The Minor Counties Championship 1905

11 He was a solicitor by profession and is reported to have owned racehorses. He was born at Berwick and died at Newcastle upon Tyne. F Arnold – Oxfordshire 1895-1905 (dates of birth and death not known) Played 37 matches for Oxfordshire between 1895 and 1905, scoring 715 runs at 13.00 and taking 39 catches and making 6 stumpings. His only fifty score was in his penultimate match for the county in 1905 against Norfolk at the Christ Church Ground, Oxford. Frederick Arnold was a right-handed batsman who shared the wicket-keeping duties with Cecil Headlam before James Marsh became the regular keeper. He played as a professional and the story is told that he was at one time seeking to qualify for a first-class county, but was dissuaded from doing so by close colleagues, who wanted his services to be available to Oxfordshire. His record for Oxfordshire does not suggest he would have been a great success in the first-class game. He was the father of John Arnold, who after one season for Oxfordshire in 1929, played first-class cricket for Hampshire and England – one Test against New Zealand at Lord’s in 1931. He was a ‘double’ international winning one ‘cap’ at association football a gainst Scotland at Hampden Park, Glasgow in 1933. P Rogers – Oxfordshire 1895-1905 (born 7 November 1865; died 3 August 1923) Played 79 matches for Oxfordshire scoring 1,470 runs at 13.86, holding 48 catches and taking 325 wickets at 17.36. Peter Rogers scored one fifty for the county against Bedfordshire at Luton Hoo Park in 1901. His best innings bowling performance was against Berkshire at the New College Ground, Oxford in 1900. He was a right-hand batsman and slow right-arm bowler and one of the leading players in the 1900 season. His success as a slow bowler was unusual at a time when most of the leading bowlers were of medium pace or faster. His career was reviewed on page 7 of the 1900 book. His son Herbert, who was killed in the First World War, played 7 matches for Hampshire between 1912 and 1914. W Smith – Oxfordshire 1895-1905 (born 11 February 1875; died 20 March 1942) Played 45 matches scoring 1,953 runs at 27.50 and holding 24 catches. He batted right-handed and was one of Oxfordshire’s leadin g batsmen, but he never scored a century, his highest score being 98 against Berkshire at the New College Ground in 1901. He reached fifty on 12 occasions. He was perhaps better-known as a cricketer playing for London County. Between 1901 and 1904, he played in 30 first-class matches scoring 1,191 runs at an average of 30.53 and scored two centuries. His appearances for London County limited the matches that he could play for Oxfordshire. He is reported as regarding his greatest sporting success as leading Oxford City to win the FA Amateur Cup in 1906. William Smith was born at Witney and died at Chittlehambolt, North Devon. W T Graburn – Surrey 2nd XI 1899-1905 (born 16 March 1865; died 13 December 1944) Played 23 matches for Surrey 2nd XI scoring 413 runs at an average of 16.52, his highest score being 46 against Devon at The Oval. He was a right-hand batsman. He was born at Filey and educated at Repton where he was in the outstanding XI of 1884 and played for Scarborough. He captained the Yorkshire Colts in 1886. In 1890, he made his first-class debut for the Hurst Park Club against the Australians. In 1892 he was selected from a large number of applicants to be the Cricket Instructor for the young players at The Oval, where he was called “Teacher”, a post he held with excellent results for many years. William Turbett Graburn played in one first- class match for Surrey, the last in the 1894 season when, captaining the team, he won the toss and made 39 against Essex at Leyton, a match Surrey won. He played and captained the Surrey 2nd XI in all the 23 matches he played. When he moved South, as well as playing for Surrey Club and Ground, his club cricket was with Thames Ditton and later for East Molesey where he died during the Second World War.