Frederick Smith (Somerset cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Aitken Leeston Smith (10 May 1854 – 27 January 1894) was an English
cricket
er 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". According to his obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
in 1905 (which states that he died in 1903), he adopted the "Leeston" name in 1880.
Educated at Malvern College
and Christ's College, Brecon, Smith was a right-handed opening or middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast bowler, though he did not bowl in first-class cricket. He played club cricket for Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club
and in a match against Thornbury he hit E. M. Grace, W. G.
's elder brother, for four sixes off consecutive balls. He played in several matches for Somerset before the county club was given first-class status in 1882, but thereafter appeared in just three matches, scoring useful runs in each of them, with a highest score of 37 in his final game, against Gloucestershire
in August 1885.
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...
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 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...
for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in 1884 and 1885. He was born at Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and died at Parkstone
Parkstone
Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of the lower-lying area of Lower Parkstone - "The Village" -...
, 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...
. In some sources, his name is written as "Leeston-Smith". According to his obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
in 1905 (which states that he died in 1903), he adopted the "Leeston" name in 1880.
Educated at Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
and Christ's College, Brecon, Smith was a right-handed opening or middle-order batsman and a right-arm fast bowler, though he did not bowl in first-class cricket. He played club cricket for Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club
Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club
Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club is an amateur cricket club based in the town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. Since the clubs formation in 1845, they have nurtured a number of players who have gone on to play for Somerset County Cricket Club and a select few who have gone on to play for the...
and in a match against Thornbury he hit E. M. Grace, 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...
's elder brother, for four sixes off consecutive balls. He played in several matches for Somerset before the county club was given first-class status in 1882, but thereafter appeared in just three matches, scoring useful runs in each of them, with a highest score of 37 in his final game, 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....
in August 1885.