Phil Mead
Encyclopedia
Charles Phillip Mead was a left-handed batsman for Hampshire
and England between 1905 and 1936. He was born at 10 Ashton Buildings (since pulled down), second eldest of seven children. As a child he played for South London Schools, attending Shillingstone Street School.
His exceptionally straight bat and quick footwork (surprising for a man of heavy build as he was) made him one of the most difficult batsmen to dismiss throughout his career. His mastery over the best county spin bowlers even on the most treacherous pitches is remarkable, but he could also be very good against the fastest bowling because he could get closer into line than just about any batsman in cricket history.
Mead holds many batting records, notably that of scoring the most runs in the County Championship and the fourth-highest total in all first-class matches
. His number of runs for Hampshire, in fact, is the greatest number any batsman has scored for a single team. He also exceeded one thousand runs in every season of first-class cricket except his first - when he only played one match. He was also a fine fieldsman, holding 675 catches.
spotted Mead playing as a schoolboy at the Oval
and encouraged him to become a professional; he joined the Surrey
ground staff in 1902.
Mead first trialled for Surrey, but qualified for Hampshire
because Surrey's batting strength was such that they were unable to offer him a contract. It is possible that Fry's Hampshire connections (he had a Training Ship Mercury on the River Hamble
) helped bring Mead to Hampshire. During his residence qualification period Mead worked in coaching naval trainees, and might have made his first class debut at 17 for Players of the South against the Gentleman, but was vetoed by W G Grace who objected because of his age.
After one match against the touring Australians when not qualified in 1905, Mead immediately became a regular with Hampshire, but faltered after a promising beginning including 109 against Yorkshire
.
However, from 1907 onwards Mead, at this stage an opening batsman, advanced very rapidly, with his average reaching 39 in the very wet summer of 1909. In 1911, he moved down the order to his familiar position of number four, and so successful was this move that he was the leading run-scorer in 1911 and 1913, and toured Australia in 1911/1912 and South Africa in 1913/1914. He was not nearly so successful as might have been expected in Australia, but in South Africa he hit a Test century and played particularly well throughout. In 1912 he had been unbeaten (160* and 33*) in Hampshire's historic win over the Australians at Southampton
.
After World War I
halted county cricket (Mead was rejected from active service because of varicose veins
)., Mead's list of achievements grew, as his always-remarkable watchfulness and superb footwork made him the complete master of bowlers such as Tich Freeman
who were deadly against batsmen of poorer technique. In 1921, after missing the first three Tests
against Australia, Mead hit 182 not out at The Oval
in the last Test - showing that England seriously erred in not choosing him for the earlier games when Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald
had a complete mastery over their batsmen. He also hit his highest score of 280 not out that year against Nottinghamshire
. Hampshire, remarkably, lost the match as they had been bowled out cheaply on a good wicket in their first innings!
Between 1922 and 1928, Mead was consistently one of the top batsmen in county cricket, but England's remarkable batting strength - with men like Herbert Sutcliffe
, Wally Hammond
, Jack Hobbs
and Frank Woolley
- meant Mead had few opportunities at Test level. After scoring over 3000 runs in 1928, Mead toured Australia for the second time, but was dropped after one Test so as to make room for another bowler.
In 1929, affected by injury, Mead declined substantially, failing to reach 2000 runs for the first time since the war. However, despite no longer being in the front rank of English batsmen, Mead was still feared for his great technical skill and reached a thousand runs every year until, at the age of forty-nine in 1936, he was not re-engaged by Hampshire. In his last innings, Mead played a superbly skillful 52 against Hedley Verity
on a badly wearing wicket, and he played for Suffolk
in the Minor Counties Championship with considerable success in 1938 and 1939 while cricket coach at Framlingham College
.
He had predictable mannerisms - having got to the crease with his "rolling, self-reliant" walk, he took guard, twirled his bat, tapped his bat in the crease and took several shuffling steps up to it. Before every ball he would tug his cap. His batting was not slow, but completely unhurried; a spectator once described him as having 'stone-walled' from a quarter to one to half past six for 200.
Soon after World War II
, problems with his eyes which had begun in 1941-2 led to Mead becoming totally blind
, but he never complained about this. His financial worries were assuaged by a fund raised by Herbert Sutcliffe
for Mead and Len Braund
. He retained a great interest in cricket and often attended Hampshire matches at Dean Park
right up to his death on 26 March 1958.
for one season in order to assist the club's reserve team as a useful inside-forward, but he had no intention of taking up football as a full-time occupation. On 21 December 1907, he was at Fratton Park
, Portsmouth
for a reserve fixture when he was summoned to The Dell where the Saints had an emergency as both regular goalkeeper
s, Herbert Lock
and Tom Burrows
were unavailable through injury. Mead therefore played in goal in a Southern League
match against West Ham United
. According to Holley & Chalk's "The Alphabet of the Saints" he "shaped up well but was only required to save two shots and kept a blank sheet in a 0-0 draw."
in 1899.
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
and England between 1905 and 1936. He was born at 10 Ashton Buildings (since pulled down), second eldest of seven children. As a child he played for South London Schools, attending Shillingstone Street School.
His exceptionally straight bat and quick footwork (surprising for a man of heavy build as he was) made him one of the most difficult batsmen to dismiss throughout his career. His mastery over the best county spin bowlers even on the most treacherous pitches is remarkable, but he could also be very good against the fastest bowling because he could get closer into line than just about any batsman in cricket history.
Mead holds many batting records, notably that of scoring the most runs in the County Championship and the fourth-highest total in all first-class matches
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...
. His number of runs for Hampshire, in fact, is the greatest number any batsman has scored for a single team. He also exceeded one thousand runs in every season of first-class cricket except his first - when he only played one match. He was also a fine fieldsman, holding 675 catches.
Cricket career
C B FryC B Fry
Charles Burgess Fry, known as C. B. Fry was an English polymath; an outstanding sportsman, politician, diplomat, academic, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer...
spotted Mead playing as a schoolboy 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...
and encouraged him to become a professional; he joined the 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...
ground staff in 1902.
Mead first trialled for Surrey, but qualified for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
because Surrey's batting strength was such that they were unable to offer him a contract. It is possible that Fry's Hampshire connections (he had a Training Ship Mercury on the River Hamble
River Hamble
The River Hamble is a river in Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for some 7.5 miles through Botley, Bursledon and Swanwick before entering Southampton Water near Hamble-le-Rice and Warsash....
) helped bring Mead to Hampshire. During his residence qualification period Mead worked in coaching naval trainees, and might have made his first class debut at 17 for Players of the South against the Gentleman, but was vetoed by W G Grace who objected because of his age.
After one match against the touring Australians when not qualified in 1905, Mead immediately became a regular with Hampshire, but faltered after a promising beginning including 109 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....
.
However, from 1907 onwards Mead, at this stage an opening batsman, advanced very rapidly, with his average reaching 39 in the very wet summer of 1909. In 1911, he moved down the order to his familiar position of number four, and so successful was this move that he was the leading run-scorer in 1911 and 1913, and toured Australia in 1911/1912 and South Africa in 1913/1914. He was not nearly so successful as might have been expected in Australia, but in South Africa he hit a Test century and played particularly well throughout. In 1912 he had been unbeaten (160* and 33*) in Hampshire's historic win over the Australians at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
halted county cricket (Mead was rejected from active service because of varicose veins
Varicose veins
Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and tortuous. The term commonly refers to the veins on the leg, although varicose veins can occur elsewhere. Veins have leaflet valves to prevent blood from flowing backwards . Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart, against the...
)., Mead's list of achievements grew, as his always-remarkable watchfulness and superb footwork made him the complete master of bowlers such as Tich Freeman
Tich Freeman
Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman was an English cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most prolific wicket taker in first class cricket history.-Career:Freeman's common name comes from his extremely short...
who were deadly against batsmen of poorer technique. In 1921, after missing the first three 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...
against Australia, Mead hit 182 not out 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 the last Test - showing that England seriously erred in not choosing him for the earlier games when Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald
Ted McDonald
Edgar Arthur "Ted" McDonald was a cricketer who played for Tasmania, Victoria, Lancashire and Australia, as well as being an Australian rules footballer who played with Launceston Football Club, Essendon Football Club, and Fitzroy Football Club.A very fast bowler with the...
had a complete mastery over their batsmen. He also hit his highest score of 280 not out that year against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. Hampshire, remarkably, lost the match as they had been bowled out cheaply on a good wicket in their first innings!
Between 1922 and 1928, Mead was consistently one of the top batsmen in county cricket, but England's remarkable batting strength - with men like Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
, Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
, Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
and Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
- meant Mead had few opportunities at Test level. After scoring over 3000 runs in 1928, Mead toured Australia for the second time, but was dropped after one Test so as to make room for another bowler.
In 1929, affected by injury, Mead declined substantially, failing to reach 2000 runs for the first time since the war. However, despite no longer being in the front rank of English batsmen, Mead was still feared for his great technical skill and reached a thousand runs every year until, at the age of forty-nine in 1936, he was not re-engaged by Hampshire. In his last innings, Mead played a superbly skillful 52 against Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
on a badly wearing wicket, and he played for Suffolk
Suffolk County Cricket Club
Suffolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Suffolk....
in the Minor Counties Championship with considerable success in 1938 and 1939 while cricket coach at Framlingham College
Framlingham College
Framlingham College is an independent, coeducational boarding and day school in the town of Framlingham, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Together with its preparatory school, Brandeston Hall and Little Bears Nursery it serves pupils from 2 1/2 to eighteen years of age.-History of Framlingham...
.
He had predictable mannerisms - having got to the crease with his "rolling, self-reliant" walk, he took guard, twirled his bat, tapped his bat in the crease and took several shuffling steps up to it. Before every ball he would tug his cap. His batting was not slow, but completely unhurried; a spectator once described him as having 'stone-walled' from a quarter to one to half past six for 200.
Soon after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, problems with his eyes which had begun in 1941-2 led to Mead becoming totally blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, but he never complained about this. His financial worries were assuaged by a fund raised by Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
for Mead and Len Braund
Len Braund
Leonard Charles Braund, born October 18, 1875, at Clewer, Berkshire, and died December 23, 1955, Putney Common, London, was a cricketer who played for Surrey, Somerset and England....
. He retained a great interest in cricket and often attended Hampshire matches at Dean Park
Dean Park Cricket Ground
Dean Park is a cricket ground in Bournemouth, England, currently used by Bournemouth University Cricket Club, as well as by and Suttoners Cricket Club....
right up to his death on 26 March 1958.
Football career
In 1907, Mead signed for SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
for one season in order to assist the club's reserve team as a useful inside-forward, but he had no intention of taking up football as a full-time occupation. On 21 December 1907, he was at Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
for a reserve fixture when he was summoned to The Dell where the Saints had an emergency as both regular goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
s, Herbert Lock
Herbert Lock
Herbert Lock was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Southampton and Rangers in the early part of the twentieth century.-Southampton:...
and Tom Burrows
Tom Burrows (footballer)
Thomas Burrows was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Southampton and Merthyr Town in the years prior to World War I.-Football career:...
were unavailable through injury. Mead therefore played in goal in a Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
match against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. According to Holley & Chalk's "The Alphabet of the Saints" he "shaped up well but was only required to save two shots and kept a blank sheet in a 0-0 draw."
Family
Married to Beatrice Englefield in 1908, he had two sons, Ronald and Frank. Beatrice's brother, Frank Englefield, was a prominent local footballer, making one appearance for SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in 1899.