Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

Chapter One The Last Rites ‘Sympathise with all good Lancashire sportsmen in the death of poor little Johnny.’ Derbyshire CCC If it is true that you can measure a man’s worth during his lifetime by the numbers who turn out to mark his death, then Johnny Briggs must have been a very remarkable human being indeed. When Briggs was laid to rest at Stretford Cemetery, a short journey from Old Trafford cricket ground, on Wednesday, 15 January 1902, there were more than 4,000 people present to observe the last rites with at least a thousand of them having travelled by special train from Oxford Road station in Manchester city centre and many hundreds more having made their way there by bicycle and on foot. It was a dry and overcast day, but there must have been a chill in the air as Briggs’ coffin was lowered into the ground. The list of mourners attending the funeral read like a cricketers’ Who’s Who of the time. Among those present was Lancashire president, former opening batsman and club captain, A.N. ‘Monkey’ Hornby, who had earlier issued a general invitation – via the Manchester Guardian – to Lancashire members to attend the funeral. Also there on that sad day were other well-known names from the cricketing lexicon, including William Gunn (Nottinghamshire), George Hirst (Yorkshire), Walter Sugg (Derbyshire), the Lancashire team, including Walter Sugg’s brother Frank, and members of the committee as well as representatives of a number of local teams. Derbyshire sent the following telegram which summed up the feelings of those present: ‘Sympathise with all good Lancashire sportsmen in the death of poor little Johnny.’ George Robey, the music hall comedian, later knighted, was also present. Wreaths crowded the graveside, adding a welcome touch of colour to an otherwise sombre scene, and among them was one from Andrew Stoddart, who had captained Briggs in the England team. Stoddart’s floral tribute included a knot of ribbon in the colours of 4