E. W. Bastard
Encyclopedia
Edward William Bastard (28 February 1862 – 2 April 1901) was an English 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.
His first-class career was confined to his university years, when he appeared for both Oxford and Somerset. Close to the top of the bowling averages
for both teams in each season, his 62 first-class wickets in 1885 placed him among the 20 most prolific wicket-takers in the country. Somerset's temporary loss of first-class status in 1885 brought a premature end to Bastard's first-class career when he was 23. Although he continued to play for the side in second-class cricket until 1889, by the time Somerset resumed first-class cricket in 1891, Bastard had lost his place following the emergence of Sammy Woods
and the acquisitions of Ted Tyler
and George Nichols
. He died at the age of 39 while engaged in scholastic work in Taunton.
, the second son of Henry Horlock Bastard. He was educated at Sherborne School
, and played for the school cricket team. Although he was later known as a bowler, Bastard occasionally opened the batting for the school, as he did against Clifton College
in 1881. During his time at Sherborne, he also played some games for Dorset
.
. He claimed one wicket during the match, in which the university lost by an innings. Bastard appeared three times in first-class cricket for the university in 1883, and according to Geoffrey Bolton, author of History of the O.U.C.C, "was lucky to be chosen this year" to play in the University match
against Cambridge University
. Bastard was wicketless against Lancashire
, and although he took three wickets in each innings against the MCC, John Foord-Kelcey took more wickets at a better average
. Nevertheless, Bastard was preferred for the contest against Cambridge, thus gaining his Blue. Bastard claimed a wicket in each innings of the match, which Cambridge won by seven wickets. Bolton attributes the loss to a combination of the weather and Oxford's loss of the toss, which resulted in Cambridge batting first on a good batting pitch. Rain followed, and when Oxford batted, the pitch was described by Bolton as "really nasty".
During the university's summer break, Bastard made his debut for Somerset
. His first match for the county was against the MCC in late July. He appeared six further times in 1883, against county opposition, and in all matches that season, collected 52 first-class wickets at an average of 30.20. In 1883, he also made his highest first-class score, making 47 runs during Somerset's second innings against Hampshire. He came into bat with the score at 86 runs for the loss of seven wickets, and was the last wicket to fall, by which time Somerset had moved to 181, and Bastard had shared a tenth wicket partnership of 74 with Arnold Fothergill
. Even so, Somerset lost the match by seven wickets.
Bastard played in all eight of Oxford University's first-class matches in 1884 as part of the team which was described by Altham
and Swanton
as a remarkable side, and one of Oxford's best ever. The university won seven of the matches, and narrowly lost the other. During the opening match, against the Australians, Bastard was wicketless in the first innings, but took five second innings wickets, his maiden first-class five-wicket haul. Among his wickets was the tourists captain Billy Murdoch
, who later that summer scored 211 runs against England in the third Test
. Bolton wrote that against the Australians, "Bastard had bowled supremely well," and the performance was Bastard's best for the university during 1884; he collected his wickets steadily and finished as Oxford's second most prolific wicket-taker. He claimed 34 wickets for the side, second only to the 53 taken by Hugh Whitby, although his average of 17.00 ranked him fifth among the bowlers. In the University match that year, he claimed three wickets in each innings. Batting in Oxford's first innings, he and Benjamin Nicholls quickly scored 52 runs, and then bowling in Cambridge's second innings, he and Whitby claimed their opponent's final six wickets for just 17 runs.
He returned to play for Somerset during the summer break once again in 1884, playing four matches for the county, during which he claimed 24 wickets: more than double that of the next most prolific Somerset bowler, Charles Winter
. His best performance came against Hampshire
, against whom he claimed six second innings wickets to help Somerset to their only victory of the season.
The following season, Bastard returned to play for Oxford University, along with most of the successful team of the previous year. Despite the availability of almost the same squad, Oxford did not win a single match during 1885. Four of the university's bowlers, Edward Buckland
, Herbert Page, Nicholls, and Whitby had an average in excess of 24 in 1885, having averaged below 21 the previous season. The team came to rely upon the bowling of Bastard and Alfred Cochrane
, both slow left-arm bowlers. Bastard began the season with a five-wicket haul in the first innings against the MCC, which he followed up with three more wickets in the second. He improved upon this performance in the next match, taking five wickets in each innings against Lancashire to complete his maiden ten-wicket haul in a first-class match, although the northern county won by 50 runs. He was less effective in later matches, claiming four wickets in an innings twice, but more often going wicketless. In the University match, Bastard's last, Oxford were bowled out on the first day for 136, and Cambridge opened a first innings lead of 151; Bastard claimed a solitary wicket from 38.3 overs. Oxford recovered in the second innings and scored 239, of which Bastard contributed 12 runs, leaving Cambridge requiring 89 runs to win, with over a day's play remaining. According to Bolton, Bastard "bowled with great skill on the last morning", and claimed three Cambridge wickets, but was not supported by his fellow bowlers, and Cambridge achieved victory before lunch on the final day.
Bastard was Somerset's leading wicket-taker again in 1885, claiming 25 wickets. In his first match for the county that summer, he recorded his second ten-wicket match. Facing Hampshire in Taunton, Bastard claimed eight wickets in the first innings, and a further three in the second as Somerset recorded their only win of the year. His next match for the county was also against Hampshire, this time in Southampton. Somerset could only field nine men in the fixture, and after batting first reached 117. In the Hampshire response, a contemporary match report recorded that Bastard "did a capital performance in the first innings of Hants, taking eight of the ten wickets at a cost of only 59 runs". Despite his performance, Hampshire passed Somerset's total and had a first innings lead of 45 runs. Somerset scored 166 in their second innings, leaving Hampshire requiring 122 to win. Bastard bowled 27 overs in the second innings, but failed to add to his wicket tally, and Hampshire won the match by eight wickets. Bastard's performances during 1885 saw him selected in two games for the Gentlemen
during the Scarborough Festival
. The team was a young one, as well as three of his Oxford team-mates from that season, Page, Kingsmill Key
and Tim O'Brien
, there were a number of players from the Cambridge team chosen. Bastard claimed five wickets in the first innings of the match against I Zingari
, but failed to take any against the Players. In 1885, his 62 first-class wickets was the eighteenth highest among bowlers in the country.
, and another eight in the first innings against Warwickshire
being the highlights. However, the additions of Sammy Woods
, Ted Tyler
and George Nichols
resulted in Bastard bowling less frequently, and he made his final appearance for the county in August 1889 against the MCC. He was not required to bowl in the match, which Somerset won by 9 wickets, thanks to Tyler and Woods. He was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
as "the chief bowler in the Somersetshire eleven before the County became first-class."
Bastard died in Taunton on 2 April 1901, aged 39, while employed in scholastic work.
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 for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and 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...
. Bastard was a slow left-arm orthodox
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
bowler, described in his Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
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.
His first-class career was confined to his university years, when he appeared for both Oxford and Somerset. Close to the top of the bowling averages
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
for both teams in each season, his 62 first-class wickets in 1885 placed him among the 20 most prolific wicket-takers in the country. Somerset's temporary loss of first-class status in 1885 brought a premature end to Bastard's first-class career when he was 23. Although he continued to play for the side in second-class cricket until 1889, by the time Somerset resumed first-class cricket in 1891, Bastard had lost his place following the emergence of Sammy Woods
Sammy Woods
Samuel Moses James "Sammy" 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...
and the acquisitions of Ted Tyler
Ted Tyler
Edwin James Tyler was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1891 and 1907...
and George Nichols
George Nichols (cricketer)
George Benjamin Nichols was a professional first-class cricketer who played 134 matches for Somerset, after starting his career with five first-class appearances for Gloucestershire...
. He died at the age of 39 while engaged in scholastic work in Taunton.
Early life
Edward William Bastard was born in Wilton, a parish just outside TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, the second son of Henry Horlock Bastard. He was educated at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, and played for the school cricket team. Although he was later known as a bowler, Bastard occasionally opened the batting for the school, as he did against Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
in 1881. During his time at Sherborne, he also played some games for Dorset
Dorset County Cricket Club
Dorset County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Dorset and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
.
University and county cricket
On completion of his studies at Sherborne School, Bastard attended Wadham College, Oxford University. He played in the Freshmen's Trial in May 1882, and collected four wickets in each innings, conceding just 35 runs from his 29 overs. His side, LML Owen's XI won by 79 runs. He played in two matches against the university's first team during his freshman year, opening the bowling for both the Freshmen side and the "Next XVI". He made his debut in first-class cricket that June, appearing for the university against the Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone 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...
. He claimed one wicket during the match, in which the university lost by an innings. Bastard appeared three times in first-class cricket for the university in 1883, and according to Geoffrey Bolton, author of History of the O.U.C.C, "was lucky to be chosen this year" to play in the University match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. Bastard was wicketless against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, and although he took three wickets in each innings against the MCC, John Foord-Kelcey took more wickets at a better average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
. Nevertheless, Bastard was preferred for the contest against Cambridge, thus gaining his Blue. Bastard claimed a wicket in each innings of the match, which Cambridge won by seven wickets. Bolton attributes the loss to a combination of the weather and Oxford's loss of the toss, which resulted in Cambridge batting first on a good batting pitch. Rain followed, and when Oxford batted, the pitch was described by Bolton as "really nasty".
During the university's summer break, Bastard made his debut for 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...
. His first match for the county was against the MCC in late July. He appeared six further times in 1883, against county opposition, and in all matches that season, collected 52 first-class wickets at an average of 30.20. In 1883, he also made his highest first-class score, making 47 runs during Somerset's second innings against Hampshire. He came into bat with the score at 86 runs for the loss of seven wickets, and was the last wicket to fall, by which time Somerset had moved to 181, and Bastard had shared a tenth wicket partnership of 74 with Arnold Fothergill
Arnold Fothergill
Arnold James Fothergill was an English cricketer.Despite having been born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, Fothergill played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1882 and 1884...
. Even so, Somerset lost the match by seven wickets.
Bastard played in all eight of Oxford University's first-class matches in 1884 as part of the team which was described by Altham
Harry Altham
Harry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
and Swanton
E. W. Swanton
Ernest William Swanton CBE is chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised...
as a remarkable side, and one of Oxford's best ever. The university won seven of the matches, and narrowly lost the other. During the opening match, against the Australians, Bastard was wicketless in the first innings, but took five second innings wickets, his maiden first-class five-wicket haul. Among his wickets was the tourists captain Billy Murdoch
Billy Murdoch
William Lloyd Murdoch was an Australian cricketer, who captained the Australian team on tours to England in 1880, 1882 , 1884 and 1890...
, who later that summer scored 211 runs against England in the third 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...
. Bolton wrote that against the Australians, "Bastard had bowled supremely well," and the performance was Bastard's best for the university during 1884; he collected his wickets steadily and finished as Oxford's second most prolific wicket-taker. He claimed 34 wickets for the side, second only to the 53 taken by Hugh Whitby, although his average of 17.00 ranked him fifth among the bowlers. In the University match that year, he claimed three wickets in each innings. Batting in Oxford's first innings, he and Benjamin Nicholls quickly scored 52 runs, and then bowling in Cambridge's second innings, he and Whitby claimed their opponent's final six wickets for just 17 runs.
He returned to play for Somerset during the summer break once again in 1884, playing four matches for the county, during which he claimed 24 wickets: more than double that of the next most prolific Somerset bowler, Charles Winter
Charles Winter (cricketer, born 1866)
Charles Edgar Winter was an English cricketer who played 25 first-class matches for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1882 and 1895. A right-arm fast bowler, he claimed 50 wickets for the county at a Bowling average of 22.14...
. His best performance came against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, against whom he claimed six second innings wickets to help Somerset to their only victory of the season.
The following season, Bastard returned to play for Oxford University, along with most of the successful team of the previous year. Despite the availability of almost the same squad, Oxford did not win a single match during 1885. Four of the university's bowlers, Edward Buckland
Edward Buckland
Edward Hastings Buckland was an English cricketer. Buckland was a right-handed batsman who bowled both right-arm off break and right-arm underam fast. Buckland played the role of an all rounder....
, Herbert Page, Nicholls, and Whitby had an average in excess of 24 in 1885, having averaged below 21 the previous season. The team came to rely upon the bowling of Bastard and Alfred Cochrane
Alfred Cochrane
Alfred Henry John Cochrane, was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1884 and 1886, and for Oxford University between 1885 and 1888. He subsequently made his name as a writer on sporting subjects and of light verse.Cochrane was the second son of Rev...
, both slow left-arm bowlers. Bastard began the season with a five-wicket haul in the first innings against the MCC, which he followed up with three more wickets in the second. He improved upon this performance in the next match, taking five wickets in each innings against Lancashire to complete his maiden ten-wicket haul in a first-class match, although the northern county won by 50 runs. He was less effective in later matches, claiming four wickets in an innings twice, but more often going wicketless. In the University match, Bastard's last, Oxford were bowled out on the first day for 136, and Cambridge opened a first innings lead of 151; Bastard claimed a solitary wicket from 38.3 overs. Oxford recovered in the second innings and scored 239, of which Bastard contributed 12 runs, leaving Cambridge requiring 89 runs to win, with over a day's play remaining. According to Bolton, Bastard "bowled with great skill on the last morning", and claimed three Cambridge wickets, but was not supported by his fellow bowlers, and Cambridge achieved victory before lunch on the final day.
Bastard was Somerset's leading wicket-taker again in 1885, claiming 25 wickets. In his first match for the county that summer, he recorded his second ten-wicket match. Facing Hampshire in Taunton, Bastard claimed eight wickets in the first innings, and a further three in the second as Somerset recorded their only win of the year. His next match for the county was also against Hampshire, this time in Southampton. Somerset could only field nine men in the fixture, and after batting first reached 117. In the Hampshire response, a contemporary match report recorded that Bastard "did a capital performance in the first innings of Hants, taking eight of the ten wickets at a cost of only 59 runs". Despite his performance, Hampshire passed Somerset's total and had a first innings lead of 45 runs. Somerset scored 166 in their second innings, leaving Hampshire requiring 122 to win. Bastard bowled 27 overs in the second innings, but failed to add to his wicket tally, and Hampshire won the match by eight wickets. Bastard's performances during 1885 saw him selected in two games for the Gentlemen
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
during the Scarborough Festival
Scarborough Festival
The Scarborough Festival is an end of season series of cricket matches featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has been held in Scarborough, on the east coast of Yorkshire, since 1876. The ground, at North Marine Road, sees large crowds of holiday makers watching a mixture of first class...
. The team was a young one, as well as three of his Oxford team-mates from that season, Page, Kingsmill Key
Kingsmill Key
Sir Kingsmill James Key, Bt. was an English cricketer. He was educated at Clifton College. In the course of a long career he played for, among others, Surrey , Oxford University, MCC and the Gentlemen.His highest score of 281, for Oxford against Middlesex at Chiswick Park in 1887, remains as of 2008...
and Tim O'Brien
Sir Tim O'Brien, 3rd Baronet
Sir Timothy "Tim" Carew O'Brien, 3rd Baronet was born at Dublin on 5 November 1861 and died at Ramsey, Isle of Man on 9 December 1948. He was an Irish baronet who played cricket for England in five Test matches....
, there were a number of players from the Cambridge team chosen. Bastard claimed five wickets in the first innings of the match against I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
, but failed to take any against the Players. In 1885, his 62 first-class wickets was the eighteenth highest among bowlers in the country.
Later life
Bastard graduated from Oxford in 1885, gaining his B.A. that year, and collecting his M.A. three years later. He continued to play cricket for Somerset, who had by this stage been stripped of their first-class status for three reasons: they had not organised and played enough first-class fixtures during the season, their performances were not what was expected from a first-class county, and they had not succeeded in fielding a full side of eleven players in all their matches. He picked up plenty of wickets, particularly in 1886 and 1887; eleven in a match against Hampshire, with eight in the first innings, fifteen against DevonDevon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
, and another eight in the first innings against 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...
being the highlights. However, the additions of Sammy Woods
Sammy Woods
Samuel Moses James "Sammy" 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...
, Ted Tyler
Ted Tyler
Edwin James Tyler was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1891 and 1907...
and George Nichols
George Nichols (cricketer)
George Benjamin Nichols was a professional first-class cricketer who played 134 matches for Somerset, after starting his career with five first-class appearances for Gloucestershire...
resulted in Bastard bowling less frequently, and he made his final appearance for the county in August 1889 against the MCC. He was not required to bowl in the match, which Somerset won by 9 wickets, thanks to Tyler and Woods. He was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
as "the chief bowler in the Somersetshire eleven before the County became first-class."
Bastard died in Taunton on 2 April 1901, aged 39, while employed in scholastic work.