Harry Topham
Encyclopedia
Harry Gillespie Topham was an English
clergyman and cricket
er who played for Derbyshire
during the 1881 season and for Cambridge University
in 1883 and 1884.
Topham was born in Ladbroke, Warwickshire
the son of Rev. Edward Charles Topham, rector of Hauxwell
, Yorkshire and his wife Grace Gillespie. He was educated at Repton School
, and became a member of their cricketing eleven between 1878 and 1881. He made his debut in First Class cricket for Derbyshire in 1881
in August against Yorkshire
, when he took a wicket in each innings, while William Mycroft
did most of the damage. He went to Jesus College, Cambridge
, and played fifteen games for Cambridge University
. In 1883, he took 5 wickets for 48 against Gentlemen of England and was in the winning Varsity match
but took no wickets. In 1884 he took 5 for 73 against Surrey
, 5 for 74 against the Australians and 7 for 62 in a ten wicket match against Gentlemen of England. He was on the losing side in the 1884 Varsity match. Topham was left-arm slow bowler and took 60 first class wickets with an average of 18.66 and a best performance of 7-62, achieving four five wicket innings and one ten-wicket match during his first-class career. He was a left-handed batsman and played 28 innings in 16 matches with an average of 5.93 and a top score of 12.
Topham was ordained deacon (Rochester) in 1886 and priest in 1887. He was curate of Holy Trinity, Greenwich from 1886 to 1887 and of St Paul's, Newington, London
from 1887 to 1892. He turned out for a Gentlemen of Kent side in 1888. In 1892 he became vicar of Milton, Portsmouth
, but lost his first wife in 1893 and became curate of Farnham, Surrey in 1894. He then became curate of Badshot Lea
in 1900. In 1903 he became rector of Middleham
, Yorkshire, remaining in post until his death at the age of 63.
Topham married Emily Catherine Peyton Wilson on 1 September 1892 but she died a year later. Topham married Edith Coore on 2 July 1907 and had two daughters.
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...
clergyman and 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 for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
during the 1881 season and 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...
in 1883 and 1884.
Topham was born in Ladbroke, Warwickshire
Ladbroke, Warwickshire
Ladbroke is a village and civil parish about south of Southam in Warwickshire.-Manor:The earliest known record of Ladbroke is from AD 998, when King Æthelred II granted lands at Southam, Ladbroke and Radbourne to Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce....
the son of Rev. Edward Charles Topham, rector of Hauxwell
Hauxwell
Hauxwell or East Hauxwell is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located south of Catterick Garrison.-Notable people:* Sir Richard Dalton* Mark Pattison...
, Yorkshire and his wife Grace Gillespie. He was educated at Repton School
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
, and became a member of their cricketing eleven between 1878 and 1881. He made his debut in First Class cricket for Derbyshire in 1881
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1881
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1881 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for ten years. The team played nine first class matches and won two of them-1881 season:...
in August 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....
, when he took a wicket in each innings, while William Mycroft
William Mycroft
William Mycroft was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire and MCC between 1873 and 1886. He was a left-arm fast bowler with a great deal of spin and a dangerous yorker that was often believed to be unfair - which may explain why he was not considered for the earliest...
did most of the damage. He went to Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, and played fifteen games 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...
. In 1883, he took 5 wickets for 48 against Gentlemen of England and was in the winning Varsity match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
but took no wickets. In 1884 he took 5 for 73 against 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...
, 5 for 74 against the Australians and 7 for 62 in a ten wicket match against Gentlemen of England. He was on the losing side in the 1884 Varsity match. Topham was left-arm slow bowler and took 60 first class wickets with an average of 18.66 and a best performance of 7-62, achieving four five wicket innings and one ten-wicket match during his first-class career. He was a left-handed batsman and played 28 innings in 16 matches with an average of 5.93 and a top score of 12.
Topham was ordained deacon (Rochester) in 1886 and priest in 1887. He was curate of Holy Trinity, Greenwich from 1886 to 1887 and of St Paul's, Newington, London
Newington, London
Newington is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey...
from 1887 to 1892. He turned out for a Gentlemen of Kent side in 1888. In 1892 he became vicar of Milton, Portsmouth
Milton, Portsmouth
Milton is a primarily residential area of the city of Portsmouth, a unitary authority formerly in the English county of Hampshire. The area is located on the south eastern side of Portsea Island and is bordered on the east by Langstone Harbour...
, but lost his first wife in 1893 and became curate of Farnham, Surrey in 1894. He then became curate of Badshot Lea
Badshot Lea
Badshot Lea is a village situated near Farnham, Surrey, England. It is located half-way in between Aldershot and Farnham, with excellent access to the A31. The village boundaries have traditionally been four bridges -- three railway and one over a stream -- which inspired the logo for the local...
in 1900. In 1903 he became rector of Middleham
Middleham
Middleham is a small market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales, on the north-facing side of the valley just above the junction of the River Ure and River Cover. There has been a settlement there since Roman...
, Yorkshire, remaining in post until his death at the age of 63.
Topham married Emily Catherine Peyton Wilson on 1 September 1892 but she died a year later. Topham married Edith Coore on 2 July 1907 and had two daughters.