Plum Warner
Encyclopedia
Sir Pelham Francis Warner MBE
(2 October 1873 in Port of Spain
, Trinidad
– 30 January 1963 at West Lavington, West Sussex
), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English
cricket
was a Test cricket
er.
Warner was educated at Rugby School
and Oriel College, Oxford. As a right-hand batsman, Warner played first-class cricket
for Oxford University, Middlesex
and England. He played 15 Test match
es, captaining in 10 of them, with a record of won 4, lost 6. He succeeded in regaining The Ashes
in 1903–04, winning the series against Australia
3-2. However he was less successful when he captained England on the tour of South Africa
in 1905–06, suffering a resounding 1-4 defeat, the first time England had lost to South Africa in a Test match. He was also to have captained England on the 1911–12 tour of Australia, but fell ill. He was unable to play in any of the Tests, with Johnny Douglas
taking over the captaincy.
He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1904 and also in 1921, making him one of two to have received the honour twice (the usual practice is that it is only won once: the other is Jack Hobbs
). The second award marked his retirement as a county player after the 1920 season, in which he captained Middlesex to the County Championship
title.
He did not play in another first-class fixture until 1926–27, when he captained an MCC
side to Argentina, in which the four representative matches against the host nation were accorded first-class status. MCC scraped a win in the series by 2 games to one, with one match drawn. He played one more first-class match, in 1929 for the MCC against the Royal Navy.
After retiring as a player, he became a tour manager, most notably on the infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–33, during which his ability to disappear at critical times was noted. He was the chairman of the England Test selectors for several years in the 1930s. He later became President of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He was knighted for his services to cricket in 1937.
Warner wrote extensively on cricket. He detailed his Ashes Tests
and a history of Lord's Cricket Ground
. He founded The Cricketer
magazine. He was cricket correspondent of the Morning Post
from 1921 to 1933, and subsequently of the Daily Telegraph. He married Agnes in the summer of 1904 and had two sons, Esmond and John, and a daughter, Elizabeth. He was also the father of a later England cricket captain, 'Gubby' Allen.
His brother Aucher Warner
not only captained the first combined West Indies side in the West Indies during the 1896–97 season but also the first West Indian touring side to England in 1900.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(2 October 1873 in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
– 30 January 1963 at West Lavington, West Sussex
West Lavington, West Sussex
West Lavington is a village and civil parish on the edge of Midhurst in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It contains a small private nursery school and the church of St Mary Magdalene...
), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of 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...
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...
was a 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...
er.
Warner was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Oriel College, Oxford. As a right-hand batsman, Warner 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 Oxford University, Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
and England. He played 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, captaining in 10 of them, with a record of won 4, lost 6. He succeeded in regaining The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
in 1903–04, winning the series against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
3-2. However he was less successful when he captained England on the tour of South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in 1905–06, suffering a resounding 1-4 defeat, the first time England had lost to South Africa in a Test match. He was also to have captained England on the 1911–12 tour of Australia, but fell ill. He was unable to play in any of the Tests, with Johnny Douglas
Johnny Douglas
John "Johnny" William Henry Tyler Douglas was a cricketer who was captain of the England team and an Olympic boxer.-Early life:...
taking over the captaincy.
He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1904 and also in 1921, making him one of two to have received the honour twice (the usual practice is that it is only won once: the other is 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....
). The second award marked his retirement as a county player after the 1920 season, in which he captained Middlesex to the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
title.
He did not play in another first-class fixture until 1926–27, when he captained an MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
side to Argentina, in which the four representative matches against the host nation were accorded first-class status. MCC scraped a win in the series by 2 games to one, with one match drawn. He played one more first-class match, in 1929 for the MCC against the Royal Navy.
After retiring as a player, he became a tour manager, most notably on the infamous Bodyline tour of Australia in 1932–33, during which his ability to disappear at critical times was noted. He was the chairman of the England Test selectors for several years in the 1930s. He later became President of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He was knighted for his services to cricket in 1937.
Warner wrote extensively on cricket. He detailed his Ashes Tests
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
and a history of Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. He founded The Cricketer
The Cricketer
The Cricketer was an English cricket magazine published between 1921 and 2003 when it was merged with Wisden Cricket Monthly and relaunched as The Wisden Cricketer....
magazine. He was cricket correspondent of the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
from 1921 to 1933, and subsequently of the Daily Telegraph. He married Agnes in the summer of 1904 and had two sons, Esmond and John, and a daughter, Elizabeth. He was also the father of a later England cricket captain, 'Gubby' Allen.
His brother Aucher Warner
Aucher Warner
Robert Stewart Aucher Warner was a West Indian cricketer. He was known as Aucher Warner...
not only captained the first combined West Indies side in the West Indies during the 1896–97 season but also the first West Indian touring side to England in 1900.
External references
- Cricinfo page on Plum Warner which includes the obituary from the 1964 edition of Wisden Cricketer's Almanack
- The Golden Age of Cricket 1890-1914 by David Frith ISBN 0-907853-50-1