Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

Chapter nine Committees and playing for Devon With the end of the war Lionel could concentrate a little more on playing golf and playing some cricket. For the MCC against Clifton College he made 103; playing in his old form he hit a six and 15 fours. By September he was back playing in golf tournaments and his handicap would be back to scratch within a year. In August 1919 the Bath Chronicle did a feature about his batting style, saying ‘His batting was a thing of joy, every shot executed with a minimum of exertion and maximum power’. The newspaper concluded that he retired too early and there were no batsman of the day with his grace and style. The paper added that ‘he could play a half-cocked shot to a shooter (Trumper’s dog shot), this helped him bat on a sticky wicket although he was a front foot player’. By 1920 he was back on various work and golf committees and still working for the Earl of Devon. In April he won a golf doubles tournament with WRC Laverton, and on the cricket field he hit 64 and 62 for the MCC against Devon Club and Ground at Exeter in late August. Life for everyone was now getting back to normal. The following year, in June he travelled with his wife aboard the SS Mauretania from Southampton to New York for a holiday in America, and in December his daughter married. Although he did not win a golf tournament in 1921, he began to enter more doubles and individual events within the county. He also played his usual few games for the MCC, and Free Foresters, plus the odd scratch side at cricket. His best effort during 1921 was 48 and 71 for MCC against United Services at Devonport in late August. The following year 1922 saw Lionel elected President of the Devon Golf Alliance. As a golfer he had his busiest year so far. He twice played for the county in May. Devon lost 6-3 to Dorset at Budleigh Salterton; Lionel lost his singles but managed a half at foursomes. In August, Devon beat Somerset 7-4, as Lionel won both his singles and foursomes this time. Although he again 109