Famous Cricketers No 66 - Wilfred Rhodes

1898 As it has been seen with the book I compiled on Colin Blythe, Wisden at this time was remarkably accurate with its talent spotting. “Beyond everything else, the feature of Yorkshire’s season was the discovery of Wilfred Rhodes” it trumpeted. In his remarkable debut season Rhodes played no fewer than twenty-nine first-class matches for Yorkshire taking 142 wickets at 13.95. Nothing like it had been seen since A.G.Steel appeared 23 years earlier. As a natural successor to Peate and Peel he merged into the team as if to the ‘manor born’ and he never lost his place for the next thirty years except by the call of his country. In his first season he appeared for the Players v Gentlemen at Scarborough, where he opened the bowling with W.R.Cuttell, and for The Rest of England at Hastings. His total of 154 wickets is the highest number of wickets ever taken by a player on his debut season surpassing all the other ten players who took more than 100 wickets on their debut and is almost certainly never likely to be beaten. A modest beginning against the M.C.C. at Lord’s was followed by 13-45 in the match against Somerset at Bath. He followed this five matches later with 12-70 against Surrey at Bradford and it was obvious that a high-class bowler had evolved. Other highlights of the season were 11-92 against Essex again at Bradford. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 1. Yorkshire v MCC & Ground, Lord’s, May 12, 13, 14 (Yorkshire won by 99 runs) b A.E.Trott 4 118 13 4 39 2 A.E.Trott b 135 1 W.Chatterton st D.Hunter b A.E.Trott 16 185 22 12 24 4 A.Hearne b 69 W.Chatterton c D.Hunter C.P.Foley b J.S.R.Tufton st D.Hunter 2. Yorkshire v Somerset, Bath, May 16, 17, 18 (Yorkshire won by 198 runs) c G.B.Nichols b E.J.Tyler 7 163 13.4 4 24 7 G.B.Nichols c D.Hunter 104 W.Trask b S.M.J.Woods b G.Fowler c D.Hunter A.E.Newton st D.Hunter E.J.Tyler b D.J.Smith c D.Hunter not out 5 174-7d 13 6 21 6 E.Robson c S.Haigh 35 L.C.H.Palairet st D.Hunter R.C.N.Palairet b G.Fowler c E.Wainwright E.J.Tyler b D.J.Smith st D.Hunter 3. Yorkshire v Gloucestershire, Bristol, May 19, (20), (21) (Match drawn) did not bat - 263-3 4. Yorkshire v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, May 23, 24 (Yorkshire won by an innings and 22 runs) c A.E.Hind b C.R.Worthington 7 220 16.3 8 35 3 A.T.Coode lbw 67 1 J.H.Stogdon c and b H.H.B.Hawkins c D.Hunter 20.3 9 25 2 T.L.Taylor lbw 131 H.H.B.Hawkins c D.Hunter 5. Yorkshire v Hampshire, Southampton, May 26, 27 (Yorkshire won by an innings and 79 runs) c W.Andrew b A.J.L.Hill 28 157 15 8 20 2 A.J.L.Hill c F.S.Jackson 42 1 A.S.Webb c F.S.Jackson 7 3 10 1 V.A.Barton c J.T.Brown 36 6. Yorkshire v Warwickshire, Headingley, May 30, 31, June 1 (Match drawn) c T.Forrester b S.Santall 0 112 49 20 69 5 H.W.Bainbridge b 218 Walter Quaife c G.H.Hirst William Quaife lbw A.C.S.Glover c E.Wainwright T.Forrester b did not bat - 85-0 4 0 14 0 50-5 6