Minor Counties Championship 1913

and a year later appointed as a curate in Ilfracombe subsequently returning in 1916 to be Rector of Cruwys Morchard where he remained until his death in 1951. His club cricket was mostly with Knightshayes but he also played for the Devon Dumplings. H C B Cummins – Staffordshire 1898-1901, Dorset 1908-1913 (born 7 August 1876; died 7 May 1915) Herbert Charles Bruce Cummins played 9 matches for Staffordshire and 38 matches for Dorset in the Minor Counties Championship. For Staffordshire he took 23 wickets at an average of 31.00 while for Dorset he took 135 wickets at 16.50 with best figures of 6-27 against Wiltshire at Blandford Forum in 1908. He was a right arm fast bowler and overall secured 5 wickets in an innings of 6 occasions. Born in Hedenham, Norfolk, he went to Tonbridge School where he was captain of the cricket XI, scoring 104 against the MCC in his final year. He did not proceed to Durham University at once, but was an Assistant Master for a year in Mr. Booty's Preparatory School, Stoneleigh, Folkestone and then went to Ceylon to learn tea planting; but finding the life uncongenial he returned home after six months and went to Durham in 1898. There he gained First Class Honours in Classics and General Literature, and took his B.A. in 1901 and his M.A. in 1904. He was for two years an Assistant Master at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy, Winchester and from 1908 he was an Assistant Master at Edinburgh Academy. He was very well known in Scottish cricket, as a valuable member of the Grange C.C, Edinburgh, the premier Scottish club. Early in August 1914 he joined the London Volunteer Training Corps, and was gazetted as a 2nd Lieut. He threw himself into his military work with such enthusiasm that he was promoted to be a Temporary Captain in the 9th (Service) Battn. (Pioneers) of the Seaforth Highlanders on November 20th, 1914. He went out to France in May 1915 but on the night of May 6th he was struck in the abdomen by a stray bullet and died early next morning in the Field Hospital at Nieppe, Nord, France. He is buried in the cemetery there. F W Gillespie – Northumberland 1899-1913 (born May 1881; died 1 June 1955) Frederick (‘Fred’) William Gillespie played 81 Minor County championship matches for Northumberland scoring 3838 runs at an average of 29.98. A right- handed batsman, he made six centuries, the highest being 177 versus Yorkshire 2nd XI at Jesmond in 1910. Three times he made the highest score for the county. His occasional leg breaks resulted in 3 wickets at an average of 34.66. He captained the county between 1907 and 1911. At this point he left the district to be a registrar at Leeds County Court but returned to play occasional matches in the next couple of seasons. His brother R H Gillespie also played for Northumberland from 1901 to 1904. Educated at Uppingham School, Fred’s club was his birthplace Morpeth and it was said that “he was held in great esteem by all cricketers in the County”. He died in Harrogate in 1955. D V Norbury – Northumberland 1910-1913 (born 3 August 1887; died 23 October 1972) Duncan Victor Norbury played 24 matches for Northumberland in the Minor Counties championship scoring 1138 runs at an average of 29.17. He made 7 fifties with a top score of 92 against Cheshire at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1910. An all-rounder who could bowl right- arm fast or slow depending on conditions, he took 100 wickets at an average of 16.37. He claimed 5 wickets in an innings on six occasions with best figures of 7-71 against Norfolk at Norwich in 1911. Norbury was born in Bartley, New Forest, Hampshire and was educated on the training ship Mercury. He became a professional cricketer with Hampshire in 1905 and also played football at centre-half for Southampton at this time. On moving north in 1908 he played for the Backworth Percy club in 1908-09 and then the Northumberland County Club before the Great War. From 1919 to 1922 he played for Lancashire scoring his only first-class century, 12