Fowler's match
Encyclopedia
Fowler's match is the name given to the two-day Eton v Harrow
cricket
match held at Lord's on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July 1910. The match is named after the captain of Eton College
, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all round batting
and bowling
performance allowed Eton to win the match by 9 runs after Harrow School
asked Eton to follow on 165 runs in arrears after the teams' first innings. When the ninth Eton wicket fell in their second innings, they led by only four runs. Wisden
stated that: "In the whole history of cricket, there has been nothing more sensational" and The Times
said that "A more exciting match can hardly ever have been played", continuing effusively, with a reference to the inaugural Ashes Test
at The Oval
in 1882, "to boys the bowling of Fowler was probably more formidable than Spofforth
's to England".
In an article in The Spectator
marking the match's centenary, J.R.H. McEwen described it as "what might just be the greatest cricket match of all time".
and Harrow School
since 1805, and annually since 1822. In its heyday, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, "the School's day" was one of the highlights of the London "season
", alongside Henley Royal Regatta
and Royal Ascot. The game made national newspaper headlines, and was attended by schoolboys large and small, their elder brothers and fathers, accompanied by their ladies and other members of London society. The match in 1914 was attended by over 38,000 people during its two days.
Fowler was 19 years old, and in his last year at Eton. His family came from Enfield, County Meath
. His great-great grandfather, also Robert, was Bishop of Ossory
and then Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
from 1817 until his death in 1841, and his great-great-great grandfather, Robert Fowler
was a Protestant clergyman who settled in Ireland in the 1760s and was Archbishop of Dublin
from 1779 until his death in 1801. His father, Robert Henry Fowler
, had served as an officer in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and played cricket for Cambridge University
against the MCC
in 1876. Fowler attended Mr Hawtrey's prep school in Westgate-on-Sea
, and was influenced at Eton by his housemaster, Cyril Wells
, an amateur who played for Middlesex
. Fowler played for Eton against Harrow in the 1908 and 1909 fixtures. Harrow won easily in 1908, and the 1909 fixture was drawn, although Fowler's 11 wickets for 79 runs gave Eton a fighting chance.
In 1910, Fowler was one of only three survivors from Eton's 1909 team, the others being Birchenough and the wicket-keeper Lubbock. Harrow had seven veterans from the 1909 match. Harrow came to the match unbeaten in 1910, having beaten the Free Foresters, Harlequins
, Quidnuncs and the Household Brigade earlier in the season. Eton had lost to Free Foresters, Authentics and Butterflies. Two Old Harrovians, Stanley Jackson
and Archie MacLaren, had been England captains in the preceding five years. In the run-up to the match, The Times noted on 4 July that Harrow and Marlborough
were the strongest public school
s; that Harrow's captain Earle "bowls extraordinarily fast for a boy" but the Eton captain Fowler "is not deadly on a good wicket, but can make every use of a difficult one". The Times also noted that an outbreak of measles
threatened the Harrow team, but only Wilson succumbed, and he recovered before the match.
match began on Friday 8 July 1910, with the sky grey and overcast. The outfield was soft and wet after rain the previous evening, but the pitch had been covered. The teams included one schoolboy who would become a field-marshal (Alexander), another an air vice-marshal (Blount), and a third an attorney-general (Monckton), together with various sons of nobility.
Play began shortly after 12 noon, with a good attendance despite the inclement weather. Harrow won the toss and batted first, but progressed slowly due to steady bowling and smart fielding by Eton, reaching 61/1 at lunch. Wickets started to fall after lunch. Earle was dropped, and then hit three fours before being caught off Steel. Wilson played a good innings, but was fifth out, bowled by a Lister-Kaye yorker
for 53, leaving the score on 133/5. Hillyard obtained little support from the Harrow tail end, and was last out, stumped off Fowler for 62. The wicket was too slow to be difficult, and the Harrow batsmen were able to accumulate runs, reaching 232 in their first innings off 95.3 overs
, with half-centuries for Harrow's Wilson (53) and Hillyard (62). The pitch was slow, but showed significant turn for the spin bowlers.
Fowler bowled his off spin
well, with bad luck, often beating the batsman but failing to take the edge and then missing the wicket. Steel's length was not perfect, but he bowled his leg spin
for his field and was not afraid to be hit. Lister-Kaye was perhaps the best of the bowlers, and Manners the best of the fielders, at cover-point. Lubbock let through 18 byes, mostly off the turning deliveries of Fowler. Fowler and Steel took four wickets apiece.
Eton started to bat at 5pm, when the light was worsening, and suffered a disastrous 90 minutes. Earle took an early wicket, but the slow pitch did not suit him, and Hillyard and Graham took two each. Eton were struggling at 40/5 when bad light stopped play at 6:30pm, half an hour before the scheduled close, with Eton needing another 93 runs to save the follow on. The Times described Eton's overnight position as "almost desperate", and the somewhat partisan coverage in the Daily Mirror, written by Wilson's brother, reported that "Harrow should win pretty easily."
The match resumed at 11am on the second day, Saturday 9 July 2010. The weather was cold again, and the sun did not come out until 5pm. The Eton batsmen struggled to deal with Alexander's googlies
. He took 3/7 as Eton's first innings ended quickly, with Eton 67 all out in 48 overs. Fowler top scored with 21 runs, the only Eton batsman to reach double figures. Earle bowled 12 overs for 4 runs and 1 wicket, with 9 maidens; Alexander bowled four overs and one ball for seven runs and three wickets.
With Eton 165 runs behind, Harrow enforced the follow-on
, and Eton fared little better at the start of their second innings. Alexander still difficult to play – only Birchenough looked comfortable against him, but he was caught off Jameson for 22. Eton had lost 4 wickets for 47 runs by lunch, and subsided to 65/5 shortly afterwards when Steel was caught. The crowd anticipated an easy win for Harrow, and many departed – some to the last day of a closely fought Gentlemen v Players
match being held at The Oval
.
But Fowler was still batting, and added 42 runs for the sixth wicket with Wigan. Boswell joined Fowler after Wigan was out bowled. He rode his luck, adding 32 runs with several dropped catches, the seventh wicket partnership quickly adding 57 runs before Boswell was dismissed with Eton one run in arrears. Eton erased the first-innings deficit, to the delight of their supporters, but Fowler was eventually out for 64 runs, the highest individual innings in the match, with 8 fours, a three, 10 twos and 9 singles. Eton were 166/8, ahead by only one run. Stock was out quickly with Eton only four runs ahead, but Harrow supporters grew increasingly glum as the tenth-wicket partnership of Manners and Lister-Kaye hit 50 runs in a half an hour, giving Eton a lead of 54 runs. The Times on Monday 11 July reported "a most exhilarating half-hour's cricket while Manners and Lister-Kaye, especially Manners, hit the bowling all over the field".
Needing only 55 runs to win, Harrow captain Earle called for the heavy roller to pacify the pitch, but his tactic backfired and the Eton bowling became unplayable (the Daily Mirror claimed that the heavy roller was applied without Earle's consent). Fowler opened the bowling from the Pavilion End, obtaining prodigious turn immediately, and taking the wicket of Wilson with the first ball of the innings. Lister-Kaye bowled three overs from the Nursery End before being replaced by Steel. Hopely hit two fours, but then Fowler took two more wickets, reducing Harrow to 8/3. The Eton bowlers made it almost impossible for Harrow to score runs, and wickets continued to tumble, with Fowler taking the first six wickets to fall. Earle scored a quick 13 but was then controversially given out, caught at slip off a yorker which may have been a bump ball, 21/4. After 40 minutes, Harrow had reached 27/8, and opening batsman Jameson had not yet scored a run. He hit two runs to get off the mark, but was out shortly afterwards, a fifth Harrow batsman to be bowled by Fowler, to leave Harrow on 32/9. The eleventh Harrow batsman, Alexander, had to abandon his tea to come to the crease with 23 runs required for Harrow to win. He and Graham added 13 runs, but Alexander was caught at slip off Steel with Harrow still 10 runs short of the target, playing inside a ball that did not turn, at one minute before 6pm. Eton won by 9 runs. It was said that the cheering could be heard at London Zoo
, some distance away in Regent's Park
, and at Paddington Station
. The Times reported that "most pardonable pandemonium reigned for fully half an hour". Fowler was carried off the pitch, and bowed to a cheering crowd from the pavilion.
Fowler ended the match having scored 21 and 64 runs, and taken 4/90 and 8/23. The Times described Fowler's contribution in the following terms: "in the whole history of public school cricket nothing better can have been seen than Fowler's play on the second day".
Eton v Harrow
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. It one of the longest-running annual cricket fixtures in the world. It is the last annual school cricket match played at Lord's Cricket Ground...
cricket
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...
match held at Lord's on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July 1910. The match is named after the captain of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Robert St Leger Fowler, whose outstanding all round batting
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
and bowling
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
performance allowed Eton to win the match by 9 runs after Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
asked Eton to follow on 165 runs in arrears after the teams' first innings. When the ninth Eton wicket fell in their second innings, they led by only four runs. Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
stated that: "In the whole history of cricket, there has been nothing more sensational" and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said that "A more exciting match can hardly ever have been played", continuing effusively, with a reference to the inaugural Ashes Test
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
at 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...
in 1882, "to boys the bowling of Fowler was probably more formidable than Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
's to England".
In an article in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
marking the match's centenary, J.R.H. McEwen described it as "what might just be the greatest cricket match of all time".
Background
An inter-school cricket match has been held between Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
since 1805, and annually since 1822. In its heyday, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, "the School's day" was one of the highlights of the London "season
Season (society)
The social season or Season has historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of the a social elite of society to hold debutante balls, dinner parties and large charity events...
", alongside Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
and Royal Ascot. The game made national newspaper headlines, and was attended by schoolboys large and small, their elder brothers and fathers, accompanied by their ladies and other members of London society. The match in 1914 was attended by over 38,000 people during its two days.
Fowler was 19 years old, and in his last year at Eton. His family came from Enfield, County Meath
Enfield, County Meath
Enfield or Innfield is a town in south County Meath, Ireland, situated between Kilcock and Kinnegad and very close to the border with County Kildare...
. His great-great grandfather, also Robert, was Bishop of Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...
and then Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin
The Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Ecclesiastical Province of Dublin...
from 1817 until his death in 1841, and his great-great-great grandfather, Robert Fowler
Robert Fowler (archbishop)
Robert Fowler was an Anglo-Irish clergyman. He served as the Archbishop of Dublin in the Church of Ireland from 1779 until his death in 1801.-Life:...
was a Protestant clergyman who settled in Ireland in the 1760s and was Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
from 1779 until his death in 1801. His father, Robert Henry Fowler
Robert Henry Fowler
Robert Henry Fowler was an Irish soldier and first-class cricketer of English descent. He died seven weeks before his 100th birthday, making him the longest-lived person to have played international cricket for Ireland...
, had served as an officer in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and played cricket for 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...
against the MCC
MCC
MCC may refer to:* Marylebone Cricket Club, the home of cricket in the United Kingdom - Business-related topics:* Merchant Category Code, a code assigned to companies accepting credit cards.- Business and corporations:...
in 1876. Fowler attended Mr Hawtrey's prep school in Westgate-on-Sea
Westgate-on-Sea
Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town in northeast Kent, England, with a population of 6,600. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate...
, and was influenced at Eton by his housemaster, Cyril Wells
Cyril Wells
Cyril Mowbray Wells was an English cricketer, rugby footballer and schoolmaster....
, an amateur who played for Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. Fowler played for Eton against Harrow in the 1908 and 1909 fixtures. Harrow won easily in 1908, and the 1909 fixture was drawn, although Fowler's 11 wickets for 79 runs gave Eton a fighting chance.
In 1910, Fowler was one of only three survivors from Eton's 1909 team, the others being Birchenough and the wicket-keeper Lubbock. Harrow had seven veterans from the 1909 match. Harrow came to the match unbeaten in 1910, having beaten the Free Foresters, Harlequins
Harlequins cricket team
The Harlequins Cricket Club is a wandering cricket club formed in 1852 by fellows of Merton College, Oxford. The club is made up exclusively of current and former Oxford University first-class cricketers and according to the rules of the club only a maximum of twenty members can be resident at the...
, Quidnuncs and the Household Brigade earlier in the season. Eton had lost to Free Foresters, Authentics and Butterflies. Two Old Harrovians, Stanley Jackson
Stanley Jackson
Sir Francis Stanley Jackson, GCSI, GCIE, PC, KStJ , known as the Honourable Stanley Jackson during his playing career, was an English cricketer, soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Early life:...
and Archie MacLaren, had been England captains in the preceding five years. In the run-up to the match, The Times noted on 4 July that Harrow and Marlborough
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
were the strongest public school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s; that Harrow's captain Earle "bowls extraordinarily fast for a boy" but the Eton captain Fowler "is not deadly on a good wicket, but can make every use of a difficult one". The Times also noted that an outbreak of measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
threatened the Harrow team, but only Wilson succumbed, and he recovered before the match.
The match
The two-day, two-inningsInnings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
match began on Friday 8 July 1910, with the sky grey and overcast. The outfield was soft and wet after rain the previous evening, but the pitch had been covered. The teams included one schoolboy who would become a field-marshal (Alexander), another an air vice-marshal (Blount), and a third an attorney-general (Monckton), together with various sons of nobility.
Play began shortly after 12 noon, with a good attendance despite the inclement weather. Harrow won the toss and batted first, but progressed slowly due to steady bowling and smart fielding by Eton, reaching 61/1 at lunch. Wickets started to fall after lunch. Earle was dropped, and then hit three fours before being caught off Steel. Wilson played a good innings, but was fifth out, bowled by a Lister-Kaye yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
for 53, leaving the score on 133/5. Hillyard obtained little support from the Harrow tail end, and was last out, stumped off Fowler for 62. The wicket was too slow to be difficult, and the Harrow batsmen were able to accumulate runs, reaching 232 in their first innings off 95.3 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....
, with half-centuries for Harrow's Wilson (53) and Hillyard (62). The pitch was slow, but showed significant turn for the spin bowlers.
Fowler bowled his off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
well, with bad luck, often beating the batsman but failing to take the edge and then missing the wicket. Steel's length was not perfect, but he bowled his leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
for his field and was not afraid to be hit. Lister-Kaye was perhaps the best of the bowlers, and Manners the best of the fielders, at cover-point. Lubbock let through 18 byes, mostly off the turning deliveries of Fowler. Fowler and Steel took four wickets apiece.
Eton started to bat at 5pm, when the light was worsening, and suffered a disastrous 90 minutes. Earle took an early wicket, but the slow pitch did not suit him, and Hillyard and Graham took two each. Eton were struggling at 40/5 when bad light stopped play at 6:30pm, half an hour before the scheduled close, with Eton needing another 93 runs to save the follow on. The Times described Eton's overnight position as "almost desperate", and the somewhat partisan coverage in the Daily Mirror, written by Wilson's brother, reported that "Harrow should win pretty easily."
The match resumed at 11am on the second day, Saturday 9 July 2010. The weather was cold again, and the sun did not come out until 5pm. The Eton batsmen struggled to deal with Alexander's googlies
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
. He took 3/7 as Eton's first innings ended quickly, with Eton 67 all out in 48 overs. Fowler top scored with 21 runs, the only Eton batsman to reach double figures. Earle bowled 12 overs for 4 runs and 1 wicket, with 9 maidens; Alexander bowled four overs and one ball for seven runs and three wickets.
With Eton 165 runs behind, Harrow enforced the 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...
, and Eton fared little better at the start of their second innings. Alexander still difficult to play – only Birchenough looked comfortable against him, but he was caught off Jameson for 22. Eton had lost 4 wickets for 47 runs by lunch, and subsided to 65/5 shortly afterwards when Steel was caught. The crowd anticipated an easy win for Harrow, and many departed – some to the last day of a closely fought Gentlemen v Players
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...
match being held at 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...
.
But Fowler was still batting, and added 42 runs for the sixth wicket with Wigan. Boswell joined Fowler after Wigan was out bowled. He rode his luck, adding 32 runs with several dropped catches, the seventh wicket partnership quickly adding 57 runs before Boswell was dismissed with Eton one run in arrears. Eton erased the first-innings deficit, to the delight of their supporters, but Fowler was eventually out for 64 runs, the highest individual innings in the match, with 8 fours, a three, 10 twos and 9 singles. Eton were 166/8, ahead by only one run. Stock was out quickly with Eton only four runs ahead, but Harrow supporters grew increasingly glum as the tenth-wicket partnership of Manners and Lister-Kaye hit 50 runs in a half an hour, giving Eton a lead of 54 runs. The Times on Monday 11 July reported "a most exhilarating half-hour's cricket while Manners and Lister-Kaye, especially Manners, hit the bowling all over the field".
Needing only 55 runs to win, Harrow captain Earle called for the heavy roller to pacify the pitch, but his tactic backfired and the Eton bowling became unplayable (the Daily Mirror claimed that the heavy roller was applied without Earle's consent). Fowler opened the bowling from the Pavilion End, obtaining prodigious turn immediately, and taking the wicket of Wilson with the first ball of the innings. Lister-Kaye bowled three overs from the Nursery End before being replaced by Steel. Hopely hit two fours, but then Fowler took two more wickets, reducing Harrow to 8/3. The Eton bowlers made it almost impossible for Harrow to score runs, and wickets continued to tumble, with Fowler taking the first six wickets to fall. Earle scored a quick 13 but was then controversially given out, caught at slip off a yorker which may have been a bump ball, 21/4. After 40 minutes, Harrow had reached 27/8, and opening batsman Jameson had not yet scored a run. He hit two runs to get off the mark, but was out shortly afterwards, a fifth Harrow batsman to be bowled by Fowler, to leave Harrow on 32/9. The eleventh Harrow batsman, Alexander, had to abandon his tea to come to the crease with 23 runs required for Harrow to win. He and Graham added 13 runs, but Alexander was caught at slip off Steel with Harrow still 10 runs short of the target, playing inside a ball that did not turn, at one minute before 6pm. Eton won by 9 runs. It was said that the cheering could be heard at London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
, some distance away in Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
, and at Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
. The Times reported that "most pardonable pandemonium reigned for fully half an hour". Fowler was carried off the pitch, and bowed to a cheering crowd from the pavilion.
Fowler ended the match having scored 21 and 64 runs, and taken 4/90 and 8/23. The Times described Fowler's contribution in the following terms: "in the whole history of public school cricket nothing better can have been seen than Fowler's play on the second day".
Teams
| Harrow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TO Jameson | 1892 | 1965 | Hampshire, Ireland | |
| TB Wilson | 1892 | 1917 | Brother of Frederic Bonhote Wilson. Killed in action, Second Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards Irish Guards The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities... . |
|
| GWV Hopley | 1891 | 1915 | Cambridge | Brother of Frederick John Vanderbyl Hopley. Killed in action, Second Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards... . |
| TLG Turnbull | 1891 | 1915 | Also played in 1909, captain of Harrow in 1911. Killed in action, Private, 1st Battalion, Honourable Artillery Company Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"... . |
|
| GF Earle (captain) | 1891 | 1966 | Surrey and Somerset | |
| WT Monckton (wicket-keeper) | 1891 | 1965 | Kent 2nd XI | Later Attorney General Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person... ; created Viscount Monckton of Brenchley. |
| JM Hillyard | 1891 | 1983 | Son of George Whiteside Hillyard | |
| CHB Blount Charles Hubert Boulby Blount Air Vice-Marshal Charles Hubert Boulby Blount CB OBE MC was an English soldier, airman and first-class cricketer. His great-great nephew is singer James Blunt .-Family:... |
1893 | 1940 | Combined Services, RAF | Later Air Vice-Marshal, killed in an aircraft crash on his way to Ireland. |
| AC Straker | 1893 | 1961 | Cambridge | |
| OB Graham | 1891 | 1971 | Europeans (in India) | |
| HRLG Alexander | 1891 | 1979 | Son of Earl of Caledon Earl of Caledon Earl of Caledon, of Caledon, County Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for James Alexander, 1st Viscount Caledon. He was a merchant who had made an enormous fortune in India. He also represented the constituency of Londonderry City in the Irish House of Commons... . Later Field Marshal; created Earl Alexander of Tunis. |
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| Eton | ||||
| RH Lubbock (wicket-keeper) | 1891 | 1961 | Served in Royal Field Artillery Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924.... and No. 906 (County of Middlesex) Balloon Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force. |
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| CW Tufnell | 1892 | 1914 | Captain of Eton in 1911; Second Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards... . |
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| WT Birchenough | 1892 | ? | Son of William Taylor Birchenough who was married to Jane Peacock, daughter of Richard Peacock Richard Peacock Richard Peacock was an English engineer, one of the founders of locomotive manufacturer Beyer-Peacock.-Early life and education:... M.P and nephew of Sir Henry Birchenough Henry Birchenough Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, GCMG was an English businessman and public servant.-Early life and education:... . |
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| WTF Holland | 1893 | ? | 21st Lancers 21st Lancers The 21st Lancers were a cavalry regiment of the British Army, created in 1858 and amalgamated to form the 17th/21st Lancers in 1922... ? |
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| RS Fowler (captain) | 1891 | 1925 | MCC, Hampshire | Served with 17th Lancers 17th Lancers The 17th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War... |
| AI Steel Allan Ivo Steel Allan Ivo Steel was an English cricketer.Allan Steel was born in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, the son of the Lancashire cricketer A. G. Steel... |
1892 | 1917 | Middlesex | Son of Allan Gibson Steel Allan Gibson Steel Allan Gibson "AG" Steel was a Lancashire and England cricketer, who was reckoned by many in his day to be the equal of the legendary W G Grace.... . Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards Coldstream Guards Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division.... . Died in Belgium. |
| DG Wigan | 1893 | 1958 | Oxford | 60th Rifles |
| AR Stock | ? | 1915 | Lieutenant, Ayrshire Yeomanry | |
| Hon JN Manners | 1892 | 1914 | Son of John Thomas Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron Manners. Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards... . Died in France. Subject of a poem in The Muse in Arms The Muse in Arms The Muse in Arms is an anthology of British war poetry published in November 1917 during World War I. It consists of 131 poems by 52 contributors, with the poems divided into fourteen thematic sections. The poets were from all three branches of the armed services, land, sea and air, from a range of... . |
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| KA Lister-Kaye | 1892 | 1955 | Oxford, Europeans (in India), Yorkshire | Son of Sir Cecil Edmund Lister-Kaye, 4th Baronet. Later 5th Baronet. |
| WGK Boswell | 1892 | 1916 | Oxford | Eton team in 1911. Captain, 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade. Died of wounds. |
External links
- Match scorecard from CricketArchive
- Profile of Fowler from Cricinfo
- Profile of Fowler from CricketArchive
- Fowler's obituary, Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 1926