Tom Killick
Encyclopedia
Edgar Thomas Killick was an English
cricketer
who played in two Tests
in 1929.
Tom Killick was a right-handed batsman who generally either opened the innings or went in at the fall of the first wicket. Educated at St Paul's School, he played a few matches for Middlesex
as a 19-year-old in 1926 before going to Cambridge University. Unimpressive in the university cricket side
's trial match in 1927, he was picked for Middlesex against the University team and scored 94 and an unbeaten 42: he was then chosen for the next few university matches but, apart from an 80 that drew comment from Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
for slow scoring, did little and failed to win a Blue. He played regularly for Middlesex in the second half of the season.
The following season, 1928, he failed again in two early games for Cambridge and again turned to Middlesex, scoring 82 in his second match for the county. Given a further trial at Cambridge, he scored 100 against Surrey
and 161 against Sussex
and never looked back, finishing top of the university averages and winning a Blue. In the 1928 season as a whole, he scored 1231 runs, at an average of 38.
In 1929, Killick had his most successful season and his only taste of Test cricket. England
's selectors experimented with young players in the first two matches of the 1929 series against South Africa
, and Killick was picked to partner Herbert Sutcliffe
as an opener. In the first match, at Edgbaston
, he scored 31 and 23 in a game that ended as a rather more even draw than England had expected. At Lord's, he scored just 3 and 24 as the match was again drawn and he was dropped as England ended the experiment with youth and brought back Frank Woolley
and Ted Bowley
, a move that helped bring success in two of the remaining three Tests.
Killick scored 1384 runs at an average of 44 runs per innings in 1929, but played only one first-class match
– Gentlemen v Players
at Lord's – after the end of the Cambridge season. The next year, 1930, he again played through the Cambridge season, making 903 runs at an average of 47, but then did not appear again.
Across the 1930s, as he first studied for the Anglican priesthood and then worked for the Church, he played infrequent first-class cricket, not appearing at all between 1934 and 1938. He reappeared in one match for Free Foresters
in 1946, but that was his last first-class game.
As an ordained Anglican priest, he was a chaplain at Harrow School
and later a vicar near Letchworth
. He served in West Africa as an army chaplain in the Second World War and then became vicar of Bishop's Stortford
. He died from a heart attack
, while playing in an inter-diocesan cricket match between clergy from the St Albans and Coventry dioceses, aged 46.
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...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played in two 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...
in 1929.
Tom Killick was a right-handed batsman who generally either opened the innings or went in at the fall of the first wicket. Educated at St Paul's School, he played a few matches for 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...
as a 19-year-old in 1926 before going to Cambridge University. Unimpressive in the university cricket side
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...
's trial match in 1927, he was picked for Middlesex against the University team and scored 94 and an unbeaten 42: he was then chosen for the next few university matches but, apart from an 80 that drew comment from Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
for slow scoring, did little and failed to win a Blue. He played regularly for Middlesex in the second half of the season.
The following season, 1928, he failed again in two early games for Cambridge and again turned to Middlesex, scoring 82 in his second match for the county. Given a further trial at Cambridge, he scored 100 against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and 161 against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
and never looked back, finishing top of the university averages and winning a Blue. In the 1928 season as a whole, he scored 1231 runs, at an average of 38.
In 1929, Killick had his most successful season and his only taste of Test cricket. 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...
's selectors experimented with young players in the first two matches of the 1929 series against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, and Killick was picked to partner Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
as an opener. In the first match, at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, he scored 31 and 23 in a game that ended as a rather more even draw than England had expected. At Lord's, he scored just 3 and 24 as the match was again drawn and he was dropped as England ended the experiment with youth and brought back Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
and Ted Bowley
Ted Bowley
Edward Henry "Ted" Bowley, born at Leatherhead, Surrey on 6 June 1890 and died at Winchester on 9 July 1974, was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
, a move that helped bring success in two of the remaining three Tests.
Killick scored 1384 runs at an average of 44 runs per innings in 1929, but played only one first-class match
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...
– 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...
at Lord's – after the end of the Cambridge season. The next year, 1930, he again played through the Cambridge season, making 903 runs at an average of 47, but then did not appear again.
Across the 1930s, as he first studied for the Anglican priesthood and then worked for the Church, he played infrequent first-class cricket, not appearing at all between 1934 and 1938. He reappeared in one match for Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
in 1946, but that was his last first-class game.
As an ordained Anglican priest, he was a chaplain at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and later a vicar near Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was first purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the...
. He served in West Africa as an army chaplain in the Second World War and then became vicar of Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
. He died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, while playing in an inter-diocesan cricket match between clergy from the St Albans and Coventry dioceses, aged 46.
External links
- Tom Killick at Cricinfo
- Tom Killick at Cricket Archive