Walter Read
Encyclopedia
Walter William Read was an English cricketer
, who was a fluent right hand bat. An occasional bowler of lobs
, he sometimes switched to quick overarm deliveries. He captained England in two Test match
es, winning them both. Read was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.
Read took part in the original Ashes series of 1882-3 and is commemorated by the poem inscribed on the side of the urn:
He played for Surrey
from 1873 to 1897, scoring 338 for them against Oxford University
in 1888. At the time, it was the second highest first-class
score ever made. He was a member of the side that won the County Championship
in 1890-2, 1894 and 1895. After WG Grace he was the most prolific amateur of his day.
He became the first number 10 to score a hundred in Test cricket when he made 117 against Australia at The Oval in 1884. His match-saving innings remains the highest score by a No. 10 in Tests. He reached his century in 113 minutes with 36 scoring strokes. His partnership of 151 with William Scotton
remains England's highest for the ninth wicket against Australia. According to Sir Home Gordon, Read was furious at being held down so low in the order.
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 was a fluent right hand bat. An occasional bowler of lobs
Lob bowling
In cricket, Lob bowling is a largely disused style of bowling. It became illegal under Law 24.1 to use underarm bowling without prior agreement before the match....
, he sometimes switched to quick overarm deliveries. He captained England in two Test match
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...
es, winning them both. Read was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893.
Read took part in the original Ashes series of 1882-3 and is commemorated by the poem inscribed on the side of the urn:
- When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
- StuddsStudd brothersThe famous Studd brothers, Sir John Edward Kynaston, George and Charles , were Victorian gentleman cricketers; they were educated at Eton and Cambridge. They all represented Eton in the Eton v Harrow annual needle match and represented Cambridge at cricket...
, Steel, Read and TylecoteEdward TylecoteEdward Ferdinando Sutton Tylecote - cricketer....
return, return; - The welkin will ring loud,
- The great crowd will feel proud,
- Seeing BarlowDick BarlowRichard Gorton Barlow was a cricketer who played for Lancashire and England...
and BatesBilly BatesWillie Bates, known as Billy was an English all-round cricketer. Excellent with both bat and ball, Bates scored over 10,000 first-class runs, took more than 870 wickets and was always reliable in the field...
with the urn, the urn; - And the rest coming home with the urn.
He played for 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...
from 1873 to 1897, scoring 338 for them against 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...
in 1888. At the time, it was the second highest first-class
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...
score ever made. He was a member of the side that won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1890-2, 1894 and 1895. After WG Grace he was the most prolific amateur of his day.
He became the first number 10 to score a hundred in Test cricket when he made 117 against Australia at The Oval in 1884. His match-saving innings remains the highest score by a No. 10 in Tests. He reached his century in 113 minutes with 36 scoring strokes. His partnership of 151 with William Scotton
William Scotton
William Henry Scotton was a cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England. Scotton played his first match at Lord's for Sixteen Colts of England against the Marylebone Cricket Club on the 11th and 12th of May 1874, scoring on that occasion 19 and 0...
remains England's highest for the ninth wicket against Australia. According to Sir Home Gordon, Read was furious at being held down so low in the order.
See also
- History of Test cricket (to 1883)History of Test cricket (to 1883)Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international cricket matches today. The teams were rarely representative, and the boat trip between Australia and England, which usually lasted about 48 days, was one that many cricketers were unable or unwilling to...
- History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889)History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889)The history of Test cricket between 1884 and 1889 was one of English dominance over the Australians. England won every Test series that was played. The period also saw the first use of the word "Test" to describe a form of cricket when the Press used it in 1885...
- History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)Test matches in the 19th century were somewhat different affairs than what they are today. Many of them were not designated as Test matches for many years afterwards, and it is possible that some Test players never knew they had played in a Test. Before 1888 there had been 26 Test matches, all...