Arthur Dolphin
Encyclopedia
Arthur Dolphin was an English
first-class cricket
er, who kept wicket
for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
between 1905
and 1927
. He is part of a tradition of Yorkshire wicket-keeper
s, stretching from Ned Stephenson, George Pinder
, Joe Hunter and David Hunter
before him, to Arthur Wood, Jimmy Binks
, David Bairstow
plus Richard Blakey
to the present day. The successor to David Hunter as Yorkshire's wicket-keeper he served to the county for twenty two years.
He also played first-class cricket
for the MCC
.
, Bingley
, Yorkshire
, England
, and became the first Bradford League
player chosen to represent Yorkshire. Dolphin was 14 years old when he first played for Wilsden
Britannia, and 19 when he made his county debut in 1905. After playing for the Yorkshire Second XI, he took over as Yorkshire's first choice wicket keeper in 1910, and retained his position for seventeen years.
He served in World War I
alongside his county colleagues, Roy Kilner
and Major Booth
, with the Leeds Pals
but returned to Yorkshire's ranks in 1919, and enjoyed his most successful season with the gloves claiming 82 dismissals in the first post-war summer. Dolphin could defend with the bat when needed, as exemplified by his vigil against Essex
at Leyton in 1919. He scored 62 not out, and with E. Smith put on 103 for the last wicket, so saving their side from following-on when Yorkshire were in danger of doing so. He had previous form against Essex in 1914, going into bat as the nightwatchman
, he added 124 for the second wicket with Benjamin Wilson
. His one Test match
came in 1920-21 in the Fourth Test against Australia
.
He was remarkably consistent once he had won his first team place, but when he was injured it came about in unusual circumstances. Playing against Middlesex
at Lord's
, he fell off a chair in the dressing-room as he reached for his clothes and broke his wrist, missing the remainder of the summer. His benefit match in 1922 against Kent
at Headingley
, Leeds
raised £1,891 and he hit the winning runs, after scoring 20 of the 24 required to win, to secure victory by ten wickets. He suffered from sciatica
in the latter part of his career, and he played his last match for Yorkshire in 1927.
Herbert Sutcliffe
observed Dolphin and wrote: "His quick brain and exceptionally keen eyesight were responsible for disposing of large numbers of batsmen from chances which many keepers would have missed without even affecting their reputations". Nearly a third of Dolphin's dismissals were stumpings.
After retiring as a player, Dolphin became an umpire
for a decade and officiated in six Tests.
Dolphin died in Lilycroft, Heaton, Bradford
, Yorkshire, at the age of 56 in October 1942.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
er, who kept wicket
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
between 1905
1905 English cricket season
Yorkshire pipped defending champions Lancashire to the County Championship title in the 1905 English cricket season, which also included a tour by the Australian cricket team...
and 1927
1927 English cricket season
Five years before Bodyline, top of the averages in the 1927 English cricket season were Douglas Jardine and Harold Larwood. The season is notable for being the last one to date in which there was no Test series, apart from the years of World War II and 1970 .-Honours:*County...
. He is part of a tradition of Yorkshire wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
s, stretching from Ned Stephenson, George Pinder
George Pinder (cricketer)
George Pinder was an English first-class cricketer.His birth name was George Pinder Hattersley and he was born in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. A wicket-keeper, he played for Yorkshire from 1867 to 1880, and for the All-England Eleven from 1867 to 1871...
, Joe Hunter and David Hunter
David Hunter (cricketer)
David Hunter was part of a lineage of Yorkshire County Cricket Club wicket-keepers, stretching on through Arthur Dolphin to Arthur Wood, Jimmy Binks and David Bairstow...
before him, to Arthur Wood, Jimmy Binks
Jimmy Binks
James Graham "Jimmy" Binks is a former English cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper for Yorkshire. Although he was regarded by many as the best wicket-keeper of his generation, his limited batting ability restricted him to just two Test match appearances for England, both on the 1963-64 tour to...
, David Bairstow
David Bairstow
David Leslie Bairstow was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England as a wicket-keeper. He also played football for his hometown club Bradford City.-Early life and education:...
plus Richard Blakey
Richard Blakey
Richard John Blakey is a former English cricketer who played in two Tests and three ODIs from 1992 to 1993.-Life and career:...
to the present day. The successor to David Hunter as Yorkshire's wicket-keeper he served to the county for twenty two years.
He also played 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...
for the MCC
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...
.
Career
Dolphin was born in WilsdenWilsden
Wilsden is a village and civil parish to the west of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. Wilsden is close to the Aire Valley and the nearby villages of Cullingworth, Harden, Cottingley and Allerton. Wilsden re-acquired civil parish status in 2004...
, Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and became the first Bradford League
Bradford League
The Bradford League was a football competition based in England. It sat at level 14 of the English football league system. The league was a feeder to the West Riding County Amateur Football League - in 2006 Dudley Hill Athletic made the step up to the higher level. It was sponsored by the local...
player chosen to represent Yorkshire. Dolphin was 14 years old when he first played for Wilsden
Wilsden
Wilsden is a village and civil parish to the west of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. Wilsden is close to the Aire Valley and the nearby villages of Cullingworth, Harden, Cottingley and Allerton. Wilsden re-acquired civil parish status in 2004...
Britannia, and 19 when he made his county debut in 1905. After playing for the Yorkshire Second XI, he took over as Yorkshire's first choice wicket keeper in 1910, and retained his position for seventeen years.
He served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
alongside his county colleagues, Roy Kilner
Roy Kilner
Roy Kilner was an English professional cricketer who played nine Test matches for England between 1924 and 1926. An all-rounder, he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1927. In all first-class matches, he scored 14,707 runs at an average of 30.01 and took 1,003 wickets at an...
and Major Booth
Major Booth
This page is about an English Cricketer. For other persons named William Booth, see William Booth .Major William Booth was a cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1908 and 1914, a season in which he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the...
, with the Leeds Pals
Leeds Pals
The Leeds Pals were a First World War Pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in the West Yorkshire city of Leeds. When the battalion was taken over by the British Army it was officially named the 15th Battalion , The Prince of Wales's Own .The battalion was formed in September 1914 and...
but returned to Yorkshire's ranks in 1919, and enjoyed his most successful season with the gloves claiming 82 dismissals in the first post-war summer. Dolphin could defend with the bat when needed, as exemplified by his vigil against Essex
Essex 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...
at Leyton in 1919. He scored 62 not out, and with E. Smith put on 103 for the last wicket, so saving their side from following-on when Yorkshire were in danger of doing so. He had previous form against Essex in 1914, going into bat as the nightwatchman
Nightwatchman (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play...
, he added 124 for the second wicket with Benjamin Wilson
Benjamin Wilson (cricketer)
Benjamin Birdsall Wilson was an English first-class cricketer, who played 185 games for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1906 and 1914....
. His one 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...
came in 1920-21 in the Fourth Test against Australia
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...
.
He was remarkably consistent once he had won his first team place, but when he was injured it came about in unusual circumstances. Playing against Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
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...
, he fell off a chair in the dressing-room as he reached for his clothes and broke his wrist, missing the remainder of the summer. His benefit match in 1922 against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
raised £1,891 and he hit the winning runs, after scoring 20 of the 24 required to win, to secure victory by ten wickets. He suffered from sciatica
Sciatica
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, or...
in the latter part of his career, and he played his last match for Yorkshire in 1927.
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
observed Dolphin and wrote: "His quick brain and exceptionally keen eyesight were responsible for disposing of large numbers of batsmen from chances which many keepers would have missed without even affecting their reputations". Nearly a third of Dolphin's dismissals were stumpings.
After retiring as a player, Dolphin became an umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
for a decade and officiated in six Tests.
Dolphin died in Lilycroft, Heaton, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire, at the age of 56 in October 1942.