Jack White (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
John Cornish White, known as "Farmer" or "Jack", (19 February 1891 in Holford
, Somerset
– 2 May 1961 in Combe Florey
, Somerset) was an English
cricketer
who played for Somerset
and England. White was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929. He played in 15 Test match
es, and captained England in four of them.
wickets for 83 runs in the match at Bath in 1919. He also took all 10 Worcestershire wickets in an innings for 76 runs in 1921 at Worcester
. His total number of wickets for Somerset, 2,165, is still the county record, as is his number of catches, 393. His career total of 2,355 wickets puts him 16th on the all-time list of wicket-takers. He was captain of Somerset from 1927 to 1931.
and the main bowler in a series that turned into a successful war of attrition. At Melbourne
, he bowled 113 overs and five balls, and at Adelaide
he surpassed that, bowling 124 overs and five balls and taking 13 wickets in the match for 256 runs, as England won by just 12 runs. In the final Test of the series, he stood in as captain for the injured Chapman, but lost the Test and so ended England's then-record-equalling run of seven consecutive Test victories.
White captained England again in the series against South Africa in 1929: he won once and drew twice. Further Tests followed against Australia in 1930 and the following winter in South Africa, again as vice-captain to Chapman.
White was a Test selector in 1929 and 1930 and was president of Somerset at the time of his death.
Holford
Holford is a village and civil parish in West Somerset within the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and about west of Bridgwater and east of Williton. The village has a population of about 200. The village is on the Quantock Greenway and Coleridge Way footpaths...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
– 2 May 1961 in Combe Florey
Combe Florey
Combe Florey is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, on the West Somerset Railway. The village has a population of 252...
, Somerset) was an English
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...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played 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...
and England. White was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929. He played in 15 Test match
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...
es, and captained England in four of them.
Domestic career
A slow left arm bowler who used accuracy and variation of pace rather than spin to take wickets, he was a regular player for Somerset from 1913 to 1937, taking 100 wickets a season 14 times. In 1929 and 1930 he also scored more than 1,000 runs, completing the "cricketer's double". Among his county records, he took 16 WorcestershireWorcestershire 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...
wickets for 83 runs in the match at Bath in 1919. He also took all 10 Worcestershire wickets in an innings for 76 runs in 1921 at Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. His total number of wickets for Somerset, 2,165, is still the county record, as is his number of catches, 393. His career total of 2,355 wickets puts him 16th on the all-time list of wicket-takers. He was captain of Somerset from 1927 to 1931.
Test career
White was first picked for England in the difficult 1921 series against the Australians and was not then selected again for seven years. For the winter tour of Australia in 1928/29, he was vice-captain to Percy ChapmanPercy Chapman
Arthur Percy Frank Chapman was an English cricketer who captained England to a then English-record-equalling seven consecutive Test match wins, a record that was not surpassed until Michael Vaughan's team won eight in a row in 2004...
and the main bowler in a series that turned into a successful war of attrition. At Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, he bowled 113 overs and five balls, and at Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
he surpassed that, bowling 124 overs and five balls and taking 13 wickets in the match for 256 runs, as England won by just 12 runs. In the final Test of the series, he stood in as captain for the injured Chapman, but lost the Test and so ended England's then-record-equalling run of seven consecutive Test victories.
White captained England again in the series against South Africa in 1929: he won once and drew twice. Further Tests followed against Australia in 1930 and the following winter in South Africa, again as vice-captain to Chapman.
White was a Test selector in 1929 and 1930 and was president of Somerset at the time of his death.