Lives in Cricket No 38 - Lionel Robinson

35 local fame. By 1920 the Eastern Daily Press no longer referred to him in match scorecards by his real name but simply as ‘Squibs’ (having passed through an intermediate phase of referring to him as ‘W.Squibs’). Yaxley describes ‘Squibs’ as ‘somewhat retarded’ but ‘a great-hearted little chap and a fine enthusiastic cricketer’ and he was, according to local author Michael Home, regarded as being unreliable with the bat but was highly valued for his willingness to ‘bowl all day and never tire and lose heart’. Home was writing of pre-War days however and, after the War, ‘Squibs’ had to move with the times; the arrival in Old Buckenham of Len Hart, who also liked to bowl all day and was good enough to do so (see chapter four), meant that Groom had to reinvent himself as a batsman. That he did so successfully was shown in the averages published in the Eastern Daily Press . In 1920 (when he claimed only 22 wickets) he finished fourth in the batting list and was invited to bat for the South Norfolk League representative side; whilst in 1923, a year in which he does not seem to have bowled at all for Old Buckenham, he was second only to Hart. In 1924 ‘Squibs’ had the finest day of his career by scoring 102 not out (of the team’s total of 174) for Old Buckenham against Quidenham District; in those days individual centuries in village cricket were as rare as hens’ teeth and he must have been either a considerably better bat than Michael Home believed or had an extraordinarily lucky day at the wicket. ‘Squibs’ was still a capable enough cricketer to be playing in games appropriate to players well above his social status as late as 1927. Home, whilst confessing an ignorance of ‘Squibs’’ real name, hints that Groom might not have been quite as ‘retarded’ as posterity seems to have recorded. He appears to have been a keen bird-watcher and Home draws attention to his habit of writing letters to the Eastern Daily Press regarding Robinson comes to Norfolk The redoubtable Squibs (William Groom), countryman and cricketer. (Ian MacLaren’s album, courtesy of Michael Down)