The Cricket Statistician No 195

22 Authors against the Royal Engineers at Chatham, in June. Coming on fourth change, with the Engineers on 220 for 4, he proceeded to take 5 for 44 and bowled the opposition out for 290. Conan Doyle’s first match for MCC in 1903 was his only first-class match of the season, although he played in sixteen games overall. This first match was against Kent at Lord’s, and in the second innings Conan Doyle was batting obstinately, with WG Grace at the other end. Facing Bill Bradley, the Kent and England bowler, he missed a ball that struck him on the thigh. Expecting a little pain, Conan Doyle was surprised by the sharp pain he felt, and when he touched the spot found that the ball had hit a box of matches he had in his pocket and set the matches alight. Grace was “greatly amused” and shouted ‘Couldn’t get you out – had to set you on fire!’ Batting at number 9, he ended 16 not out in a total of 145 all out. It was in the same season that Conan Doyle scored his highest innings for the club. In a two- day match against RW Sealy’s XI at Westward Ho!, Devon, the home side was bowled out for 70. For the visitors, Joseph McCormack, a Norfolk regular, scored 133, and Conan Doyle batted on both days in scoring 96 not out. The innings closed on 429 all out. In 1904, Conan Doyle played nine matches for MCC, of which two were first-class. He didn’t bowl in these matches and his four innings’ elicited scores of 10 not out, 31, 0 and 5 not out. He captained the side in a four-match tour of Scotland, playing against Hawick, Gala, Selkirk, and South of Scotland. As in his previously mentioned spell of captaincy, he bowled himself infrequently, taking only three wickets, although they fell in the one innings against South of Scotland, his analysis being 3 for 29 off 71 balls. In 1905 and 1906, Conan Doyle was engaged in numerous activities and played relatively little cricket. He played three matches for MCC in this period, none of them first-class. He did, however, score 66 in the match against Hythe, in August 1905. He still found time to play the occasional game for the Authors and his own Undershaw XI. In 1907 Arthur was back to playing cricket on a regular basis, and played in sixteen matches for MCC His first match of the season would prove to be his last first-class match. Against Derbyshire at Lord’s, on 13 to 15 May, he scored 19 and 8 not out, didn’t bowl and took 1 catch. Over the next five years, Conan Doyle played in a further thirty-four matches for MCC. In those matches he managed only one further half-century and two five-wicket hauls. In August 1907 he scored 56 in a one-day match against the Royal Academy of Arts at Lord’s. He also took 4 for 44 in the match. In 1908 he took five wickets, for an unknown number of runs, against Brighton College, at Brighton, and in 1912 he took 5 for 118 against the Royal Academy of Arts at Lord’s. In fourteen seasons, Arthur Conan Doyle played in 92 matches for M.C.C., ten of which were first-class matches. His record is probably average for the period, but to my eyes shows a fair amount of application by a player of average ability: