Stephen Newton
Encyclopedia
Stephen Cox Newton was an English cricket
er who represented, and captained
, Somerset County Cricket Club
in the late 19th century. During a 14 year first-class cricket
career, he also represented Cambridge University
, Middlesex
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC).
He made his debut in first-class cricket for Cambridge University, where he was awarded his Blue. He then spent nine seasons playing for Somerset, and captained the side for the last five of those seasons. Working as a schoolmaster
in London, his playing opportunities for the south-western county were limited, and from 1885 he only played first-class cricket at Lord's cricket ground
, representing Middlesex in three matches that season, and appearing for the MCC on nine occasions over six years. He returned to play for Somerset in 1887 and 1890 when they had lost their first-class status. He worked as headmaster
of Loudon House School in London for some years from 1888, and died following an operation in 1916 in Ipswich
.
, Somerset
to Robert Newton and Elizabeth Catherine Cox. He attended Victoria College, Jersey
, where he played in the school cricket team for seven summers, from 1866 to 1872, and topped the batting averages in five of those years (1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, and 1872). He also captained
the side during his last three years at the school.
On completion of his time at Victoria College, Newton continued his education at Cambridge University, attending Corpus Christi College
. He played five first-class matches for the university, all in 1876. His highest score during these matches was the 33 not out
that he scored in the second innings of his first-class debut, against an England XI. He was awarded his cricketing Blue, scoring seven runs at number ten
during a nine wicket Cambridge victory over Oxford University
.
as being for the 'Gentlemen of Somerset', and are not categorised as first-class cricket, and although those from 1879 onwards are recorded as being for 'Somerset', they are generally regarded
as remaining a 'second-class' of cricket.
During these pre-first-class seasons, Newton made a name for himself, and in his official history of the club, Peter Roebuck
describes him as one of the talents of the side. He took on the captaincy of the club in 1880, a season in which he passed 30 runs in five of the recorded seven innings in which he played. His highest score recorded on CricketArchive during these years for Somerset was the 91 which he scored in 1876 against the Gentlemen of Dorset. Team-mate Bill Roe described Newton as a useful batsman who favoured playing balls on his pads
.Commonly known as pad play, removing the danger of being caught
. In his obituary, Newton was described as being "a most excellent field", particularly strong at cover-point
, while Haygarth's Scores and Biographies characterised him as "a fine and free hitter, and a most excellent field".
. He fared less well in the remainder of the 1882 season, failing to reach a half-century in any of his other three matches. Newton's batting average of 34.44 from his five first-class matches in 1882 was the highest he achieved during his first-class career, and both his total number of runs scored (310) and his number of half-centuries (3) during the season were also career highs.
Newton suffered a slow start to his 1883 campaign, failing to pass 10 runs in his first five innings. His improvements improved in his next three matches, highlighted by a half-century against Gloucestershire
, scored during a 135 run partnership with Edward Sainsbury
. His batting average for the season was almost half that of the previous year, and despite playing two additional innings he scored two less half-centuries than in 1882. In his first match for Somerset in 1884, Newton claimed his only wickets in first-class cricket. Bowling with a style that is not recorded on CricketArchive or Cricinfo, he claimed the wickets of Hampshire
's Arthur Richards
and HH Armstrong
, both batsmen being caught
off his bowling. Newton utilised himself as a bowler only after using every other member of the side, with the exception of wicket-keeper
Francis Terry
. In his next match, Newton avoided a pair against Lancashire
by top-scoring in Somerset's second innings with 62. That score was to be the last half-century of Newton's season, and his last in first-class cricket for Somerset. He added two further scores above 30 against Kent, scoring 46 and 31, He played three less innings than in the previous season, but surpassed his total runs from that season, and improved his average to 24.22. In his three years of first-class cricket for Somerset, he scored no centuries
, five half-centuries, and averaged 24.56 with the bat, higher than he finished with any other first-class cricket side.
or the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) at Lord's cricket ground
in St John's Wood
, London
. Having been a member of the MCC since 1878, Newton made his debut for the club in first-class competition against Nottinghamshire
in May 1885. He appeared for the club five times during 1885. In contrast to his time at Somerset, he did not restrict himself to playing only during late-July and August. Playing for the side against Lancashire, Newton made his highest total in first-class cricket, scoring 86 in the second-innings of the match. This score was the only half-century that Newton scored for a side other than Somerset. Newton appeared three times for Middlesex during 1885, for whom he qualified under the residential criterion. He averaged 5.33 for the county with the bat, and did not appear again after 1885. He appeared once for the MCC in first-class cricket in each of the 1887, 1888, 1889 and 1890 seasons, after which he did not play first-class cricket again. His final first-class match was in May 1890 when he scored 1 and 21 during a seven wicket loss to Lancashire.
, when they remained unbeaten against other county opposition, Newton batted at number four, scoring 3 and 0, his final recorded appearance for Somerset. CricketArchive records one further appearance for Newton, playing in Felixstowe
for the MCC against Suffolk
in 1905, aged 52. Opening the batting, he scored 87 to help his side to a nine wicket victory.
of Loudon House School in St John's Wood, London. He also taught at Highgate School
in Highgate
, London. He died on 16 August 1916 in a nursing home
in Ipswich
, Suffolk after an operation.
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 represented, and captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
, Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
in the late 19th century. During a 14 year 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...
career, he also represented Cambridge University
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...
, 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 the 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 his debut in first-class cricket for Cambridge University, where he was awarded his Blue. He then spent nine seasons playing for Somerset, and captained the side for the last five of those seasons. Working as a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
in London, his playing opportunities for the south-western county were limited, and from 1885 he only played first-class cricket at 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...
, representing Middlesex in three matches that season, and appearing for the MCC on nine occasions over six years. He returned to play for Somerset in 1887 and 1890 when they had lost their first-class status. He worked as headmaster
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
of Loudon House School in London for some years from 1888, and died following an operation in 1916 in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
.
Early life
Stephen Cox Newton was born on 21 April 1853 in NailseaNailsea
Nailsea is a town in the unitary authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, approximately to the southwest of Bristol and about to the northeast of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
to Robert Newton and Elizabeth Catherine Cox. He attended Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College is a fee paying States of Jersey-provided school in membership of the HMC, in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. The castellated neo-gothic architecture is a landmark overlooking the town.-History:In the 1590s, Laurens Baudains - a wealthy farmer from St...
, where he played in the school cricket team for seven summers, from 1866 to 1872, and topped the batting averages in five of those years (1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, and 1872). He also captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
the side during his last three years at the school.
On completion of his time at Victoria College, Newton continued his education at Cambridge University, attending Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
. He played five first-class matches for the university, all in 1876. His highest score during these matches was the 33 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
that he scored in the second innings of his first-class debut, against an England XI. He was awarded his cricketing Blue, scoring seven runs at number ten
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
during a nine wicket Cambridge victory over 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...
.
Pre-first-class years
Newton assisted Somerset from 1876 until 1890. The county cricket club had only been formally set-up the previous year, and was seeking first-class status. The majority of matches played by Newton for the county between 1876 and 1878 are recorded by CricketArchiveCricketArchive
CricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
as being for the 'Gentlemen of Somerset', and are not categorised as first-class cricket, and although those from 1879 onwards are recorded as being for 'Somerset', they are generally regarded
Variations in first-class cricket statistics
Variations in first-class cricket statistics have come about because there is no official view of the status of cricket matches played before 1947. As a result, historians and statisticians have compiled differing lists of matches that they recognise as first-class. The problem is significant where...
as remaining a 'second-class' of cricket.
During these pre-first-class seasons, Newton made a name for himself, and in his official history of the club, Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
describes him as one of the talents of the side. He took on the captaincy of the club in 1880, a season in which he passed 30 runs in five of the recorded seven innings in which he played. His highest score recorded on CricketArchive during these years for Somerset was the 91 which he scored in 1876 against the Gentlemen of Dorset. Team-mate Bill Roe described Newton as a useful batsman who favoured playing balls on his pads
Pads
Pads are protective equipment used by batters in the sports of cricket and baseball, and by goaltenders in hockey, bandy and lacrosse. They serve to protect the legs from impact by a hard ball or puck at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries to the lower leg.In cricket, pads fall into...
.Commonly known as pad play, removing the danger of being caught
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition...
. In his obituary, Newton was described as being "a most excellent field", particularly strong at cover-point
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
, while Haygarth's Scores and Biographies characterised him as "a fine and free hitter, and a most excellent field".
First-class cricket
Somerset gained first-class status in 1882, and retained it for four seasons. Newton was the club captain for the first three of these seasons, becoming the county's first official captain. He did not, however, appear in Somerset's first three matches: as a schoolmaster in London, he only played for the county in late-July and August. In his first match as a first-class cricket captain, he top-scored in both innings, with 57 and 67, as Somerset lost to MCC by one wicket. He then made 80 in the side's next match, a victory over HampshireHampshire 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...
. He fared less well in the remainder of the 1882 season, failing to reach a half-century in any of his other three matches. Newton's batting average of 34.44 from his five first-class matches in 1882 was the highest he achieved during his first-class career, and both his total number of runs scored (310) and his number of half-centuries (3) during the season were also career highs.
Newton suffered a slow start to his 1883 campaign, failing to pass 10 runs in his first five innings. His improvements improved in his next three matches, highlighted by a half-century against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, scored during a 135 run partnership with Edward Sainsbury
Edward Sainsbury
Edward Sainsbury was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century...
. His batting average for the season was almost half that of the previous year, and despite playing two additional innings he scored two less half-centuries than in 1882. In his first match for Somerset in 1884, Newton claimed his only wickets in first-class cricket. Bowling with a style that is not recorded on CricketArchive or Cricinfo, he claimed the wickets of 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...
's Arthur Richards
Arthur Richards (cricketer)
Arthur Carew Richards was an English cricketer. Richards was a right-handed batsman who was a right-arm slow bowler.Richards made his first-class debut for Hampshire in 1884 against Sussex...
and HH Armstrong
H.H Armstrong
H.H Armstrong was an English cricketer who was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler.Armstrong represented Hampshire in first-class matches. The first came in 1882 against Marylebone Cricket Club...
, both batsmen being caught
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition...
off his bowling. Newton utilised himself as a bowler only after using every other member of the side, with the exception of 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...
Francis Terry
Francis Terry
Francis William Terry played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1882 to 1885. He also played for and captained the Canadian national cricket team in international matches of non-first-class status against the United States. He was born at Wells, Somerset and died at Mimico, Ontario,...
. In his next match, Newton avoided a pair against 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...
by top-scoring in Somerset's second innings with 62. That score was to be the last half-century of Newton's season, and his last in first-class cricket for Somerset. He added two further scores above 30 against Kent, scoring 46 and 31, He played three less innings than in the previous season, but surpassed his total runs from that season, and improved his average to 24.22. In his three years of first-class cricket for Somerset, he scored no centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
, five half-centuries, and averaged 24.56 with the bat, higher than he finished with any other first-class cricket side.
Playing at Lord's
From the 1885 season, all of Newton's first-class appearances were made for either MiddlesexMiddlesex 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...
or the 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) at 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...
in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Having been a member of the MCC since 1878, Newton made his debut for the club in first-class competition 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...
in May 1885. He appeared for the club five times during 1885. In contrast to his time at Somerset, he did not restrict himself to playing only during late-July and August. Playing for the side against Lancashire, Newton made his highest total in first-class cricket, scoring 86 in the second-innings of the match. This score was the only half-century that Newton scored for a side other than Somerset. Newton appeared three times for Middlesex during 1885, for whom he qualified under the residential criterion. He averaged 5.33 for the county with the bat, and did not appear again after 1885. He appeared once for the MCC in first-class cricket in each of the 1887, 1888, 1889 and 1890 seasons, after which he did not play first-class cricket again. His final first-class match was in May 1890 when he scored 1 and 21 during a seven wicket loss to Lancashire.
Later playing days
Newton returned to play three further matches for Somerset in 1887 and 1890, when they did not hold first-class status. He opened the innings for the county twice in 1887, passing 20 on three out of four occasions. During Somerset's successful 1890 seasonSomerset County Cricket Club in 1890
The 1890 season saw Somerset County Cricket Club playing thirteen fixtures against other county teams. These matches were not considered first-class, after Somerset had five years earlier been removed from the County Championship due to playing too few matches against other first-class counties...
, when they remained unbeaten against other county opposition, Newton batted at number four, scoring 3 and 0, his final recorded appearance for Somerset. CricketArchive records one further appearance for Newton, playing in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
for the MCC against 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 1905, aged 52. Opening the batting, he scored 87 to help his side to a nine wicket victory.
Teaching and later life
Outside of cricket, Newton worked as a schoolmaster and from 1888 was headmasterHead teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
of Loudon House School in St John's Wood, London. He also taught at Highgate School
Highgate School
-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London. He died on 16 August 1916 in a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk after an operation.