MInor Counties Championship 1912

J E Stevens – Wiltshire 1895-1912 (born 21 March 1875; died 10 April 1923) John Elgar Stevens played 98 matches for Wiltshire scoring 3904 runs at an average of 25.02 with 3 centuries. These were 107 against Dorset at Trowbridge in 1908, 102 against Buckinghamshire at Trowbridge in 1902 and 101 against Hertfordshire at Hertford in 1906. A very occasional bowler, he took 4 wickets with his right arm medium-fast pace. He made one first-class appearance, for the MCC against Leicestershire in 1902. Born at Broad Chalke in Wiltshire in 1875 he was educated at Sherborne School and then went up to Oxford University where he played in the Freshmen’s match in 1895. Also keen on other sports, he became the Public Schools Middleweight Boxing Champion in 1894, played rugby, and was for a time a steeplechase jockey. Despite some physical disabilities, he served in the Veterinary Corps in World War 1 but after the war he suffered various health issues and he became estranged from his family. Sadly he decided to take his own life by jumping under a train at Woking Station on 10 April 1923. He was aged only 48. LCR Thring – Bedfordshire 1895-1912 (born 5 September 1862; died 10 November 1934) Lionel Charles Reginald Thring played 56 matches for Bedfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship scoring 1813 runs at an average of 21.58. He scored one century, 132 against Buckinghamshire at Bedford Grammar School in 1903. He also took 51 wickets at an average of 20.58 with best figures of 5-13 against Cambridgeshire at Fenner’s in 1901. He was described as a free-hitting batsman and a good fielder. It seemed that his county career was to finish in 1908 but he was recalled for one final match in 1912 when aged nearly 50. Before the start of the Championship in 1895, Thring had played for Wiltshire from 1882 but represented Bedfordshire from 1891 when the County Club was resuscitated, being a prime mover in the County XI being re-formed. In their first year he was both honorary secretary and captain but had to relinquish the latter role at the end of the season due to the demands of his job. He remained a regular player though in the subsequent years and posted his highest score for the county, 143 not out against the MCC at Dunstable in 1894 when he went in first and carried his bat. He captained the team again in Bedfordshire’s first season in the Championship in 1895. Thring was born at Uppingham in Rutland in 1862 and attended Uppingham School followed by Marlborough College. He went up to Cambridge in 1880 and gained a degree in Theology but did not feature in the cricket elevens. Following a brief spell at Wellingborough School, he was appointed the first headmaster of Dunstable Grammar School in 1888, a post he was to hold for 33 years. He is credited for the school’s expansion and many improvements during this time. He was a Justice of the Peace and held a number of other significant positions in the town. Thring was also a footballer in his younger days and played for Luton Town from 1888 until they turned professional in 1891. Lionel Thring died at home in Martock, Somerset on 10 November 1934. He was a member of a well-known cricketing family and two of his brothers also represented Bedfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship. THE BOOK The Match Scores The scores are presented in the same format as in previous books. Scorebooks exist for Durham and Staffordshire. Yearbooks for Kent and Surrey and the Staffordshire Annual Report were also referenced. 13