Sydney Rippon
Encyclopedia
Arthur Ernest Sydney Rippon (29 April 1892 – 13 April 1966) was an English cricketer who played 102 first-class cricket
matches for Somerset
as a batsman between 1914 and 1937. In many of his early first-class matches in 1914 and 1919, he opened the batting with his identical twin brother, Dudley Rippon
.
in Somerset, and the twins were sent to school at King's College, Taunton, where they made a lot of runs and caused confusion by their close resemblance to each other. Sydney joined the Knowle Cricket Club in Bristol
and scored heavily in club cricket; Dudley got a job on a Bath newspaper and played for a local team.
at Taunton.
Rippon also played in the return match at Bristol: that match began on 3 August 1914, and the following day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany as the First World War broke out across Europe. Rippon was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the Royal Fusiliers, initially in its third (reserve) battalion. In 1916, he was transferred to one of the new service battalions being formed as part of "Kitchener's Army
". He entered the Western Front
in France on 14 May 1916. He was promoted to lieutenant
on 1 July 1917. He was later wounded, and as a result, resigned his commission on 24 January 1918, he was issued with the Silver War Badge to show that he had been honourably discharged. After this he joined the Inland Revenue
, and was appointed an Inspector of Taxes on 11 November 1921.
Despite his wartime injuries, Rippon returned to first-class cricket in 1919. He played fairly regularly in that season and the next two, and then made a minimum of six and a maximum of 10 appearances for Somerset each season through to 1929 – except for the 1926 season, when he played just once. After 1929, he was out of cricket for eight years, but reappeared in six matches in 1937. In 1927, he played one first-class match for the Civil Service
against the New Zealanders
and in 1928 he played in one rain-ruined Gentlemen v Players
match at The Oval
.
In the 1919 season, he made his then highest score, 92, in the match against Gloucestershire at Taunton while batting under an alias: Rippon was working for the Inland Revenue and had not been given permission to play in the match. So he batted as "S. Trimnell", using his grandmother's name. By the time the 1920 edition of Wisden was published, the story had come out and the innings is recorded under Rippon's real name: "A. E. S. Rippon, who played under an assumed name, enjoyed by far his biggest success during the season," Wisden wrote.
In six out of the ten seasons between 1920 and 1929, he made centuries, but never more than one in any season, and his total of runs in a season never exceeded 600. Among his centuries was one of 118, made in Somerset's first-ever first-class match against Glamorgan
in 1921. He put on 189 for the first wicket with the dashing Peter Randall Johnson
, who made 123 of the runs; Rippon was, by implication in Wisden's report, much slower, though his runs came in 190 minutes. His highest innings was 133 against Worcestershire
at the Knowle ground in 1927, the runs being made out of 314 runs while he was at the wicket: he "wore down the attack", wrote Wisden, and "showed such patience in waiting for the right ball to hit that he did not give a chance". Not all of his batting was slow, however: in 1928, the last of his centuries was 112 against Hampshire
and he put on 197 for the first wicket with Tom Young
, the runs coming in less than 150 minutes.
Rippon's return to the Somerset side after an absence of eight years in 1937 was less successful, and his top score in 12 innings was just 28.
politician Geoffrey Rippon
, who was a minister in the government of Edward Heath
.
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...
matches for Somerset
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...
as a batsman between 1914 and 1937. In many of his early first-class matches in 1914 and 1919, he opened the batting with his identical twin brother, Dudley Rippon
Dudley Rippon
Albert Dudley Eric Rippon played 31 first-class cricket matches for Somerset, all but one of them in the 1914 and 1919 seasons on either side of the First World War...
.
Background
The Rippon family hailed from London but had relocated to RadstockRadstock
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
in Somerset, and the twins were sent to school at King's College, Taunton, where they made a lot of runs and caused confusion by their close resemblance to each other. Sydney joined the Knowle Cricket Club in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and scored heavily in club cricket; Dudley got a job on a Bath newspaper and played for a local team.
Cricket career
Like his brother, Sydney Rippon was a right-handed opening batsman; unlike Dudley, he was not a regular bowler in first-class cricket, and he took only three first-class wickets in his career. He made his debut a few days after his brother, and played only six matches in the 1914 season, with a top score of 60 in the final one of those, against GloucestershireGloucestershire 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....
at Taunton.
Rippon also played in the return match at Bristol: that match began on 3 August 1914, and the following day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany as the First World War broke out across Europe. Rippon was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Fusiliers, initially in its third (reserve) battalion. In 1916, he was transferred to one of the new service battalions being formed as part of "Kitchener's Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
". He entered the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in France on 14 May 1916. He was promoted to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on 1 July 1917. He was later wounded, and as a result, resigned his commission on 24 January 1918, he was issued with the Silver War Badge to show that he had been honourably discharged. After this he joined the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
, and was appointed an Inspector of Taxes on 11 November 1921.
Despite his wartime injuries, Rippon returned to first-class cricket in 1919. He played fairly regularly in that season and the next two, and then made a minimum of six and a maximum of 10 appearances for Somerset each season through to 1929 – except for the 1926 season, when he played just once. After 1929, he was out of cricket for eight years, but reappeared in six matches in 1937. In 1927, he played one first-class match for the Civil Service
Civil Service cricket team
A Civil Service cricket team made just one appearance in first-class cricket, when they played the touring New Zealanders, who were on their first tour of England, at the Civil Service Sports Ground in Chiswick in 1927...
against the New Zealanders
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1927
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1927 season. The team contained many of the players who would later play Test cricket for New Zealand, but the tour did not include any Test matches and the 1927 English cricket season was the last, apart from the Second World War years and the...
and in 1928 he played in one rain-ruined 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...
match at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
.
In the 1919 season, he made his then highest score, 92, in the match against Gloucestershire at Taunton while batting under an alias: Rippon was working for the Inland Revenue and had not been given permission to play in the match. So he batted as "S. Trimnell", using his grandmother's name. By the time the 1920 edition of Wisden was published, the story had come out and the innings is recorded under Rippon's real name: "A. E. S. Rippon, who played under an assumed name, enjoyed by far his biggest success during the season," Wisden wrote.
In six out of the ten seasons between 1920 and 1929, he made centuries, but never more than one in any season, and his total of runs in a season never exceeded 600. Among his centuries was one of 118, made in Somerset's first-ever first-class match against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
in 1921. He put on 189 for the first wicket with the dashing Peter Randall Johnson
Peter Randall Johnson
Peter Randall Johnson, born at Wellington, New Zealand on 5 August 1880 and died at Sidmouth, Devon on 1 July 1959, was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Somerset and several amateur sides in a long first-class cricket career that stretched from 1900 to 1927. During his career, he...
, who made 123 of the runs; Rippon was, by implication in Wisden's report, much slower, though his runs came in 190 minutes. His highest innings was 133 against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
at the Knowle ground in 1927, the runs being made out of 314 runs while he was at the wicket: he "wore down the attack", wrote Wisden, and "showed such patience in waiting for the right ball to hit that he did not give a chance". Not all of his batting was slow, however: in 1928, the last of his centuries was 112 against 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...
and he put on 197 for the first wicket with Tom Young
Tom Young (cricketer)
Archibald Young, known as "Tom", was a professional first-class cricket player who appeared for Somerset in more than 300 matches. Though a regular cricketer for a dozen years, he was frequently in poor health because of damage to his lungs during the First World War and he died at the age of 45,...
, the runs coming in less than 150 minutes.
Rippon's return to the Somerset side after an absence of eight years in 1937 was less successful, and his top score in 12 innings was just 28.
Personal life
Sydney Rippon was the father of the UK Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician Geoffrey Rippon
Geoffrey Rippon
Geoffrey Frederick Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham, PC, was a British Conservative politician. He was Chairman of the European-Atlantic Group....
, who was a minister in the government of Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
.