Richard Mitchell (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Arthur Henry Mitchell (born 22 January 1843 at Enderby Hall, Leicester
; died 19 April 1905 at Mayford House, Woking
, Surrey
) was an English amateur cricketer
who played first-class cricket
from 1861 to 1883.
Mitchell was a right-handed batsman, occasional wicket-keeper
and right arm medium pace roundarm
bowler. Mainly associated with Oxford University
and Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC), he made 57 known appearances in first-class matches. He played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
series. He was regarded by Haygarth as one of the leading players of his era. After leaving Oxford, he usually was only seen in important cricket at the Canterbury
Festival where he made 21 appearances up to 1883.
Mitchell was educated at Eton College
and played for the school team from 1858 to 1861, being captain in the latter year. After he left Oxford, he returned to Eton as a teacher from 1866 to 1901. Between 1866 and 1897 he was the principal adviser and coach of the school's cricket team. He was a member of the MCC Committee from 1902 until his death three years later. He was father of Sir Frank Mitchell
.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
; died 19 April 1905 at Mayford House, Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) was an English amateur cricketer
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...
who 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...
from 1861 to 1883.
Mitchell was a right-handed batsman, occasional wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
and right arm medium pace roundarm
Roundarm bowling
In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...
bowler. Mainly associated with Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and 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...
(MCC), he made 57 known appearances in first-class matches. He played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
series. He was regarded by Haygarth as one of the leading players of his era. After leaving Oxford, he usually was only seen in important cricket at the Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
Festival where he made 21 appearances up to 1883.
Mitchell was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and played for the school team from 1858 to 1861, being captain in the latter year. After he left Oxford, he returned to Eton as a teacher from 1866 to 1901. Between 1866 and 1897 he was the principal adviser and coach of the school's cricket team. He was a member of the MCC Committee from 1902 until his death three years later. He was father of Sir Frank Mitchell
Sir Frank Mitchell
Sir Frank Herbert Mitchell KCVO, CBE was an English cricketer. Mitchell was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm underarm slow. The younger son of first-class cricketer and Eton master Richard Mitchell, he was born in Eton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Eton College, where he...
.
External links
Further reading
- H S AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962 - Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volumes 1-11 (1744-1870), Lillywhite, 1862-72