William Gilbert Grace was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He was nominally amateur as a cricketer,but he is said to have made more money from his cricketing activities than any professional cricketer. He was an extremely competitive player and,although he was one of the most famous men in England,he was also one of the most controversial on account of his gamesmanship and moneymaking.
1876 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Edward William Bastard was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Somerset. Bastard was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler,described in his Wisden obituary as Somerset's best bowler during his time with the club. Bastard was also part of the Oxford team often said to be the university's best ever.
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870,Gloucestershire has always been first-class and has played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club played its first senior match in 1870 and W. G. Grace was their captain. The club plays home games at the Bristol County Ground in the Bishopston area of north Bristol. A number of games are also played at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival at the College Ground,Cheltenham and matches have also been played at the Gloucester cricket festival at The King's School,Gloucester.
Samuel Moses James Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket,and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union,including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey. At cricket—his primary sport—he played over four hundred first-class matches in a twenty-four-year career. The majority of these matches were for his county side,Somerset,whom he captained from 1894 to 1906. A. A. Thomson described him thus:"Sammy ... radiated such elemental force in hard hitting,fast bowling and electrical fielding that he might have been the forerunner of Sir Learie Constantine."
Douglas Ward Carr was an English amateur cricketer who played once for the England cricket team in 1909. Carr only began playing first-class cricket in 1909 aged 37 for Kent County Cricket Club. A leg-break bowler who was one of the early proponents of the new googly delivery,he shot to fame in 1909 and enjoyed a short career in the years before the First World War. He was named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year in 1910.
Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet was an English amateur cricketer who played for Somerset and Oxford University. A graceful right-handed batsman,he was selected to play Test cricket for England twice in 1902. Contemporaries judged Palairet to have one of the most attractive batting styles of the period. His obituary in The Times described him as "the most beautiful batsman of all time". An unwillingness to tour during the English winter limited Palairet's Test appearances;contemporaries believed he deserved more Test caps.
Jeremy William Lloyds was an English cricket player and umpire. A left-handed batsman and right-arm off break bowler,he played for Somerset,Orange Free State and Gloucestershire before his retirement in 1991. Lloyds made his umpiring debut in 1996 and graduated to county cricket in 1998 and international games in 2000.
Variations in published cricket statistics have come about because there is no official view of the status of cricket matches played in Great Britain prior to 1895 or in the rest of the world prior to 1947. As a result,historians and statisticians have compiled differing lists of matches that they recognise as (unofficially) first-class. The problem is significant where it touches on some of the sport's first-class records,especially in regards to the playing career of W. G. Grace.
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricketer who represented,and captained,Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. During a 14-year first-class cricket career,he also represented Cambridge University,Middlesex and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Edward Sainsbury was an English cricketer who represented,and captained,Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. During a 10-year first-class cricket career,he also represented Gloucestershire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
James Arthur Bush was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and represented England at rugby union.
Edward Keith Scott was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket and represented the England national rugby union team.
Beaumont Cranfield was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) between 1897 and 1908. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler,Cranfield took 621 wickets in first-class cricket,and took 100 or more wickets in a season in three successive years at his peak.
Alfred Henry Evans was an English first-class cricketer and educator. Considered one of the best fast bowlers in England at the time,Evans played in 44 first-class matches between 1878 and 1885,taking over 200 wickets. He would later became a schoolmaster at Winchester College and would found Horris Hill School in 1882,where he was headmaster until 1920.
Roger Walker was a rugby union forward who played club rugby for Manchester Rugby Club and international rugby for England. Walker later became the President of the Rugby Football Union,and in that role accompanied the British Isles team on their 1896 tour of South Africa.
Francis William Ramsbottom Isherwood was an English sportsman who played international rugby union for England and first-class cricket.
The 1885 season was an annus horribilis for Somerset County Cricket Club. Captained by Ted Sainsbury,who had taken over from Stephen Newton,captain for the previous three seasons,they played six first-class cricket matches. Somerset's only win of the season came in their first match;all the other were lost. Two of the losses,those away against Gloucestershire and Surrey,number among the county's ten heaviest defeats. Somerset were unable to field a full team for their fourth match,which coupled with their poor results and lack of fixtures resulted in the club being stripped of its first-class status at the end of the season.
Howard Fowler was an English sportsman who played international rugby union for England and first-class cricket.
