Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

Chapter five A new century and 1901 In November 1898 Lionel was elected onto the Somerset County Cricket Club committee. However just as the press were looking at the counties’ prospects for the 1899 season, stating that Lionel would play as regularly as possible, he was struck down by appendicitis in late April. For its time this was a major operation; in the press it was well reported that he had had a serious operation. His friend, and fellow cricketer Gerald Fowler would succumb to this, as his appendix ruptured and he died of peritonitis in 1916, at 49. For a while it was reported that Lionel would return in August, but in the end he missed all of the season. In his absence Somerset had a marginally better season winning two matches and finishing joint thirteenth. In his absence Charles Bernard, an opening batsman from the Bristol area who played his club cricket for the Bohemians, was tried and put together a number of useful innings. It was hoped that Somerset had found a new opening partner for Lionel. Sadly by 1901 having lost form he returned to club cricket, though he had the pleasure of hitting a century in his last match for the county. On a brighter note, his brother Richard married in November; the best man was Plum Warner. It is ironic that over thirty years later, these two would be managers on the bodyline tour to Australia. Unlike Lionel who went to Devon for his honeymoon, Richard travelled around Europe. The press was interested in Lionel’s progress at the start of the new century; it was reported that he was fit and well. He also attended a number of the Somerset and Devon Staghounds meetings during thewinter and spring. OnMay 12, the Lancashire Evening Post commented on the ‘country looking forward to his presence again on the field and his masterful artistry of his batting, and how easily he scored his runs and how attractive and pleasing was his play for all crowds’. He began his 1900 season with a couple of games for Taunton, first against Bridgwater; George Gill had him caught for a duck. Against Wellington a couple of days later, he made an attractive 62