Fred Grace
Encyclopedia
George Frederick Grace (13 December 1850 in Bristol
– 22 September 1880 in Basingstoke
, Hampshire
) was the youngest of the three Grace brothers to play Test cricket
for England
.
Although his elder brothers E. M. and W. G.
were always "known by (their) initials", the younger Grace was known as Fred, although his initials were used in scorecards like those of all other English cricketers.
on his first-class debut. Grace was selected along with his two brothers to play in the inaugural Test in England, which took place at The Oval
in 1880 against Australia. He was out for nought in both innings but held a "skyscraping catch" at the Vauxhall End off the giant Australian batsman George Bonnor
.
, caught, it was said, as the result of sleeping in a damp bed. The Times
wrote, "His manly and straightforward conduct and genial manners won him not only popularity, but the esteem of hosts and friends". 3,000 people followed his coffin and the touring Australians wore black armbands during their last match.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
– 22 September 1880 in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
) was the youngest of the three Grace brothers to play Test cricket
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
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
.
Although his elder brothers E. M. and W. G.
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...
were always "known by (their) initials", the younger Grace was known as Fred, although his initials were used in scorecards like those of all other English cricketers.
Career
Grace was "an attractive batsman", but one who "lacked the concentration and resolve to build a long innings". Like his two famous brothers he made a duckDuck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
on his first-class debut. Grace was selected along with his two brothers to play in the inaugural Test in England, which took place 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 1880 against Australia. He was out for nought in both innings but held a "skyscraping catch" at the Vauxhall End off the giant Australian batsman George Bonnor
George Bonnor
George John Bonnor was an Australian cricketer, known for his big hitting, who played between 1880 and 1888.-Career:...
.
Death
Two weeks after his Test appearance, Fred Grace died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, caught, it was said, as the result of sleeping in a damp bed. 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...
wrote, "His manly and straightforward conduct and genial manners won him not only popularity, but the esteem of hosts and friends". 3,000 people followed his coffin and the touring Australians wore black armbands during their last match.