Lives in Cricket No 11 - CP Lewis

when C.P. tried to launch an attack, he was soon brought to earth by the enthusiastic Scots, often to the displeasure of the partisan crowd who vented their feelings with loud jeers. The correspondent of the Western Mail was also critical, reporting that ‘Lewis played well at back, but should have run less and punted sooner.’ It was clear to the Welsh selectors that a faster runner was needed at full-back, so for the match against Ireland in April 1884, Lewis was replaced at full-back by T.M. (‘Tom’) Barlow, a prominent solicitor and amateur sportsman. Born and educated in Lancashire, Barlow had moved to Cardiff in 1880 to train as a solicitor, having already turned down an offer to play cricket for Gloucestershire. As well as being a fine rugby player, he was a free-scoring batsman who had played alongside C.P.Lewis for the South Wales C.C. on their North Wales tour in 1883. However, Barlow’s international rugby career was a brief one, as he sustained a bad knee injury, precipitated by a series of heavy tackles, and his appearance against Ireland was his sole cap. Some thought that Lewis would return in January 1885 for the match with England, but by this time, the legendary Arthur Gould of Newport – another swift and skilful runner – had come on the scene, and the match with England at Swansea launched the career of a player described by rugby historians as ‘the man who put Wales on the rugby map’, and the man who captained Wales to their first Triple Crown. Gould was also so good that the Welsh Rugby Union later bent the amateur rules and allowed him to keep a house donated by public subscription. An outstanding all-round sportsman, and one of six talented sporting brothers, Gould also played cricket for Monmouthshire between 1897 and 1903, 30 and as far as rugby was concerned, he certainly had more finesse in attack than Lewis, with 84 The Lone Full Back Welsh supporters at one of C.P.’s rugby internationals. 30 An amateur middle-order batsman, Gould played eight matches in the Minor Counties Championship for Monmouthshire from 1897 to 1903, scoring 112 runs at 10.18, and taking three catches.