Frank Lowson
Encyclopedia
Frank Anderson Lowson was an English
cricket
er, who played in seven Tests
for England from 1951 to 1955. In first-class cricket
, Lowson amassed 15,321 runs at an average of over 37, but had drifted away from the county game by his early thrties.
, Yorkshire
, England
. A right-handed opening batsman from the Bradford League
, Lowson came late to first-class cricket
and then was an instant success as an opening batsman for Yorkshire
, scoring 1,799 runs in his first season, 1949, and partnering Len Hutton
in the most prolific season of Hutton's career. The following year, 1950, Lowson was even better, scoring 2,152 runs and during the first half of the 1950s he continued a hugely productive partnership with Hutton, often being described as a Hutton clone.
The partnership moved into Test cricket against the South Africans
in 1951. Lowson's first Test innings was 58 out of a first-wicket partnership of 99 with Hutton at Headingley
, and he retained his place for the final match of the series at The Oval
.
Lowson was then chosen for a gruellingly-long five month MCC
tour of India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1951-52, from which he emerged with mixed reviews. Many of the leading England players of the time opted out of this tour, Hutton included.
Lowson played in four of the five Tests against India
, and made his highest Test score (68) in the first match. He scored more than 1,000 first-class runs on the tour, at an average of 44 runs per innings, but could average only 18 in the Tests. Wisden
's review of the tour said; "Lowson possessed more strokes and looked the most accomplished batsman on the side, but he had an unfortunate time in the Tests. His skill could not be denied and he seemed an England batsman all over, the only doubt being the question of temperament".
That tour marked the high-water mark of Lowson's career and he made only one further Test appearance, being an unsuccessful replacement for his county colleague Willie Watson
at Headingley against the 1955 South Africans.
In county cricket
, he did well in 1952, better in 1953 when he made his highest score, an unbeaten 259 against Worcestershire
at New Road
, and then performed well again in 1954. But Hutton's retirement in 1955 coincided with Lowson's worst season and though he returned to form in 1956, he was injured for part of 1957 and wholly out of form in 1958.
At the end of the 1958 season, Yorkshire having endured the least successful period in its history in terms of lack of County Championship
success, the Yorkshire committee and new captain Ronnie Burnet
decided to go for a policy of youth and dispensed with the services of several senior players, including Johnny Wardle
, Bob Appleyard
and Lowson. The move was a success in that Yorkshire won the Championship the following season, 1959, but Lowson went back to League cricket at the age of 33, and never played first-class cricket again. He went on to build a career in insurance.
J. M. Kilburn, the former cricket correspondent of the Yorkshire Post
, summed up Lowson's career when he wrote: "He had all the attributes of a Test cricketer except, perhaps, the driving force of ambition".
Lowson died in Pool-in-Wharfedale
, Yorkshire, in September 1984, at the age of 59.
Lowson's family is still involved in the game. Two grandchildren of his cousin Charles (1921-2005) have been involved in the game, Alan Pritchard (born 1973) has played for Stafford Cricket Club whilst great-nephew (and grandson of Charles) Matthew (born 1990) is involved in the sport as an umpire
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
er, who played in seven Tests
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...
for England from 1951 to 1955. In 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...
, Lowson amassed 15,321 runs at an average of over 37, but had drifted away from the county game by his early thrties.
Life and career
Lowson was born in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. A right-handed opening batsman from the Bradford League
Bradford Cricket League
The Bradford Cricket League is an amateur cricket competition centred in Bradford, West Yorkshire...
, Lowson came late to 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...
and then was an instant success as an opening batsman for 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....
, scoring 1,799 runs in his first season, 1949, and partnering Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
in the most prolific season of Hutton's career. The following year, 1950, Lowson was even better, scoring 2,152 runs and during the first half of the 1950s he continued a hugely productive partnership with Hutton, often being described as a Hutton clone.
The partnership moved into Test cricket against the South Africans
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in 1951. Lowson's first Test innings was 58 out of a first-wicket partnership of 99 with Hutton at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, and he retained his place for the final match of the series 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...
.
Lowson was then chosen for a gruellingly-long five month MCC
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...
tour of India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1951-52, from which he emerged with mixed reviews. Many of the leading England players of the time opted out of this tour, Hutton included.
Lowson played in four of the five Tests against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, and made his highest Test score (68) in the first match. He scored more than 1,000 first-class runs on the tour, at an average of 44 runs per innings, but could average only 18 in the Tests. Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
's review of the tour said; "Lowson possessed more strokes and looked the most accomplished batsman on the side, but he had an unfortunate time in the Tests. His skill could not be denied and he seemed an England batsman all over, the only doubt being the question of temperament".
That tour marked the high-water mark of Lowson's career and he made only one further Test appearance, being an unsuccessful replacement for his county colleague Willie Watson
Willie Watson (England cricketer)
William "Willie" Watson, was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.-Cricket career:...
at Headingley against the 1955 South Africans.
In county cricket
County 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:...
, he did well in 1952, better in 1953 when he made his highest score, an unbeaten 259 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...
at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
, and then performed well again in 1954. But Hutton's retirement in 1955 coincided with Lowson's worst season and though he returned to form in 1956, he was injured for part of 1957 and wholly out of form in 1958.
At the end of the 1958 season, Yorkshire having endured the least successful period in its history in terms of lack of County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
success, the Yorkshire committee and new captain Ronnie Burnet
Ronnie Burnet
Ronnie Burnet was an English cricketer and the last amateur captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club...
decided to go for a policy of youth and dispensed with the services of several senior players, including Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
, Bob Appleyard
Bob Appleyard
Bob Appleyard is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer.He was one of the best English bowlers of the 1950s, a decade which saw England develop its strongest bowling attack of the twentieth century...
and Lowson. The move was a success in that Yorkshire won the Championship the following season, 1959, but Lowson went back to League cricket at the age of 33, and never played first-class cricket again. He went on to build a career in insurance.
J. M. Kilburn, the former cricket correspondent of the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
, summed up Lowson's career when he wrote: "He had all the attributes of a Test cricketer except, perhaps, the driving force of ambition".
Lowson died in Pool-in-Wharfedale
Pool-in-Wharfedale
Pool in Wharfedale is a village and civil parish in the Lower Wharfedale area, 10 miles north of Leeds city centre and 2 miles east of Otley. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is in the LS21 ...
, Yorkshire, in September 1984, at the age of 59.
Lowson's family is still involved in the game. Two grandchildren of his cousin Charles (1921-2005) have been involved in the game, Alan Pritchard (born 1973) has played for Stafford Cricket Club whilst great-nephew (and grandson of Charles) Matthew (born 1990) is involved in the sport as an umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
.