Ralph Docker was an English

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 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...

 in 1879.

Docker was born in Harborne

Harborne

Harborne is an area three miles southwest from Birmingham city centre, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and in the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Edgbaston.- Geography :...

, Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

, the son of Ralph Docker and his wife Sarah Sankey. His father was a solicitor in practice at Birmingham and Smethwick who took on a large number of public appointments. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...

. In 1873 he played for a Birmingham XXII against an All England XI, and then in 1878 in another Birmingham XXII against an Australian team.

Docker played two matches for Derbyshire in the 1879 season

Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1879

Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1879 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their ninth season.Of the county sides Derbyshire played in the previous year they had matches against Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. However they did not play Hampshire or Kent...

  making his debut against Marylebone Cricket Club

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...

 in May 1879, as an opening batsman, and played his first and only county match two weeks later, moving down the order to face Lancashire

Lancashire County Cricket Club

Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...

. He made a total of 9 runs in his four first class innings. Later in the season he played again for Birmingham. In 1880 he played a game for Staffordshire

Staffordshire County Cricket Club

Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...

, and in 1883 and 1885 one game each year for Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...

 which was before the club had first class status. His last match against touring Parsees was for Gentlemen of Warwickshire in 1888.

Docker died in Tunbridge Wells aged 55. Docker had two younger brothers Frank Dudley Docker

Frank Dudley Docker

Frank Dudley Docker CB , known as Dudley Docker, was an English businessman and financier. He also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1881 and 1882.-Cricketer:...

 and Ludford Docker

Ludford Docker

Ludford Charles Docker was businessman and an English cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1881 and 1886, captaining the side in 1884, and for Warwickshire in 1894 and 1895.-Early life:...

who managed the industrial and financial concern Docker Brothers and who also played cricket for Derbyshire, Ludford being club captain.