Lives in Cricket No 51 - Rev ES Carter

64 Gentlemen of Yorkshire and it was Hawke who caught Carter for six. A fortnight later they met again in an important match probably largely organised by Carter, namely eleven Yorkshire Players against 16 Gentlemen of Yorkshire. The York Herald devoted over a full column of newsprint to each day of the two-day fixture starting with the statement that the attendance was ‘the largest company that had ever assembled on the Bootham Stray ground’. Every man in the Players side had represented Yorkshire in first-class cricket, and included George Ulyett, Louis Hall, Willie Bates, Ephraim Lockwood, Tom Emmett (captain), Allen Hill, Joe Hunter, and Edmund Peate. It was like having a roll-call of past Yorkshire ‘greats’. Carter who probably captained the Gentlemen had eight players in his side who had or would play for the county and Hawke, still to commence his first-class career, opened the batting. The Players scored 171 and 111, and the Gentlemen 143 and 127 to lose by 12 runs. It would have been enthralling and Carter would have been disappointed to only score six not out and nought. Examples of Carter’s versatility came from a match for Yorkshire Gentlemen against the Fettesians and Lorettonians (from Edinburgh). He scored 56 and 22, took a stumping in the visitors’ first innings and then as a bowler taking three wickets. In the second innings of the Fettesians Carter may not have had time to keep wicket, for he took six wickets, three of which were bowled, one was lbw and another was caught and bowled. He was some performer; and he may again have been captain! In another game against Whiston he ceased his round-arm bowling in favour of lobs and in the two Whiston innings six wickets fell to him – ‘stumped G.A.B.Leatham bowled E.S.Carter’. The year 1882 was when the York Town Cricket Club (later York Cricket Club) was revived. This club was initially formed in 1784 but had fallen away before Carter arrived in York. He was one of a number of gentlemen who sought to restore it in 1882 on a field near to Bootham Crescent and some matches were played that year. An inaugural dinner to celebrate the first season was held in 1883 and the club was able to attract Lord Wenlock as President and Lord Londesborough as Patron. This may have been the same club which held a bazaar in 1884 when