Lives in Cricket No 34 - Frank Mitchell

Chapter Four Cambridge: the freshman’s year, 1893/94 In the autumn of 1893 Frank Mitchell took up a place at Gonville & Caius College, Trinity Lane, Cambridge. For him student days were starting at the age of 21 as he settled into his rooms in a quiet tree-lined court of the College. He arrived on the joint recommendation of his old Headmaster at St Peter’s, the Reverend G.I.Handforth MA, and the Headmaster of Greyfriars School, Brighton, Frank Pollock MA. Despite earlier struggles with Latin, his studies were to be in Classical Tripos but sport remained the major activity in his college and university life. To help him finance his time and studies at Cambridge, a Brighton schoolmaster loaned him in 1894 and 1896 a total of £900, a sum of money later to be referred to in bankruptcy proceedings. The college buildings lay conveniently close to the Senate House, with King’s College to one side and Trinity College further down Trinity Lane. Here Mitchell found himself in the very heart of Cambridge with Fenner’s cricket ground some 15 minutes’ walk away and the College ground a similar distance away, but behind the famous Backs. The autumn term of 1893 was the opportunity for rugby football – of which more later – but it suffices to say in this chapter that Gonville & Caius soon realised the sporting qualities of its new freshman. Knowledge of his success in school cricket and club cricket at Brighton was well available to the authorities so, when the 1894 summer came, he was immediately included in his college side for the matches against the other colleges. Surprisingly, on 28 April a Granta article on Prospects for the Cricket Season did not mention Mitchell, but the following week they put that to rights. He certainly did not disappoint those hoping to find a good player. Indeed he electrified the Cambridge cricketing onlooker. In those early matches on the lovely college ground, second only to Fenner’s in the quality of the pitches, Mitchell made an astonishing batting return of 90, 60, 143 not out, 18, 203 not out, 61 and 136, and his place in the University side became certain. The college teams that had to suffer yet also admire those three centuries were Emmanuel, Peterhouse and Selwyn. Those major scores were all made between 26 April and 2 May, 1894 – and later he was to add 135 in an innings against the Old Caians. Such success catapulted him into the Freshmen’s Match that immediately followed his success against Selwyn College. Opening the innings for the side of Cambridge and Middlesex player, James Douglas, he made two scores each of 32 though he was in this game overshadowed by a score of 88 by W.G.Grace junior. Mitchell had now done more than enough to 23