Edward Sainsbury
Encyclopedia
Edward Sainsbury was an English cricket
er 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).
Most commonly employed as a right-handed opening batsman, Sainsbury was one of Somerset's most talented batsman during their formative years. His slow underarm bowling
was effective in second-class cricket, but in an era when overarm bowling
was becoming the standard, he was used sparingly in the first-class game
. During his time at Somerset, the county gained first-class status. After being led for three seasons by Sainsbury's Lansdown
team-mate Stephen Newton
, Sainsbury was given the Somerset captaincy for the 1885 season. A combination of poor results and not being able to raise a full eleven during that season led to the county's removal from the first-class game, although Sainsbury remained as captain until 1888. By the time Somerset had improved sufficiently to return to first-class cricket in 1891, Sainsbury had moved to neighbouring county Gloucestershire
, where he saw out his county cricket career.
, an independent school in north-west Dorset
. Playing for the school's cricket eleven he acquired a reputation for his slow underarm
bowling, which could deceive even the most wary opponent into conceding his wicket. He was considered an even better batsman, and often opened the innings for the school.
side was in 1877, when he played for the Gentlemen of Somerset against their Dorset neighbours. He opened the batting for the Somerset team alongside Hamilton Ross
. Both had been scoring plenty of runs
for Lansdown
in club cricket
, and Sainsbury made 32, a highly respectable score in the match, which Somerset won by an innings. Only Edward Lloyd scored more, posting an unbeaten
110, one of the earliest centuries scored for a Somerset county side. Sainsbury also opened the bowling during the match, but he claimed only one wicket over the two innings and bowled just 13 of the 104 overs. In two further appearances for the Gentlemen of Somerset in 1877, Sainsbury did not surpass the score he reached against Dorset but claimed two further wickets, both against the Gentlemen of Wiltshire. Sainsbury added himself to the list of early Somerset centurions during 1878, hitting 105 while batting at number 6 against Herefordshire
. In doing so, he shared an eighth wicket partnership
of 114 with Francis Reed
, out of a Somerset total of 249. His bowling was also on form during the match, and after collecting two wickets in the first innings, he claimed five in the second.
The Somerset side during the late 1870s reflected the strength of the Lansdown club: of the eleven players that represented Somerset in their match against the Marylebone Cricket Club
in early August 1878, five of them also represented Lansdown when the London club travelled down to Bath. Two further Somerset players who played in that match appeared for Lansdown at other stages of their careers. In between these two matches against the MCC, Sainsbury scored a half-century for Somerset during their match against the Gentlemen of Devon. Toward the end of August, Sainsbury's bowling once again came to the fore, as he claimed five wickets in the first innings against Worcestershire
to help defend Somerset's lead and propel them to an innings victory.
Sainsbury struggled in county cricket during 1879; in nine appearances for Somerset during the year, his highest score was 39. He performed better with the ball, twice taking four wickets during an innings, against Bedfordshire
and the MCC. The following county season began more positively for Sainsbury, as he collected nine wickets in the match against Sussex
at Lansdown's ground in Bath
, claiming six wickets for 54 runs in the second innings of the game. He claimed another eight wickets when Somerset travelled to Leicestershire
, during which Sainsbury and Arnold Fothergill
took five wickets each in Leicestershire's first innings, restricting the home side to 51 runs. Somerset won the low-scoring contest by 85 runs, Sainsbury having scored a valuable 28 during his side's first innings. Somerset's visit to Sussex
saw Sainsbury continue his success against the county, this time with the bat rather than the ball. Sussex built on their 63 run first innings lead with a second innings total of 183, leaving Somerset the task of scoring 247 runs to win the match. Sainsbury scored his second century for Somerset, remaining 101 not out
when Somerset reached the winning total. He was assisted by a half-century from Stephen Newton
, and scores in the twenties by Bill Fowler
and Frederick Smith
. Later that month, his batting was once again instrumental in setting up a Somerset victory, when he top-scored with 87 as Somerset beat the MCC by an innings.
During the 1881 season, Sainsbury was joined at Somerset by his older brother Francis, who appeared four times for the county. Sainsbury performed consistently with the bat during the season, regularly scoring between 20 and 40 runs in an innings. His highest score was made against Gloucestershire
, when he reached his only half-century of the season, scoring 56 while batting at number seven. Sainsbury bowled less frequently during 1881, and rarely opened the bowling for Somerset. His best bowling performance of the season for his county came against Hampshire
, when – having not bowled in the first innings – he claimed four wickets as Hampshire followed on. On this occasion he was the fifth bowler used by Somerset, but he bowled the highest number of overs.
county. Bill Roe, at the time a schoolboy, rated Sainsbury as "by far the best batsman in the side" during their pre-first-class years. On 8 June 1882, Somerset played their first match to be universally considered first-class, against Lancashire
. After losing the toss and fielding for over 150 overs as Lancashire scored 237, Somerset responded with a first innings total of 29 – their second lowest total ever in first-class cricket. Sainsbury and his fellow opening batsman, Fowler, top-scored for Somerset with 9 runs each, and both were once again the highest scorers in the second innings, when Fowler scored 18 and Sainsbury 17 runs out of a total of 51. Somerset were beaten by an innings and 157 runs, and batted for less than 70 overs. The county suffered further heavy defeats in their next two matches, losing to Gloucestershire and Hampshire, with no Somerset batsman reaching a half-century in either match. Sainsbury reached his first half-century in first-class cricket when Somerset hosted Hampshire at the County Ground – team mates Robert Ramsay and Stephen Newton
also passed 50 for the county in this match, which helped Somerset to their maiden first-class victory. Sainsbury claimed a wicket in each innings of the match, during which he bowled just eight overs: in the first innings he bowled one over, conceding one run and claiming one wicket. In first-class matches in 1882, Sainsbury scored 255 runs at an average of 17.00, exceeding 50 on only one occasion. He bowled infrequently, claiming four wickets at an average
in excess of 40.
Sainsbury reached a half-century on his first appearance for Somerset in first-class cricket in 1883, scoring 51 runs against the MCC. He did not reach 50 in his next three appearances for the county, but against Gloucestershire he top-scored for his side in the their first innings with 59, and then when Somerset were forced to follow on, he scored his only century in first-class cricket, amassing 116 runs before he became one of W. G. Grace
's eleven victims in the match. Sainsbury played in seven matches during 1883, and achieved his highest batting average in a season, his century and two fifties boosting him to 27.92. Although he played another 31 first-class matches during his career, he did not score more than 40 runs in an innings after 1883. He also recorded his best bowling average in 1883, claiming his nine first-class wickets at 18.55. In early June 1884, Sainsbury played for a side representing the South of England
, scoring 3 and 29 during a 66-run victory for the South. Playing for Lansdown against the touring Gentlemen of Philadelphia the following month, he scored the only century of the match, reaching 108, and sharing a first wicket partnership
of 149 with E. M. Grace. He batted poorly for Somerset during 1884, failing to reach double figures in most of his innings, and hitting a top score of 30 for the county. His season average was dramatically lower than the previous season, dropping below 10.
, who played all his first-class cricket in London from the 1885 season onwards, Sainsbury was given the club captaincy. Somerset's first county match of the season took place in mid-July, almost two months after four of the counties had contested matches. The match, played against Hampshire, showed little sign of the troubles that were to come. Sainsbury scored 0 and 13 opening the batting for his side, but the bowling of Edward Bastard, who claimed eight wickets in the first innings and three in the second, helped Somerset to a five-wicket victory. The county's next match, played two weeks later against Gloucestershire, was their heaviest defeat when losing by an innings to that point. Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat, totalling 448 in 190 overs; Somerset bowlers James Parfitt and Charles Winter
both conceding over 100 runs. In reply, five of the Somerset batsman were out for ducks; Sainsbury, Parfitt and Albert Clapp
were the only ones to reach double figures. Sainsbury top-scored with 40 runs, but a team total of 100 meant that Gloucestershire forced his side to follow-on
. The second innings progressed even more poorly for Somerset. Sainsbury was one of eight batsmen who failed to reach double figures, and the team was dismissed for 80 runs, resulting in an innings and 268 run loss.
Matches were played more frequently in August, and Sainsbury and his Somerset team had just four days to recover from their defeat before travelling to The Oval
to face Surrey
. Sainsbury once again lost the toss and was forced to field. Surrey batted for 222.1 overs
as they accumulated 635 runs. Opening bowlers Parfitt and Winter once again conceded a century of runs apiece, and four of Somerset's other bowlers conceded over 50 runs each. In total, Sainsbury tried seven different bowlers during the innings to try and get wickets, including Herbie Hewett
, who completed his career of 106 matches with just two first-class wickets. Sainsbury himself was the most successful of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 74 runs, his best first-class bowling performance. In reply, Somerset were bowled out for 83 runs, with Clapp recorded as "absent hurt". Following on, Somerset mustered a more respectable total of 251, aided primarily by a century from Octavius Radcliffe
and 85 from Hewett. Sainsbury himself added 21 to the score in the second innings after being dismissed for one in the first. The defeat was heavier still than the one suffered a week earlier; Surrey won by an innings and 301 runs.
Morale was low at Somerset, and the county could not raise a full team to face Hampshire at Southampton a week later. They travelled with nine players, among their number Farrant Reed
, who played eight first-class matches in his life, Ernest Murdock
, who played five, Egerton Hall
, three, and Edward Spurway
, two. Somerset scored 117 runs in their first innings, of which Sainsbury contributed nine. The bowling of Bastard, who took eight for 59, helped to restrict Hampshire to 162. Despite their low numbers, Somerset reached 166 in their second innings, Sainsbury scoring ten from number five in the batting order. With Bastard unable to replicate his first innings performance, Hampshire reached the winning total of 123 from 60.3 overs. Somerset played Surrey and Gloucestershire in their final two matches of the season and lost both heavily, although they did succeed in avoiding any further record defeats; Surrey won by an innings and five runs, and Gloucestershire by nine wickets. Sainsbury's highest score in his four innings was 14. In the six matches that he played that season, all for Somerset, Sainsbury scored 119 runs at an average of 9.91, a marginal improvement on his previous season.
helped to restrict their opponents, Warwickshire, in the second innings; but faced with requiring 150 in their second innings for victory, Somerset were bowled out for 58. Throughout 1886, Sainsbury's batting continued to be more fruitful than his efforts in the previous two years of first-class cricket, and he regularly made scores in the twenties and thirties. He hit 94 from the middle order against the MCC in mid-August, his highest score of the season. Toward the end of the 1886 season the arrival of Sammy Woods
and George Nichols
vastly improved the quality of the bowling for the county, but 1887 was nevertheless marked by a slow start. A victory over Essex
, in which Sainsbury scored 71, was bracketed by heavy losses to Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. Against Hampshire, Sainsbury reached his highest total for Somerset, scoring 164 out of a total of 315, to help his side on their way to a six-wicket victory. A big win over Warwickshire followed, and the county was said to be "a ship heading out for an ocean of prosperity". Sainsbury's scores dipped again for Somerset in 1888; his highest total for the county was an unbeaten 42 against the MCC. In contrast, in a match played for the MCC, Sainsbury struck his highest total for the side, scoring 180 runs against Wiltshire
at Lord's
. Whether because of his dip in batting form, or as part of the reforms being enacted at the club by the new secretary, or simply due to residence, Sainsbury left Somerset at the end of the 1888 season. The minutes of a club meeting do not detail the reasoning behind the move, simply recording that his services had been lost.
in May, when he scored 12 runs during a rain-affected match. He was not the only former Somerset player to appear for Gloucestershire in the match – his fellow opening partner at Somerset, Octavius Radcliffe
, had moved across the county border in 1886. Sainsbury played 13 times for Gloucestershire that season, with his highest score being 36, made against Yorkshire
at Bramall Lane
, Sheffield
. He scored 259 runs at an average of 13.63, and did not bowl. An appearance for Lansdown that summer, against the Royal Agricultural College
, Cirencester
, saw him score 228 runs in a drawn match. The following year was his last in first-class cricket, during which he made five appearances, all for Gloucestershire, scoring 100 runs, at an average of 10.00. He continued to play for Lansdown and the MCC for a number of years; his last recorded match was in 1894. Little is recorded of Sainsbury's life outside cricket. He died on 28 October 1930, aged 79 in Weston-super-Mare
, Somerset.
suggests that Sainsbury was key in the improvements made by the county in 1888, but fellow cricket historian David Foot appears to portray a more negative image in his book Sunshine, Sixes and Cider, suggesting that during Sainsbury's time as captain he may have included players in the team "on the strength of[their] social charm and ability to drink into the early hours".
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who represented, and captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
, Somerset County Cricket Club
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...
in the late 19th century. During a 10-year 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...
career, he also represented Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
(MCC).
Most commonly employed as a right-handed opening batsman, Sainsbury was one of Somerset's most talented batsman during their formative years. His slow underarm bowling
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
was effective in second-class cricket, but in an era when overarm bowling
Overarm bowling
In cricket, overarm bowling refers to a delivery in which the bowler's hand is above shoulder height. This is in contrast to a roundarm delivery, where the hand is between shoulder height and waist height; and an underarm delivery where the bowler's hand is below waist height.After roundarm was...
was becoming the standard, he was used sparingly in the first-class game
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...
. During his time at Somerset, the county gained first-class status. After being led for three seasons by Sainsbury's Lansdown
Lansdown Cricket Club
Lansdown Cricket Club, formed in 1825, is recognised as the earliest official organised cricket club in Somerset. Originally based in Lansdown, since 1869 the club has been based at Combe Park, Bath, adjacent to the Royal United Hospital.-Foundation:...
team-mate Stephen Newton
Stephen Newton
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
, Sainsbury was given the Somerset captaincy for the 1885 season. A combination of poor results and not being able to raise a full eleven during that season led to the county's removal from the first-class game, although Sainsbury remained as captain until 1888. By the time Somerset had improved sufficiently to return to first-class cricket in 1891, Sainsbury had moved to neighbouring county Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, where he saw out his county cricket career.
Early life
Edward Sainsbury was born on 5 July 1851 in Bath, Somerset. He attended Sherborne SchoolSherborne 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....
, an independent school in north-west Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Playing for the school's cricket eleven he acquired a reputation for his slow underarm
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
bowling, which could deceive even the most wary opponent into conceding his wicket. He was considered an even better batsman, and often opened the innings for the school.
Second-class county cricket
His first recorded appearance for a representative countyCounty cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
side was in 1877, when he played for the Gentlemen of Somerset against their Dorset neighbours. He opened the batting for the Somerset team alongside Hamilton Ross
Hamilton Ross
Hamilton Ross was an English cricketer who made 20 first-class appearances between 1885 and 1895. He played twelve first-class matches for the MCC, and also appeared for Middlesex and Somerset...
. Both had been scoring plenty of runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
for Lansdown
Lansdown Cricket Club
Lansdown Cricket Club, formed in 1825, is recognised as the earliest official organised cricket club in Somerset. Originally based in Lansdown, since 1869 the club has been based at Combe Park, Bath, adjacent to the Royal United Hospital.-Foundation:...
in club cricket
Club cricket
Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are always observed...
, and Sainsbury made 32, a highly respectable score in the match, which Somerset won by an innings. Only Edward Lloyd scored more, posting an unbeaten
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...
110, one of the earliest centuries scored for a Somerset county side. Sainsbury also opened the bowling during the match, but he claimed only one wicket over the two innings and bowled just 13 of the 104 overs. In two further appearances for the Gentlemen of Somerset in 1877, Sainsbury did not surpass the score he reached against Dorset but claimed two further wickets, both against the Gentlemen of Wiltshire. Sainsbury added himself to the list of early Somerset centurions during 1878, hitting 105 while batting at number 6 against Herefordshire
Herefordshire County Cricket Club
Herefordshire 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 Herefordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. In doing so, he shared an eighth wicket partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 114 with Francis Reed
Francis Reed
Francis Reed played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1882 to 1884. He was born at Ottery St Mary, Devon and died at Whitechapel, London....
, out of a Somerset total of 249. His bowling was also on form during the match, and after collecting two wickets in the first innings, he claimed five in the second.
The Somerset side during the late 1870s reflected the strength of the Lansdown club: of the eleven players that represented Somerset in their match against the Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
in early August 1878, five of them also represented Lansdown when the London club travelled down to Bath. Two further Somerset players who played in that match appeared for Lansdown at other stages of their careers. In between these two matches against the MCC, Sainsbury scored a half-century for Somerset during their match against the Gentlemen of Devon. Toward the end of August, Sainsbury's bowling once again came to the fore, as he claimed five wickets in the first innings against 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...
to help defend Somerset's lead and propel them to an innings victory.
Sainsbury struggled in county cricket during 1879; in nine appearances for Somerset during the year, his highest score was 39. He performed better with the ball, twice taking four wickets during an innings, against Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire 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 Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
and the MCC. The following county season began more positively for Sainsbury, as he collected nine wickets in the match 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...
at Lansdown's ground in Bath
Lansdown Cricket Club Ground
Lansdown Cricket Club Ground is a name which has been used to describe two cricket grounds in Bath, Somerset.Between 1825 and 1850, it was the name given to Lansdown Cricket Club's ground 'Cricket Down'. In 1850, LCC moved to Sydenham Field, also in Bath...
, claiming six wickets for 54 runs in the second innings of the game. He claimed another eight wickets when Somerset travelled to 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....
, during which Sainsbury and 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...
took five wickets each in Leicestershire's first innings, restricting the home side to 51 runs. Somerset won the low-scoring contest by 85 runs, Sainsbury having scored a valuable 28 during his side's first innings. Somerset's visit to 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...
saw Sainsbury continue his success against the county, this time with the bat rather than the ball. Sussex built on their 63 run first innings lead with a second innings total of 183, leaving Somerset the task of scoring 247 runs to win the match. Sainsbury scored his second century for Somerset, remaining 101 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...
when Somerset reached the winning total. He was assisted by a half-century from Stephen Newton
Stephen Newton
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
, and scores in the twenties by Bill Fowler
William Herbert Fowler
William Herbert Fowler , also known as Bill Fowler and Herbert Fowler, was an English amateur cricketer who played 26 first-class cricket matches during the 1880s, principally for Somerset County Cricket Club. He was an all-rounder who was best known for his big-hitting when batting...
and Frederick Smith
Frederick Smith (Somerset cricketer)
Frederick Aitken Leeston Smith was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset in 1884 and 1885. He was born at Kensington, London and died at Parkstone, Dorset. In some sources, his name is written as "Leeston-Smith"...
. Later that month, his batting was once again instrumental in setting up a Somerset victory, when he top-scored with 87 as Somerset beat the MCC by an innings.
During the 1881 season, Sainsbury was joined at Somerset by his older brother Francis, who appeared four times for the county. Sainsbury performed consistently with the bat during the season, regularly scoring between 20 and 40 runs in an innings. His highest score was made against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, when he reached his only half-century of the season, scoring 56 while batting at number seven. Sainsbury bowled less frequently during 1881, and rarely opened the bowling for Somerset. His best bowling performance of the season for his county 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...
, when – having not bowled in the first innings – he claimed four wickets as Hampshire followed on. On this occasion he was the fifth bowler used by Somerset, but he bowled the highest number of overs.
Somerset's leading batsman
Towards the end of the 1870s, journalists had suggested that Somerset chose their players "upon breeding rather than skill". The best players in the county, many of whom were not wealthy men, were unable to afford to play for Somerset. In turn, the cricket club could not afford to pay professionals to play for them, and were regarded as an occasional amateur outfit by many, rather than a side that could truly represent the strength of cricket within the county. The arrival of two professional players, and the acquisition of a permanent home ground in Taunton helped strengthen the club so that in 1882 they were admitted as a first-classFirst-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...
county. Bill Roe, at the time a schoolboy, rated Sainsbury as "by far the best batsman in the side" during their pre-first-class years. On 8 June 1882, Somerset played their first match to be universally considered first-class, 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...
. After losing the toss and fielding for over 150 overs as Lancashire scored 237, Somerset responded with a first innings total of 29 – their second lowest total ever in first-class cricket. Sainsbury and his fellow opening batsman, Fowler, top-scored for Somerset with 9 runs each, and both were once again the highest scorers in the second innings, when Fowler scored 18 and Sainsbury 17 runs out of a total of 51. Somerset were beaten by an innings and 157 runs, and batted for less than 70 overs. The county suffered further heavy defeats in their next two matches, losing to Gloucestershire and Hampshire, with no Somerset batsman reaching a half-century in either match. Sainsbury reached his first half-century in first-class cricket when Somerset hosted Hampshire at the County Ground – team mates Robert Ramsay and Stephen Newton
Stephen Newton
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
also passed 50 for the county in this match, which helped Somerset to their maiden first-class victory. Sainsbury claimed a wicket in each innings of the match, during which he bowled just eight overs: in the first innings he bowled one over, conceding one run and claiming one wicket. In first-class matches in 1882, Sainsbury scored 255 runs at an average of 17.00, exceeding 50 on only one occasion. He bowled infrequently, claiming four wickets at an 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...
in excess of 40.
Sainsbury reached a half-century on his first appearance for Somerset in first-class cricket in 1883, scoring 51 runs against the MCC. He did not reach 50 in his next three appearances for the county, but against Gloucestershire he top-scored for his side in the their first innings with 59, and then when Somerset were forced to follow on, he scored his only century in first-class cricket, amassing 116 runs before he became one of W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
's eleven victims in the match. Sainsbury played in seven matches during 1883, and achieved his highest batting average in a season, his century and two fifties boosting him to 27.92. Although he played another 31 first-class matches during his career, he did not score more than 40 runs in an innings after 1883. He also recorded his best bowling average in 1883, claiming his nine first-class wickets at 18.55. In early June 1884, Sainsbury played for a side representing the South of England
South of England cricket team
The South of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the North of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
, scoring 3 and 29 during a 66-run victory for the South. Playing for Lansdown against the touring Gentlemen of Philadelphia the following month, he scored the only century of the match, reaching 108, and sharing a first wicket partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 149 with E. M. Grace. He batted poorly for Somerset during 1884, failing to reach double figures in most of his innings, and hitting a top score of 30 for the county. His season average was dramatically lower than the previous season, dropping below 10.
Troubled captaincy
Following the departure of Somerset captain Stephen NewtonStephen Newton
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
, who played all his first-class cricket in London from the 1885 season onwards, Sainsbury was given the club captaincy. Somerset's first county match of the season took place in mid-July, almost two months after four of the counties had contested matches. The match, played against Hampshire, showed little sign of the troubles that were to come. Sainsbury scored 0 and 13 opening the batting for his side, but the bowling of Edward Bastard, who claimed eight wickets in the first innings and three in the second, helped Somerset to a five-wicket victory. The county's next match, played two weeks later against Gloucestershire, was their heaviest defeat when losing by an innings to that point. Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat, totalling 448 in 190 overs; Somerset bowlers James Parfitt and 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...
both conceding over 100 runs. In reply, five of the Somerset batsman were out for ducks; Sainsbury, Parfitt and Albert Clapp
Albert Clapp
Albert Edward Clapp was an English cricketer who made ten first-class appearances for Somerset between 1885 and 1895. He also played 32 matches for the club which were considered 'second-class' matches, when Somerset had their first-class status removed from 1886–1890...
were the only ones to reach double figures. Sainsbury top-scored with 40 runs, but a team total of 100 meant that Gloucestershire forced his side to follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
. The second innings progressed even more poorly for Somerset. Sainsbury was one of eight batsmen who failed to reach double figures, and the team was dismissed for 80 runs, resulting in an innings and 268 run loss.
Matches were played more frequently in August, and Sainsbury and his Somerset team had just four days to recover from their defeat before travelling to The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
to face Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. Sainsbury once again lost the toss and was forced to field. Surrey batted for 222.1 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
as they accumulated 635 runs. Opening bowlers Parfitt and Winter once again conceded a century of runs apiece, and four of Somerset's other bowlers conceded over 50 runs each. In total, Sainsbury tried seven different bowlers during the innings to try and get wickets, including Herbie Hewett
Herbie Hewett
Herbert Tremenheere "Herbie" Hewett was an English amateur cricketer who played for Somerset, captaining the county from 1889 to 1893, as well as Oxford University and the Marylebone Cricket Club. A battling left-handed opening batsman, Hewett could post a large score in a short time against even...
, who completed his career of 106 matches with just two first-class wickets. Sainsbury himself was the most successful of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 74 runs, his best first-class bowling performance. In reply, Somerset were bowled out for 83 runs, with Clapp recorded as "absent hurt". Following on, Somerset mustered a more respectable total of 251, aided primarily by a century from Octavius Radcliffe
Octavius Radcliffe
Octavius Goldney Radcliffe, born at North Newnton, Wiltshire on 20 October 1859 and died on 13 April 1940, played first-class cricket for Somerset and Gloucestershire....
and 85 from Hewett. Sainsbury himself added 21 to the score in the second innings after being dismissed for one in the first. The defeat was heavier still than the one suffered a week earlier; Surrey won by an innings and 301 runs.
Morale was low at Somerset, and the county could not raise a full team to face Hampshire at Southampton a week later. They travelled with nine players, among their number Farrant Reed
Farrant Reed
Herbert Farrant Reed was an English cricketer who appeared in eight first-class matches between 1882 and 1885. He played primarily for Somerset County Cricket Club, but also appeared once for the Marylebone Cricket Club....
, who played eight first-class matches in his life, Ernest Murdock
Ernest Murdock
Ernest George Murdock was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset in 1885 and for Gloucestershire in 1889. He was born at Keynsham, Somerset and died at Bower Ashton, also in Somerset....
, who played five, Egerton Hall
Egerton Hall
Egerton Hawkesley Hall played cricket for Somerset from 1881 to 1885; the final three matches he played for the team were first-class games...
, three, and Edward Spurway
Edward Spurway
Edward Popham Spurway was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who made two first-class appearances for Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century, and served as the Rector of Heathfield from 1896 until 1914.-Early and personal life:Edward Popham, the...
, two. Somerset scored 117 runs in their first innings, of which Sainsbury contributed nine. The bowling of Bastard, who took eight for 59, helped to restrict Hampshire to 162. Despite their low numbers, Somerset reached 166 in their second innings, Sainsbury scoring ten from number five in the batting order. With Bastard unable to replicate his first innings performance, Hampshire reached the winning total of 123 from 60.3 overs. Somerset played Surrey and Gloucestershire in their final two matches of the season and lost both heavily, although they did succeed in avoiding any further record defeats; Surrey won by an innings and five runs, and Gloucestershire by nine wickets. Sainsbury's highest score in his four innings was 14. In the six matches that he played that season, all for Somerset, Sainsbury scored 119 runs at an average of 9.91, a marginal improvement on his previous season.
Return to second-class cricket
Somerset were 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. An emergency meeting was held in Taunton, during which a new club secretary was appointed, rules were altered, and wealthy benefactors were sought. Despite these wide-spread changes, Sainsbury retained the club captaincy. In Somerset's first match of 1886, Sainsbury hit his highest score for the county in almost three years, scoring 90 out of a Somerset total of 241. The bowling of Arnold FothergillArnold 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...
helped to restrict their opponents, Warwickshire, in the second innings; but faced with requiring 150 in their second innings for victory, Somerset were bowled out for 58. Throughout 1886, Sainsbury's batting continued to be more fruitful than his efforts in the previous two years of first-class cricket, and he regularly made scores in the twenties and thirties. He hit 94 from the middle order against the MCC in mid-August, his highest score of the season. Toward the end of the 1886 season the arrival 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 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...
vastly improved the quality of the bowling for the county, but 1887 was nevertheless marked by a slow start. A victory over 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...
, in which Sainsbury scored 71, was bracketed by heavy losses to Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. Against Hampshire, Sainsbury reached his highest total for Somerset, scoring 164 out of a total of 315, to help his side on their way to a six-wicket victory. A big win over Warwickshire followed, and the county was said to be "a ship heading out for an ocean of prosperity". Sainsbury's scores dipped again for Somerset in 1888; his highest total for the county was an unbeaten 42 against the MCC. In contrast, in a match played for the MCC, Sainsbury struck his highest total for the side, scoring 180 runs against Wiltshire
Wiltshire County Cricket Club
Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
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...
. Whether because of his dip in batting form, or as part of the reforms being enacted at the club by the new secretary, or simply due to residence, Sainsbury left Somerset at the end of the 1888 season. The minutes of a club meeting do not detail the reasoning behind the move, simply recording that his services had been lost.
Move to Gloucestershire
Sainsbury played no county cricket during 1889 or 1890, but returned to county cricket, and indeed first-class cricket, in 1891 for Gloucestershire. His debut for the county in first-class cricket was against KentKent 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...
in May, when he scored 12 runs during a rain-affected match. He was not the only former Somerset player to appear for Gloucestershire in the match – his fellow opening partner at Somerset, Octavius Radcliffe
Octavius Radcliffe
Octavius Goldney Radcliffe, born at North Newnton, Wiltshire on 20 October 1859 and died on 13 April 1940, played first-class cricket for Somerset and Gloucestershire....
, had moved across the county border in 1886. Sainsbury played 13 times for Gloucestershire that season, with his highest score being 36, made against Yorkshire
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....
at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. He scored 259 runs at an average of 13.63, and did not bowl. An appearance for Lansdown that summer, against the Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
, Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, saw him score 228 runs in a drawn match. The following year was his last in first-class cricket, during which he made five appearances, all for Gloucestershire, scoring 100 runs, at an average of 10.00. He continued to play for Lansdown and the MCC for a number of years; his last recorded match was in 1894. Little is recorded of Sainsbury's life outside cricket. He died on 28 October 1930, aged 79 in Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, Somerset.
Captaincy
During Sainsbury's first year as Somerset captain, the county suffered two of its heaviest defeats in first-class cricket at the hands of Gloucestershire and Surrey, and was stripped of its first-class status. But it was the club secretary who was replaced at the end of that season, and Sainsbury remained in position as club captain, perhaps indicating that the club felt it was a lack of resources, rather than Sainsbury's captaincy, that was to blame for the poor performances. In From Sammy to Jimmy: An Official History of Somerset County Cricket Club, Peter RoebuckPeter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
suggests that Sainsbury was key in the improvements made by the county in 1888, but fellow cricket historian David Foot appears to portray a more negative image in his book Sunshine, Sixes and Cider, suggesting that during Sainsbury's time as captain he may have included players in the team "on the strength of