Rockley Wilson
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Rockley Wilson was an English
amateur
first-class cricket
er, who played for Cambridge University Cricket Club
, Yorkshire
, and England
.
, Yorkshire
, England
, and educated at Bilton Grange
, Rugby
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. An amateur whose main profession was as a schoolmaster for forty years at Winchester College
, Wilson bowled slow right-arm spinners, that could go either way, and batted well enough to score a century on first-class cricket debut, and another one in the annual Varsity match
. He played a little for Yorkshire from 1899, but after leaving Cambridge in 1902, he then played no first-class cricket for the next ten years, preferring, or so he claimed, to play three club matches a week rather than two county games.
But after an approach in 1913 by Hampshire
, where he lived, was turned down, he was persuaded to rejoin Yorkshire, the county of his birth, and stayed with them until 1923, playing mostly in the August school holidays. He played sixty six times for Yorkshire. In 1920, at the age of 41, he bowled so successfully that he finished fourth in the national averages, and was given leave from Winchester, to tour Australia
with the 1920-21 MCC
team, led by Johnny Douglas
.
In a disastrous series in which the Australian cricket team
won all five Tests
, Wilson made his Test debut at the age of 41 years and 337 days, the second oldest debutant in English cricket (after James Southerton
in the first Test match of them all in 1877). He scored five in each innings and took three wickets cheaply, but England still lost the match. Wilson also ran into trouble on the tour for filing reports back to the Daily Express
newspaper. As a result, when he subsequently encountered Lord Harris in the Long Room at Lord's
, the encounter was frosty. Harris offered him only the most cursory of handshakes, leaving him to observe loudly enough for Harris to hear as he moved on: "Lucky to get a touch really, lucky to get a touch."
Known as a witty, self-deprecating man, Wilson is credited as an influence on several generations of public school cricketers at Winchester. Amongst his pupils was Douglas Jardine
. Just before the 1932-3 Bodyline
series, Wilson was asked by a journalist what England's prospects were under Jardine's captaincy. "He might well win us the Ashes
," Wilson said, "but he might lose us a Dominion."
His brother, Clem Wilson
, also played for Yorkshire and England.
Wilson died in July 1957 in Winchester
, Hampshire
, England, aged 78.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
amateur
Amateur status in first-class cricket
Amateur status in first-class cricket had a special meaning, especially in England, in that the amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs...
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...
er, who played for Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, 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....
, and England
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...
.
Life
Wilson was born in Bolsterstone, StocksbridgeStocksbridge
Stocksbridge is a small town and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 13,663. It lies just to the east of the Peak District....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
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...
, and educated at Bilton Grange
Bilton Grange
Bilton Grange is a preparatory school located in Dunchurch, near Rugby, Warwickshire. The present headmaster is Mr. JP Kirk, the eighth in total....
, Rugby
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 Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. An amateur whose main profession was as a schoolmaster for forty years at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, Wilson bowled slow right-arm spinners, that could go either way, and batted well enough to score a century on first-class cricket debut, and another one in the annual Varsity match
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
. He played a little for Yorkshire from 1899, but after leaving Cambridge in 1902, he then played no first-class cricket for the next ten years, preferring, or so he claimed, to play three club matches a week rather than two county games.
But after an approach in 1913 by 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...
, where he lived, was turned down, he was persuaded to rejoin Yorkshire, the county of his birth, and stayed with them until 1923, playing mostly in the August school holidays. He played sixty six times for Yorkshire. In 1920, at the age of 41, he bowled so successfully that he finished fourth in the national averages, and was given leave from Winchester, to tour Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the 1920-21 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...
team, led by 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:...
.
In a disastrous series in which the Australian cricket team
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...
won all five 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...
, Wilson made his Test debut at the age of 41 years and 337 days, the second oldest debutant in English cricket (after James Southerton
James Southerton
James Southerton was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1854 and 1879....
in the first Test match of them all in 1877). He scored five in each innings and took three wickets cheaply, but England still lost the match. Wilson also ran into trouble on the tour for filing reports back to the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
newspaper. As a result, when he subsequently encountered Lord Harris in the Long Room at Lord's
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...
, the encounter was frosty. Harris offered him only the most cursory of handshakes, leaving him to observe loudly enough for Harris to hear as he moved on: "Lucky to get a touch really, lucky to get a touch."
Known as a witty, self-deprecating man, Wilson is credited as an influence on several generations of public school cricketers at Winchester. Amongst his pupils was Douglas Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
. Just before the 1932-3 Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
series, Wilson was asked by a journalist what England's prospects were under Jardine's captaincy. "He might well win us 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...
," Wilson said, "but he might lose us a Dominion."
His brother, Clem Wilson
Clem Wilson
The Reverend Clement Eustace Macro Wilson was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University between 1895 and 1898, and for Yorkshire between 1896 and 1899...
, also played for Yorkshire and England.
Wilson died in July 1957 in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England, aged 78.