Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

48 Town boundary went through the inn and, according to an old tale, when beating the bounds the locals of West Bridgford had to climb through the windows. (It is only since the Second World War that the boundaries between Nottingham and West Bridgford were regularized and the line made to follow the course of the River Trent.) The inn is given as in London Road, St Mary’s District of Nottingham. The persons listed for the inn are: William Clarke, publican, aged 40; Mary Clarke, wife, aged 45; Jane Clarke, daughter, aged 10; Joseph Gillow, servant, aged 30; Edward Diggle, servant, aged 15; Mary Kiddy, servant, aged 20; Elizabeth Radley, servant, aged 15; Richard Robotham, boatman, aged 35; Edward Jilbourne, boatman, aged 25; Thomas James, boatman, aged 60; John Beck, boatman, aged 20. Jane Clarke is William Clarke’s daughter by his first wife. Absent is Alfred Clarke who would be aged ten. In the 1841 census there is an Alfred Clarke, aged nine, at the Friends’ School, Ackworth, Yorkshire, who is noted as not born in Yorkshire. It is possible this is William Clarke’s son. The Trent Bridge season began early – on 12 April – when fourteen Gentlemen opposed eleven Players. John Foxcroft made the highest score in the match, but most of his fellow gentlemen failed and the Players won, then batted on. Of more interest is the note that the Nottingham Amateur Club, whose president is John Galloway, consists of local tradesmen and their practice ground is Trent Bridge – Clarke presumably received some income from this club’s use of the ground. The only inter-county game arranged for Nottinghamshire during the summer was against Kent at Trent Bridge – play rather followed the pattern of the home Sussex match of 1840, Notts’ batting falling apart in the second innings when, at 53 for six, 33 were required, but the game was lost by 22 runs. Clarke took five wickets in the first innings, though he failed with the bat – one and nought; he still put himself down as an opener or at No.3. There were two MCC v North matches. In the first, at Lord’s, Notts had six representatives, but not Clarke, in the Northern eleven and won by 66 runs. The return game, no doubt due to Abram Bass, was played at Burton upon Trent. William Clarke opened the batting. Redgate was selected but after an over or two retired − one suspects due to drink. Bass batted for him. Due to the batting of Billy Good, who made 82, the North lost by an innings. The advertised North eleven for the Lord’s fixture the following season, listed in the Nottingham Review of 17 June 1842, read: T.B.Charlton, C.Creswell, F.Noyes, E.Patchitt, J.Foxcroft, T.Barker, W.Clarke, S.Redgate, J.Oscroft, J.Guy and either C.Brown or G.Butler. All twelve were Nottinghamshire players. However: when the match began the following Monday, six of the players in the above list, including Clarke, were missing. The Nottingham Review simply states ‘Several Notts men were dropped from the North team, for an unknown reason.’ Clarke was not amused and on 1 July there was an announcement: ‘Mr Clarke with a Nottinghamshire Eleven, challenges MCC for money or just for a game, because Nottinghamshire players had been dropped from the North team last week.’ MCC rose to the challenge and the game took place Fate Takes a Hand