Lives in Cricket No 38 - Lionel Robinson

Fine cricketers such as Aubrey Faulkner, Gerry Weigall, Michael Falcon and Jack Mason ‘popped in’ for no more than a couple of matches each and most of the players appeared no more than three or four times; one of these infrequent visitors was Bernard Bosanquet, who was later to become something of a fixture on Lionel’s estate. Among the more regular participants were Charles Robson and Archie MacLaren, who appeared in no fewer than 12 and seven matches respectively; but they had become more than semi-permanent guests at Old Buckenham by this point. 29 Other regulars included Albert Lawton, B.H.Conran, Lionel’s employee William Groom (see below) and two figures even more shadowy than Conran: G.Clarke 30 and P.M.Hepworth. These last two were not ‘hired guns’ with first-class credentials nor were they local cricketers of note; they were not even villagers (few of whom got the chance to turn out any more). Lionel himself played in only three games in 1911, being described in the press as a ‘veteran’. A more apt word might have been a ‘Jonah’ for he played in two of his teams’ four defeats. William Groom – ‘Squibs’ The name of W Groom already appears amongst those of the cricketers who turned out for the village team of Old Buckenham in 1908 and he was among the longest-lasting of the villagers; he survived to play no fewer than eight games for Robinson’s teams in 1911 whilst his team-mates were being rapidly replaced by the ‘foreigners’ with their fancy caps. He even managed to be selected for a couple of matches in 1912 when the other villagers had disappeared from view altogether. When the village side was re-formed after the Great War, he was again one of its leading players. Although he had once been a chimney-sweep, he had taken up employment as Robinson’s assistant groundsman, which probably gave him an advantage over his fellow villagers when it came to being selected to make up one of his master’s elevens. Although Philip Yaxley in Looking Back at Norfolk Cricket gives his name as Edward Groom, the Eastern Daily Press is clear that his given name was William; however, it was by his nickname, ‘Squibs’, that he gained a 29 Reference to Kelly’s Directory for 1912, which references data collected in 1911, indicates that both Robson and MacLaren were actually resident on the estate during the 1911 season. The former was already a paid employee of Lionel’s; he is described as ‘head gamekeeper to Lionel G Robinson’ and stated that he was residing at ‘The Cottage’. Archie is referred to as living at ‘The Manor’, which had been vacated by Prince Freddy’s sisters (the Princesses Bamba, Catherine and Sophia) in 1909 and which was close to the ‘first’ ground. Although there is no mention of paid employment for Archie in Kelly’s , it is inconceivable that Archie had no input in the maintenance of the cricket facilities; however it is not clear when he officially assumed charge of cricketing operations for Lionel, although in its gossip column on 21 July 1912, the Perth Sunday Times reported: ‘A.C. MacLaren, the English cricketer, has received the post of secretary to Lionel Robinson, who has decided to settle down at Old Buckenham Hall, Norfolk, and is a great cricket enthusiast. A lot of W.A. gold will go to pay Mr. MacLaren’s salary.’ 30 It is probable that ‘G.Clarke’ is, in fact, Garnet Leslie Clark, the son of Bill Clark, who was educated at Repton and who was sufficiently skilled to represent his school at cricket on more than one occasion. Cricketers of Garnet Clark’s age certainly appear in pictures of Robinson’s sides at this time. 33 Robinson comes to Norfolk