Famous Cricketers No 63 - A.O.Jones

The four eldest sons left England shortly after their grandfather’s death and did not play much more part in the life of Arthur Owen. William Henry Wescomb married twice, once in Texas in 1889 and again in 1916. He died in Texas in 1944. Thomas Howel married in Texas in 1902 and died there in 1944. John Llewellyn also married twice, once in Texas in 1889 and again in 1898. He died in Texas in 1940. Hugh Trevor married in 1900 in Sydney and died in Australia in 1939. Bedford Modern School George Herbert joined Form II of the Junior School in May 1880 and Arthur Owen in January 1881. The address given for both boys is 15 Alexandra Road, Bedford. By the time Francis Horace joined Form I in 1885, the family had moved to No. 29. In the family’s early entries in the Rates Books for the parish of St Paul’s, their mother is referred to as Mrs. Mary Jones. After a few years, she is called Mrs. Cartwright Jones. There are no records of Arthur Owen’s academic prowess but there are a couple of tantalising glimpses. Arthur Peer, a fellow pupil, reported years later that A.O. would say to him, “Look here, Peer, will you do my Latin prep?” Does this mean that Arthur Owen was too engrossed in sporting activities to concentrate on other matters? Does it mean that he was no good at Latin? Who can tell? In 1908, when the School gave a dinner in his honour, he reported that he “was never a very great worker, but was always treated leniently.” He achieved a distinction in zoology, but only studied that subject “to get out of something rather distasteful, and that was the German lessons of Mr. Dicky Ager.” This comment provoked much laughter from the members of his audience who remembered the master in question. He continued, “Mr Allen was zoology master and a very pleasant time it was”. His sporting achievements, particularly on the cricket field are well documented and commented on. At the same dinner, he recollected the day, probably in 1885, when he was told, “I want you to take charge of these cricket things, as we are making you captain of the Lower School.” He had to look after two bats, a set of stumps, pads, etc. and to oil the bats. He remembered being “as pleased as a dog with two tails.” During his first game as captain, a player was out hit wicket and damaged his bat in the process. Arthur Owen had to explain to the games master next day how the bat came to be in that state. The School had played Rugby Fives since it was introduced by Dr R.B.Poole, who was Headmaster from 1877 until 1900, and was himself a pupil at Rugby School. Rugby Fives is played in a court 22 feet by 18 feet, with a front wall of 15 feet and a back one of 6 feet. The walls are black and the floor is red. The leather ball is white, hard and slightly larger than those used in Squash. Players wear gloves and can strike the ball with either hand. The ball stays in play after one bounce on the floor but can be volleyed. When taken at the top of the bounce, the hit is like a flat throwing action with a flick of the wrist at the last moment to add speed. Arthur Owen was right-handed, so the playing of Fives would have strengthened his weaker side and made him almost ambidextrous as a fielder. The game can be played as either Singles or Doubles. School teams consisted of four players who first played single games against their opponents and then paired up to play doubles, the whole contest going on for several hours. It is a very fast game which demands intense concentration, encourages anticipation and develops co-ordination between eye, hand and foot. Fives is truly a four-limbed sport. Arthur Owen won the Junior Fives Cup in 1886 and the Senior Fives Cup from 1887 to 1890. The Fives team of 1889 was probably the strongest that the School had ever produced. Arthur Owen later ascribed his fielding skills to the playing of Fives. The Eagle , the School magazine agrees. “It is almost certain that his superlative cricket fielding, especially at slip, was largely due to the practice of Fives, in which success depends on skill and quickness in the use of both hands, and perhaps particularly of the left.” 5