Dominions cricket team
Encyclopedia
A Dominions cricket team, representing the Dominion
s of the British Empire
, played seven cricket matches, all in England during wartime. Only once did the team play at first-class
level, when it played against England
at Lord's
in late August 1945. This was the seventh match of first-class status to be played in England since 1939.
All but two of the England team either already had, or would later gain, Test
caps, and the other two (Eddie Phillipson
and Jack Davies
) would play over 150 first-class matches apiece, but the Dominions side was far more uneven in this regard. Such luminaries as Learie Constantine
(captaining the team in his final first-class match) and Keith Miller
rubbed shoulders with the likes of Hartley Craig
for whom this was his only first-class game.
The Dominions won the toss and batted, and Donnelly
's 133 helped them to 307 all out; Wright took 5–90. England's reply started badly as they fell to 96/6, but a stand of 177 between captain Hammond
(121) and Edrich
(78) saw them to 287. In their second innings, the Dominions' total of 336 was massively helped by Miller
's 185; Wright
claimed 5–105. Chasing 357 to win, 102 from Hammond and 56 from Davies
were not enough and they were dismissed for 311; the Dominions thus won by 45 runs
.
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
s of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, played seven cricket matches, all in England during wartime. Only once did the team play at 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...
level, when it played against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
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...
in late August 1945. This was the seventh match of first-class status to be played in England since 1939.
All but two of the England team either already had, or would later gain, 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...
caps, and the other two (Eddie Phillipson
Eddie Phillipson
William Edward Phillipson was an English first class cricketer who was born in Cheshire. He played for Lancashire for 15 years before becoming a Test cricket umpire.-External links:*...
and Jack Davies
Jack Davies (cricketer)
Jack Gale Wilmot Davies was an English cricketer, rugby union player and psychologist....
) would play over 150 first-class matches apiece, but the Dominions side was far more uneven in this regard. Such luminaries as Learie Constantine
Learie Constantine
Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine MBE was a West Indian cricketer who played 18 Test matches before the Second World War. He took West Indies' first wicket in Test cricket and was the team's leading all-rounder and opening bowler for the entirety of his career...
(captaining the team in his final first-class match) and Keith Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
rubbed shoulders with the likes of Hartley Craig
Hartley Craig
Hartley Samuel Craig is a former Australian cricketer, born in Prospect, Adelaide.Craig played a number of minor matches in 1945 for the Royal Australian Air Force cricket team, but his only first-class appearance came at the end of that summer when he played for the Dominions against England at...
for whom this was his only first-class game.
The Dominions won the toss and batted, and Donnelly
Martin Donnelly (cricketer)
Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...
's 133 helped them to 307 all out; Wright took 5–90. England's reply started badly as they fell to 96/6, but a stand of 177 between captain Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
(121) and Edrich
Bill Edrich
William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
(78) saw them to 287. In their second innings, the Dominions' total of 336 was massively helped by Miller
Keith Miller
Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
's 185; Wright
Doug Wright (cricketer)
Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...
claimed 5–105. Chasing 357 to win, 102 from Hammond and 56 from Davies
Jack Davies (cricketer)
Jack Gale Wilmot Davies was an English cricketer, rugby union player and psychologist....
were not enough and they were dismissed for 311; the Dominions thus won by 45 runs
The result in cricket
The result in a game of cricket may be a win for one of the two teams playing, a draw or a tie. In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with no result...
.
England team
- Jack RobertsonJack RobertsonJack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....
- Laurie FishlockLaurie FishlockLaurence Barnard "Laurie" Fishlock was an English cricketer, who played in four Tests from 1936 to 1947. A specialist batsman, he achieved little in those four matches, but might have had a much more substantial Test career, had he not lost six of what should have been his best years to World War...
- James Langridge
- Eddie PhillipsonEddie PhillipsonWilliam Edward Phillipson was an English first class cricketer who was born in Cheshire. He played for Lancashire for 15 years before becoming a Test cricket umpire.-External links:*...
- Billy Griffith (wicket-keeperWicket-keeperThe 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...
) - Wally HammondWally HammondWalter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
(captain) - Harold GimblettHarold GimblettHarold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
- Bill EdrichBill EdrichWilliam John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
- Jack DaviesJack Davies (cricketer)Jack Gale Wilmot Davies was an English cricketer, rugby union player and psychologist....
- Doug WrightDoug Wright (cricketer)Douglas Vivian Parson Wright, better known as Doug Wright was an English cricketer. A leg-spinner for Kent and England from 1932 to 1957 he took a record seven hat-tricks in first class cricket. He played for Kent for 25 years and was their first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956...
- Eric HolliesEric HolliesWilliam Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...
Dominions team
- Hartley CraigHartley CraigHartley Samuel Craig is a former Australian cricketer, born in Prospect, Adelaide.Craig played a number of minor matches in 1945 for the Royal Australian Air Force cricket team, but his only first-class appearance came at the end of that summer when he played for the Dominions against England at...
(
) - Desmond FellDesmond FellDesmond Robert Fell was a South African cricketer who played first-class cricket in for Natal either side of the Second World War, later becoming an umpire...
(
) - Jack PettifordJack PettifordJohn "Jack" Pettiford was an Australian cricketer. He played over 200 first-class matches, mostly for Kent and New South Wales. In the 1949 and 1950 seasons he was the professional for Nelson Cricket Club in the Lancashire League.-References:...
( ) - Keith MillerKeith MillerKeith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...
( ) - Martin DonnellyMartin Donnelly (cricketer)Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...
(
) - Learie ConstantineLearie ConstantineLearie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine MBE was a West Indian cricketer who played 18 Test matches before the Second World War. He took West Indies' first wicket in Test cricket and was the team's leading all-rounder and opening bowler for the entirety of his career...
(
) (captain) - Cec PepperCec PepperCecil George Pepper was an Australian first-class cricketer. An allrounder, he was the first to complete the double twice in the Central Lancashire League. With the bat he once hit 38 runs off an eight ball over....
( ) - Bob CristofaniBob CristofaniDesmond Robert Cristofani, known as Bob Cristofani , was an Australian cricketer who played 18 first-class matches in the 1940s. 14 of those games were for the Australian Services, three for New South Wales and one for the Dominions.His best performances were both for the Australian Services side...
( ) - Graham WilliamsGraham Williams (cricketer)Graham Geoffrey Williams is an English cricketer. Williams played as a right-handed batsman and was a right-arm medium-pace bowler...
( ) - Reginald Ellis ( )
- Colin Bremner ( ) (wicket-keeper)