Lives in Cricket No 9 - JH King

Chapter Six Successes and Disappointments King’s triumph in the Gentlemen v Players’ match led to his appointment as professional with the Western Province Club in Cape Town, South Africa, for the following winter. He was not the first Leicestershire cricketer to coach abroad. In 1893 Arthur Woodcock had been employed by Haverford College near Philadelphia, where in his honest and laconic manner he praised good points and rapidly spotted bad to produce competent players out of mediocre and transform J.A.Lester from a batsman of no achievements to one averaging over 100 in his first season. ‘Woody’, as he was known there, was considered the best coach ever to be appointed by the school; but, unlike King’s, his duties did not include playing. Although the matches did not have first-class status, the standard was assuredly not mean. Among King’s colleagues were three Test players: Johannes Jacobus Kotze, who toured England three times, had played for London County the previous summer and was considered the fastest bowler ever to appear in South Africa; H.M.Taberer, who had played two seasons in England for Oxford University; and Murray Bisset, later knighted, who had captained South Africa in two Tests in 1898/99 and led the touring party to England in 1901, and who ended his days as acting Governor of Rhodesia. Allan Reid and Murray Bisset’s brother Arthur had been members of the touring party in 1901. Although Western Province C.C. had the strongest team in the Senior Championship, Cape Town could boast the Test players S.D. and S.J.Snooke: the other clubs were Alma, Claremont, Diocesan College, Green Point and South Africa College. At King’s début for his new team, at No.3 in a home match against Alma, he ‘was given a hearty and encouraging cheer on proceeding to the wickets’, according to a local reporter who reminded his readers that King ‘was one of the most consistent of our English batsmen . . . and secured the great distinction in either innings for the Players. It was, therefore, not surprising to see a capital gate at 60