Famous Cricketers No 76 - J.N.Crawford

Introduction Early years (1886-1904) John Neville Crawford, born in Cane Hill, Surrey on 1 December 1886, the third son of John Charles and Anne Crawford had a strong cricketing pedigree. Both his father, John Charles, and uncle, Frank, had briefly played first-class cricket with Kent in the 1870s and his older brothers, Vivian and Reginald, had substantial careers. Vivian represented Surrey in 110 games between 1896 and 1902, and Leicestershire in 165 matches between 1903 and 1910. Reginald played 96 games for Leicestershire from 1901 to 1911. Jack Crawford attended St.Winifred’s School at Henley before his entry into Brook House at Repton in September 1901. At Repton he was coached by two Oxford Harlequins, J.W. Stratton and K.A.Woodward, and with the assistance of head professional, the former Nottinghamshire player Alick Handford became in former team-mate Harry Altham’s words ‘the greatest schoolboy cricketer of all time’. Alfred Cochrane in his history of Repton cricket pointed out that Crawford did better than other England players such as Francis Ford, Charles Fry, and Lionel Palairet. In its report on the 1902 season The Reptonian noted Crawford as ‘a good slow bowler, varying his pace and pitch and in the 1904 Wisden he was compared to Jack Hearne for his open shouldered swing, change of pace and ability to make the ball break back from the off. His bowling showed consistency over four seasons (1902: 40 wickets at 12.70 average; 1903: 58 wickets at 14.87; 75 wickets at 14.89; 51 wickets at 12.96) while his batting revealed a remarkable improvement (1902: 169 runs at 12.07 average; 1903: 404 runs at 36.72; 1904: 759 runs at 54.21; and 1905: 765 runs in five matches at 85). In Crawford’s penultimate season, in which he also made his debut with Surrey, The Reptonian commented that ‘he was putting more power into his strokes and not taking so many undue liberties with the bat’. Wisden 1905 rated Crawford ‘the best public school bowler, with a strong claim to be considered the best amateur bowler of the year’. After Cricket (1921-1963 ) Crawford worked for shipping importers Elders and Fyffes (now Fyffes) from the mid-1920s until retiring on 1 December 1952. He played cricket and hockey for the firm until 1939 but lived a low profile life. His oldest brother Vivian died, aged 42, on 21 August 1922 after having served with the Ceylonese contingent at the Dardanelles. He was buried with full military honours, the East Surrey regiment providing the firing party. A Daily Sketch report of 27 August located Jack Crawford living in Wimbledon at an address then unknown to the Repton Register but listed in its 1933 edition. The address was at the first mention that of his grandfather Andrew (who lived to the age of 101); of his father who died at 84 in 1935; a curious reference to ‘J.N.’s children who are learning the game’ but not of a wife. This appears to be loose reporting because while there remains a mystery surrounding the end of Crawford’s first marriage to Anita it was childless according to his 1919 Army discharge papers. In 1933 there is still no mention of a wife although he had by then been married for eight years to Hilda May, a second union which proved childless. Aged 47 Crawford was reported playing cricket for the Merton Club in Surrey. His second brother Reginald, died aged 61, in 1945. Little is heard of Jack although he appears as a guest at Sir Pelham Warner’s eightieth birthday dinner at Lord’s (1953) and the Free Foresters’ centenary dinner (1956). By 1957 he was living in Ewell, his last address. In 1962 he attended a Master’s Club dinner and received a ten guinea fee for participating in a BBC radio programme to celebrate Sir Jack Hobbs’ eightieth birthday. 3