Lives in Cricket No 38 - Lionel Robinson

94 distinguished cricketers in Mr Lionel Robinson’s days’. Bullock, aged 30, had scored prolifically both for Surrey Club and Ground and for Surrey Seconds and had probably come to Gates’ notice the previous year when he and Charles Daily struck 200 runs off the Norfolk attack in just 105 minutes as Surrey Seconds racked up 550 for five before declaring. It was further reported that the South Norfolk Club had arranged no fewer than 40 matches for the forthcoming season, with the two two-day games arranged against H.L.Simms’ XI and H.D.G.Leveson-Gower’s XI as part of ‘Old Buckenham Hall Week’ in July being the outstanding fixtures. When the time came to look back on the season, the Eastern Daily Press reported that South Norfolk had had a relatively successful season, but not one with which Lionel Robinson would have been satisfied. Although 17 matches were won, no fewer than ten were lost. Bullock more than justified his wages, scoring over 1,000 runs at an average of over 67 and taking 51 wickets at 12.29. As a batsman he received most support from the brothers Rought-Rought while the bowling was dominated by Hart, who took no fewer than 134 wickets at 10.26. Old Buckenham Week was a rather complex affair with players coming and going and swapping sides in a seemingly random fashion. The home team were not South Norfolk, as one might have expected, but the Rudolph Ramblers, a side composed chiefly of past and present members of Magdalen College, Oxford. Their first match was against Harry Simms’ XI, whose team included both Gates and Hart whilst the Ramblers were strengthened by Bullock and duly won. The Ramblers then took on South Norfolk in a one-day game. Gates joined the Ramblers’ team but Hart and Bullock turned out for South Norfolk instead and the former’s five-wicket haul meant a defeat for the Ramblers. A second loss was only narrowly avoided at the hands of H.D.G.Leveson-Gower’s XI, who were 16 runs short with three wickets in hand when stumps were drawn. Gates again turned out for the Ramblers, being joined by Bullock, but Hart made it a hat-trick The death of Lionel Robinson and the fate of his cricket ground Gates’ XI v Leveson-Gower’s XI, Old Buckenham, 1926. (Philip Yaxley)