoughby was a Scottish-born English first-class cricketer.
Steven John Malone is an English former first-class cricketer and cricket umpire. A journeyman county cricketer,he played at first-class level for Essex,Hampshire,and Glamorgan. He played predominantly for Hampshire as a right-arm fast-medium bowler,taking 103 wickets from 46 first-class matches and 99 wickets from 65 matches List A one-day matches. After the end of his first-class career,he played Minor Counties Cricket and later became a first-class umpire.
Edward Tolfree was an English first-class cricketer.
Malcolm Brewster Heath was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Hampshire from 1954 to 1962. Playing in over 140 first-class matches as a fast-medium bowler,Heath partnered opening bowler Derek Shackleton early in his career,before being utilised as a first-change bowler upon the arrival of Butch White. He was a member of the Hampshire team which won the County Championship for the first time in 1961. He took 527 wickets for Hampshire,before a hip-injury led to the end of his career in 1962. He later became a coach at St Paul's School,London.
David Aubrey Steele was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Hampshire from 1886 to 1906,covering both their period as a second-class county and their readmittance to first-class cricket in 1894,in which they played in the County Championship from 1895. A bowling all-rounder,he took 135 wickets and scored over 3,400 runs from 164 first-class appearances.
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1894 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for twenty three years. Derbyshire's matches were re-accorded first class status in this season but they did not start to take part in the County Championship until the following season.
George Davenport was an English first-class cricketer made 27 appearances in first-class cricket. He was mostly for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC),with whom he was employed as a groundsman at their Lord's home.