Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

Chapter 11 His cricketing legacy In his career Lionel Palairet scored 15,777 runs at an average of 33.63, hitting 27 centuries in 267 first-class matches. He also played twice for England in 1902. It was for Somerset though that he shone; he held many of the club’s batting records for decades. But who was the man? Little has been written about him other than he was a supreme stylist during the ‘golden age’ of cricket. The little written about him describes him as being aloof. Lionel had a comfortable upbringing; his father was a top barrister and later judge; Lionel was privately schooled, at Repton then Oxford University; and he was used to having a lot of servants in the house. I think his upbringing in grand surroundings, mixing with only his peers, led him to live as a gentleman. He was ill-prepared to mix with people of lower standing and of a less fortunate background. From this lack of exposure, it would appear that he had trouble communicating and getting the best out of his fellow players on the field, and being approachable off the field. His brother Richard is reported in some books as being ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’. In photos Lionel does have an air of authority and the stature of a well-to-do gentleman. The only known film of Lionel was taken as he left the field for lunch in 1901 at Manchester in the Somerset-Lancashire game. He looked the part, being well dressed and wearing his familiar Harlequin cap. He can be seen as a tall, slim figure who walks very grandly whilst chatting to Archie MacLaren. He was also known by the nickname ‘Coo’ to a number of his fellow players. He also seems fairly reserved and would talk little of his deeds on the cricket field. It was more than once stated that he would talk little of his career and none about his record stand with Hewett, so he seems to have been self-depreciatory about his own ability. His experience as captain was limited to Repton, his two final years at Oxford and one year at Somerset in 1907. His successes at Oxford were mixed, and for Somerset he had a poor year, though the team was poor. At the end of the season, he attacked his team as lacking spirit and the will to fight. It’s possible that 119