Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

16 Boyhood A further indication of young William Ewart’s upbringing is afforded by a certificate of membership from 1891 of one Albert Barrett in the Ratby Band of Hope. At the foot are the words ‘I promise to abstain from all Intoxicating Drinks as Beverages and from Tobacco’. 35 Since it is signed by the secretary Ezra Astill, it is highly likely that his own children were also members and thus sheds further light on their early upbringing. We may now return to Astill’s mini-autobiography for his youthful readers: You might very well call Ratby a cricketing village, for it was the birthplace of at least three county cricketers besides myself. I refer to Tom Jayes and the two brothers Shipman – W. and A. – the first of whom bowled for Leicestershire until 1914, and the second who, of course, is playing for us still. I suppose you would call ours a cricketing family, as my father was always one of the best local cricketers, and some of you, perhaps, will remember my uncle – Jayes his name was – who used to play for Leicestershire. He was a great fast bowler, and was once reserve for England v Australia at Lord’s. Anyway, I must have had cricket in my blood, for I was playing it almost as soon as I could walk, and I certainly owe a lot to the first- class tuition received from my father. Now, let me see! You’ll be wanting to hear about my boyhood, won’t you? Well, frankly, I can’t remember much. I know I went to the village school at Ratby, and though we hadn’t a proper cricket club there, I 35 Colin Lissaman possesses a photocopy of the certificate. Albert Barrett’s Ratby Band of Hope certificate.