Ted Peate
Encyclopedia
Edmund Peate (Holbeck
, Leeds
, Yorkshire
, 2 March 1855 – 11 March 1900 in Newlay, Horsforth
, Yorkshire) was an English professional cricket
er who played for Yorkshire
and England
.
Peate rose in 1880 to the top of the cricketing tree and remained there until the end of 1884. He amply filled the boots of Alfred Shaw
, becoming the first-choice slow-bowler for the England elevens of his era.
Despite a serious ankle sprain, which kept him out of action for a fortnight, Peate managed a new record wicket haul for a county-cricket season with 214 in 1882. As Grace affirms, "Peate... had now become the acknowledged best slow bowler of England". His finest (and lowest) hour came in the Test Match against Australia at the Oval of August 1882, when he was the last man in to bat at the end of England's second innings, with his country needing only ten runs to win. Peate got only two before he was bowled by Harry Boyle
, giving the Australians their first ever Test win against England. He arrived back in the dressing-room to be admonished for not having left the job to his better-equipped partner, the in-form Charles Studd. "I couldn't trust Mr Studd," Peate explained. Although less famous than the death notice of English cricket which appeared in The Sporting Times
on 2 September 1882, another in similar vein was published on 30 August 1882 in C. W. Alcock
's Cricket: a Weekly Record of The Game, reading:
There ought to have been many more years of good work ahead of him, but he put on a great deal of weight and showed a weakness for alcohol. In the summer of 1886, it became evident that his days in first-class cricket were numbered. It was said that he would "have lasted longer had he ordered his life more carefully."
He never entirely lost his skill as a bowler. Even up to the last year or two of his life, he played with success in club cricket in and around Leeds.
against Middlesex
at Huddersfield, 1879:
He first represented the Players against the Gentlemen in 1881, and took part in the matches for six years, bowling in 11 matches (21 innings), 3227 balls for 996 runs, and 39 wickets, average 25.53. At birth he was registered as Edmund Peat.
Holbeck
Holbeck is a district in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The district begins on the southern edge of the Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 Leeds postcode area. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the only motorway that passes through the area since...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 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...
, 2 March 1855 – 11 March 1900 in Newlay, Horsforth
Horsforth
Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
, Yorkshire) was an English professional 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 for 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...
.
Overview
Peate's career, which lasted from 1879 to 1890, was exceptional but short. He earned his place in the Yorkshire side in 1879 and, "before the season was over," wrote WG Grace (against whom he enjoyed conspicuous success), "had taken rank with the very best bowlers in England. Every year added to his fine reputation; and no matter the company he played in he came through the ordeal most successfully."Peate rose in 1880 to the top of the cricketing tree and remained there until the end of 1884. He amply filled the boots of Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw was an eminent Victorian cricketer and rugby footballer, who bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in a Test innings . He who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888...
, becoming the first-choice slow-bowler for the England elevens of his era.
Despite a serious ankle sprain, which kept him out of action for a fortnight, Peate managed a new record wicket haul for a county-cricket season with 214 in 1882. As Grace affirms, "Peate... had now become the acknowledged best slow bowler of England". His finest (and lowest) hour came in the Test Match against Australia at the Oval of August 1882, when he was the last man in to bat at the end of England's second innings, with his country needing only ten runs to win. Peate got only two before he was bowled by Harry Boyle
Harry Boyle
Henry Frederick Boyle was a leading Australian Test cricketer of the late 1870s and early 1880s....
, giving the Australians their first ever Test win against England. He arrived back in the dressing-room to be admonished for not having left the job to his better-equipped partner, the in-form Charles Studd. "I couldn't trust Mr Studd," Peate explained. Although less famous than the death notice of English cricket which appeared in The Sporting Times
The Sporting Times
The Sporting Times was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing...
on 2 September 1882, another in similar vein was published on 30 August 1882 in C. W. Alcock
C. W. Alcock
Charles William Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup....
's Cricket: a Weekly Record of The Game, reading:
There ought to have been many more years of good work ahead of him, but he put on a great deal of weight and showed a weakness for alcohol. In the summer of 1886, it became evident that his days in first-class cricket were numbered. It was said that he would "have lasted longer had he ordered his life more carefully."
He never entirely lost his skill as a bowler. Even up to the last year or two of his life, he played with success in club cricket in and around Leeds.
Best performances
Some of his best performances with the ball were-6 wickets for 14 runs, YorkshireYorkshire 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....
against 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...
at Huddersfield, 1879:
- 5 wickets 11 for runs, Yorkshire v. Derbyshire, at Derby, 1880.
- 14 wickets 130 for runs, Yorkshire v. Sussex, at Brighton, 1881.
- 14 wickets 77 for runs, Yorkshire v. Surrey, at Huddersfield.
- 8 wickets 71 for runs, England v. Australia, at the Oval, 1882.
- 8 wickets 57 for runs, Shaw and Shrewsbury"s XI. at Sydney, 1882.
- 6 wickets 12 for runs, Yorkshire v. Derbyshire, at Derby, 1882.
- 8 wickets 32 for runs, Yorkshire v. Middlesex, at Sheffield, 1882.
- 8 wickets 5 for runs, Yorkshire v. Surrey, at Holbeck, 1883.
- 5 wickets 17 for runs, Yorkshire v. Notts, at Sheffield, 1883.
- 6 wickets 13 for runs, Yorkshire v. Gloucestershire, at Moreton-in-Marsh, 1884.
- 10 wickets 51 for runs, North of England v. the Australians, at Manchester, 1884.
- 10 wickets 45 for runs, Yorkshire v. Derbyshire, at Huddersfield, 1885.
- 6 wickets 17 for runs, England v. Shaw's Australian XI., at Lord"s, 1885.
- 9 wickets 21 for runs, Yorkshire v. Sussex, at Huddersfield, 1886.
He first represented the Players against the Gentlemen in 1881, and took part in the matches for six years, bowling in 11 matches (21 innings), 3227 balls for 996 runs, and 39 wickets, average 25.53. At birth he was registered as Edmund Peat.