Bernard Quaife
Encyclopedia
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 (unlike at his original county) he became the usual wicket-keeper
. He was the son of England Test
player Willie Quaife
.
Quaife made his first-class debut for Warwickshire against Somerset
at Bath in June 1920; he scored 11 and 20.
He played off and on for the next couple of years, though made no significant scores. One remarkable incident occurred in 1922, when Warwickshire played Derbyshire
: Billy Bestwick
and his son Robert
bowled for Derbyshire against Willie Quaife and his son Bernard.
He had a better year in 1923, playing regularly and almost making a maiden hundred against Northamptonshire
: he was 99 not out
in the first innings when he ran out of partners.
He also took the first of his small haul of wickets when he dismissed Worcestershire's William Fox
in late May.
However, this season was to be a one-off: the 704 runs he made easily exceeded the aggregate from his other six summers at Edgbaston
, and after 1926 he left Warwickshire.
Quaife played not at all in 1927, making his Worcestershire debut the following June against Sussex
and hitting 77 not out in the first innings.
He ended the year with over 900 first-class runs at a little under 26
, including his long-awaited first century: 136 not out versus Glamorgan
at the start of August.
Quaife captained Worcestershire for the first time in this game, as he was to do frequently later in his career. He was not at this point the regular wicket-keeper. That position did not fall to him until 1929, there then being no keeper already in the side,
though he did stand in two other matches in 1928.
From 1929 until the end of his career in 1937, Quaife was a regular in the Worcestershire side. His batting, said his Wisden
obituarist, was "solid and consistent rather than brilliant",
but he still managed to pass a thousand runs for the season on two occasions, in 1933 and 1935, and to score two further hundreds. He made 107 against Middlesex
in 1931, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 277 with Harold Gibbons
(183);
this remains the record Worcestershire partnership against Middlesex for any wicket.
He also struck 109 versus Leicestershire
in 1935.
By 1937, Syd Buller
had taken over behind the stumps for Worcestershire, and Quaife was coming under pressure from other, younger players. He retired at the end of the season, although he acted as captain for a large number of games in the absence through illness of usual captain Charles Lyttelton
for most of the summer.
Apart from his Test-playing father, Quaife had one other notable cricketing relative: his uncle, Walter Quaife
, played over 200 first-class games, mainly for Sussex and Warwickshire, between 1884 and 1901.
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...
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 more than 300 first-class
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...
matches between the wars
Between the Wars
Between the Wars is the thirteenth studio album by Al Stewart, recorded with Laurence Juber. Its major theme is of the period 1918 to 1939 - "Between the Wars"...
. He played first for 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...
, but later found much more success at Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
, where (unlike at his original county) he became the usual 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...
. He was the son of England Test
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...
player Willie Quaife
Willie Quaife
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....
.
Quaife made his first-class debut for Warwickshire against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
at Bath in June 1920; he scored 11 and 20.
He played off and on for the next couple of years, though made no significant scores. One remarkable incident occurred in 1922, when Warwickshire played 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...
: 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 his son Robert
Robert Bestwick
Robert Saxton Bestwick was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1920 and 1922....
bowled for Derbyshire against Willie Quaife and his son Bernard.
He had a better year in 1923, playing regularly and almost making a maiden hundred against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
: he was 99 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
in the first innings when he ran out of partners.
He also took the first of his small haul of wickets when he dismissed Worcestershire's William Fox
William Victor Fox
William Victor Fox was an English sportsman who played both cricket and football to a high level.-Cricket:...
in late May.
However, this season was to be a one-off: the 704 runs he made easily exceeded the aggregate from his other six summers at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, and after 1926 he left Warwickshire.
Quaife played not at all in 1927, making his Worcestershire debut the following June against 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...
and hitting 77 not out in the first innings.
He ended the year with over 900 first-class runs at a little under 26
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, including his long-awaited first century: 136 not out versus Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
at the start of August.
Quaife captained Worcestershire for the first time in this game, as he was to do frequently later in his career. He was not at this point the regular wicket-keeper. That position did not fall to him until 1929, there then being no keeper already in the side,
though he did stand in two other matches in 1928.
From 1929 until the end of his career in 1937, Quaife was a regular in the Worcestershire side. His batting, said his Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
obituarist, was "solid and consistent rather than brilliant",
but he still managed to pass a thousand runs for the season on two occasions, in 1933 and 1935, and to score two further hundreds. He made 107 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in 1931, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 277 with Harold Gibbons
Harold Gibbons (cricketer)
Harold Harry Ian Haywood Gibbons , sometimes known as "Doc" Gibbons, was an English cricketer: a right-handed opening batsman and occasional right-arm bowler who was the first man to win a county cap for Worcestershire, as well as a reliable fielder in the deep.Gibbons made his first-class debut...
(183);
this remains the record Worcestershire partnership against Middlesex for any wicket.
He also struck 109 versus Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
in 1935.
By 1937, Syd Buller
Syd Buller
John Sydney Buller, MBE was an English first-class cricketer, and notable international cricket umpire....
had taken over behind the stumps for Worcestershire, and Quaife was coming under pressure from other, younger players. He retired at the end of the season, although he acted as captain for a large number of games in the absence through illness of usual captain Charles Lyttelton
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC was the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer.-Early life and family:...
for most of the summer.
Apart from his Test-playing father, Quaife had one other notable cricketing relative: his uncle, Walter Quaife
Walter Quaife
Walter Quaife was an English cricketer who made 224 appearances for Sussex and Warwickshire between 1884 and 1901. He scored 8,536 runs at 22.88, including ten centuries.-External links:...
, played over 200 first-class games, mainly for Sussex and Warwickshire, between 1884 and 1901.