Famous Cricketers No 63 - A.O.Jones

1913 Nottinghamshire won 8 out of 20 Championship matches and finished fifth with 53 percent. This was quite an achievement considering what happened to their captain. The season started with a good win over Surrey at home. Nottinghamshire’s second Championship match was at Old Trafford. During Lancashire’s attempt to stave off an innings defeat, the weather was so bitterly cold that Jones contracted a severe chill. It is likely that the illness he suffered on his second tour of Australia had left him susceptible. Had modern antibiotics been available, he would soon have made a full recovery in this case too. From 1895 to 1912, Arthur Owen had played in 359 of his county’s 369 first-class fixtures. He had missed only 4 through injury. In 1899 an injured finger caused him to miss the Hove match, while rheumatism kept him out of 3 matches in 1909. During the other 6 matches, he was playing representative cricket. Arthur Owen missed the next match against Sussex and the Committee, faced with this emergency, asked the amateur G.T.Branston to captain the side. Jones returned for the match against Gloucestershire but was obviously not fit. James Iremonger was then captain for two matches and Branston for the one subsequent. Iremonger captained three more matches before the Committee brought in Dr George Ogg Gauld to lead the side. He was a useful club cricketer but had no previous experience of county cricket. None of the counties had professional captains as Lord Hawke’s ‘rule’ said an amateur was essential for the post. Dr Gauld must have found Jones a hard act to follow. Arthur Owen captained the last two matches of the season but seemed a shadow of his former self. He received rapturous applause when he appeared at home against Middlesex and stayed doggedly at the wicket to bring Nottinghamshire near to victory against Derbyshire. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 462. Nottinghamshire v Surrey, Trent Bridge, May 12, 13, 14 (Nottinghamshire won by four wickets) (captain) c M.C.Bird b W.C.Smith 17 175 66 b W.C.Smith 5 129-6 235 463. Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Old Trafford, May 15, 16 (Nottinghamshire won by an innings and 24 runs) (captain, lost toss) c W.Worsley b L.W.Cook 17 291 166 101 464. Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire, Spa Ground, Gloucester, May 26, 27, 28 (Gloucestershire won by nine wickets) (captain, won toss) c C.W.L.Parker b E.G.Dennett 12 88 1 1 0 0 314 1 c M.A.Green b E.G.Dennett 1 241 - - - - 19-1 465. Nottinghamshire v Middlesex, Trent Bridge, August 18, 19, 20 (Match drawn) (captain) c N.Haigh b J.W.Hearne 10 448 - - - - 260 did not bat - 75-4 4 0 15 0 440 466. Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire, Chesterfield, August 23, 25 (Derbyshire won by 21 runs) (captain, lost toss) b A.Morton 0 94 185 1 not out 20 100 30 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St County Championship 5 8 1 82 20* 11.71 - - 2 - Career 466 767 47 22776 296 31.63 34 116 572 2 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m County Championship (6-b) 5 1 15 0 - - - - Career (6-b) 1796.4 265 } 10928 333 8-71 32.81 8 1 (5-b) 1440.3 244 78