Martin Chandler | 10:17am BST 06 October 2024
Just a few years in the past I used to recurrently write profiles of nice gamers and, typically, the not so nice. It isn’t one thing I’ve achieved a lot of for some time as, albeit not consciously, I appear to have made the choice to learn different individuals’s work quite than create my very own. Or maybe I simply ran out of topics that me?
One identify that all the time appealed to me was that of Rony Stanyforth. I did know that Stanyforth had captained England in South Africa in 1927/28 regardless of by no means having been a daily together with his county, Yorkshire, however knew little extra about him than that. That enchantment arose out of a dialogue with a fellow tragic as to simply who was the least recognized England captain.
In reality I feel that title has to go to Monty Bowden who, on the age of 23, led England towards South Africa at Newlands within the second of the 2 Exams of 1888/89. A modest batsman and occasional wicketkeeper Bowden remained in South Africa on the finish of the tour and was useless three years later, however in contrast to Stanyforth he’s the topic of a biography, albeit not one that you just see fairly often*.
However I doubt anybody would argue with the proposition that Stanyforth is England’s most obscure twentieth century captain, so I made a decision to look into his story. Given the relative paucity of First Class cricket that featured Stanyforth while I actually uncovered an attention-grabbing story it ended up as nowhere close to the three,000 phrases in size that, for some cause that now escapes me, I had all the time thought to be the perfect size for a profile, so I shelved the concept and the story remained on my onerous drive.
Then final 12 months, with out my having particularly supposed to amass it, a signed {photograph} of Stanyforth was a part of a small cache of memorabilia that I acquired from a UK guide supplier. At that time I found that Stanyforth’s signature is a uncommon merchandise, so I made a decision that the time was proper to enter the loft, retrieve and fireplace up my previous laptop computer and provides the Stanyforth story a fast buffing and share it with anybody .
The primary curious factor I found about Stanyforth was that, previous to his being appointed to guide England (or extra precisely MCC) in South Africa he had actually by no means performed for Yorkshire. Shifting ahead from there his Yorkshire profession turned out to be restricted to 3 appearances in 1928, in consecutive matches in Might and June. That seemed odd, and the extra so as a result of, flying within the face of the custom of which Yorkshireman are so proud, Stanyforth had been born outdoors the county, in London on 30 Might 1892. In order that Yorkshire debut got here as late as his thirty sixth birthday.
In time, 1941, Stanyforth did marry, however the marriage was not blessed with kids and the person christened Ronald Thomas Stanyforth was subsequently the final of his line. That in itself might account, a minimum of partly, for why cricket writers have proven so little curiosity in him.
By way of his background Stanyforth’s was a privileged one and, therefore his being thought to be a Yorkshireman, the household seat was at Kirk Hammerton Corridor close to York. Stanyforth’s forebears had made an excessive amount of cash in enterprise and part of it, sadly, seemingly from the slave commerce.
Stanyforth was the youthful of two kids**, however the one son, so he finally inherited the household fortune. He was educated at Eton and his curiosity in cricket and plenty of different sports activities was fostered there. At all times a wicketkeeper it’s value noting that while Stanyforth did play for the Eton’s first XI he was by no means chosen for the matches towards the opposite main colleges. The story was related when he went as much as Oxford, for whom he made his First Class debut towards MCC in 1914. That event was nonetheless the one time he appeared for the College at that stage.
After College Stanyforth had no have to work, however he selected to hitch the Military. With the Nice Struggle simply weeks away and given the life expectancy of younger officers Stanyforth was lucky to outlive the battle. He was wounded in 1915, talked about in dispatches in 1917 and awarded the Navy Cross, so was clearly a courageous man.
Remaining with the Military as peace returned Stanyforth discovered himself in Eire throughout the interval of martial regulation imposed in 1919 and 1920. After that the by now Captain Stanyforth did take up a extra congenial place, that of equerry to the Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V.
His background within the army and with the royal household likely afforded Stanyforth elevated alternatives to play the sport and he was concerned additionally with the MCC. By way of the early Nineteen Twenties he performed at First Class stage for each the Military and the MCC and within the winter of 1926/27 he was in a position to depart his army duties to tour South America with a robust MCC facet led by ‘Plum’ Warner, then 53.
The all novice facet was a reasonably good one, all concerned having First Class expertise and ‘Gubby’ Allen and Jack ‘Farmer’ White went on to get pleasure from profitable Take a look at careers. In these days the sport in Argentina particularly was sturdy, and 4 matches towards the nationwide facet got First Class standing. The collection was a aggressive one as nicely, however the MCC received 2-1 in the long run. Warner rated Stanyforth as a ‘keeper, and wrote effusively of his abilities in The Cricketer. Stanyforth additionally did nicely with the bat, being the best MCC run scorer within the First Class matches and recording what would stay his highest innings, 91, within the final and deciding match towards Argentina.
South Africa, a longtime Take a look at nation, had been nonetheless a quite totally different proposition. Warner was likely the driving power behind the invitation issued to Stanyforth. The opposite amateurs who accepted invites had been Man Jackson of Derbyshire, Bob Wyatt of Warwickshire, Geoffrey Legge of Kent, Eddie Dawson of Leicestershire and the younger Middlesex leg spinners Ian Peebles and Greville Stevens. Douglas Jardine was amongst those that was unable to just accept an invite.
So far as the professionals had been involved Jack Hobbs, Patsy Hendren, Frank Woolley, Harold Larwood and Maurice Tate all declined to make themselves out there, however with Walter Hammond, Herbert Sutcliffe, ‘Tich’ Freeman, George Geary, Ewart Astill, Sam Staples, Harry Elliott (reserve ‘keeper) and Ernest Tyldesley all doing so the facet was nonetheless a robust one.
The primary alternative as captain was Jackson, however he had a nervous breakdown and withdrew. It was solely then that Stanyforth was appointed to guide the facet, and Sutcliffe’s opening accomplice at Yorkshire, Percy Holmes, took Jackson’s place within the get together.
The Take a look at collection was an attention-grabbing one. Stanyforth’s males received the primary two Exams, then drew the third earlier than the house facet squared the collection by profitable the fourth and fifth Exams. On account of an eye fixed harm Stanyforth missed the ultimate day of the fourth Take a look at and the fifth when, at simply 19, Stevens assumed the captaincy, an odd wanting choice provided that Wyatt additionally performed within the match.
What was the decision on Stanyforth’s 4 Exams? His batting was actually no nice shakes, his six innings bringing simply 13 runs at 2.60. Behind the stumps he held seven catches and made two stumpings. He conceded 50 byes within the seven innings for which he was behind the stumps – tellingly his deputy, Derbyshire’s Elliott, conceded only one within the closing Take a look at.
So why, provided that he had by no means performed for Yorkshire earlier than, did Stanyforth immediately end up for the county in these three matches in 1928? There isn’t a definitive reply, however a few elements have been steered. First Yorkshire’s lengthy serving ‘keeper, Arthur Dolphin, had retired on the finish of the 1927 season, so there was a emptiness.
Arthur Wooden, who had performed a solitary match the earlier summer season, performed within the first few matches of the 1928 marketing campaign, after which Stanyforth had his three alternatives earlier than Wooden returned for the remainder of the season, and certainly for the remainder of the inter-war years. In his three matches Stanyforth conceded 61 byes, and while he was marginally higher with the bat than he had been within the Exams the earlier winter he nonetheless solely had 26 runs to indicate for 3 accomplished innings.
Did Yorkshire see the 36 12 months previous as a future captain? The earlier winter had seen the county wanting round for a brand new appointee on the retirement of Main Arthur Lupton and, within the absence of any apparent novice candidate Sutcliffe was finally supplied the job, just for him to politely decline. Within the occasion the 38 12 months previous William Worsley, who in time inherited his father’s Baronetcy, turned skipper, however maybe Stanyforth was seen as a future candidate?
Regardless of his age and restricted success in South Africa Stanyforth had yet another abroad tour with England, to the Caribbean in 1929/30. Little question anticipating a simple experience after their 3-0 hammering of the identical opposition in 1928 the selectors picked two 50 12 months olds, George Gunn and Wilfred Rhodes amongst a usually growing old squad and had been duly held to a 1-1 draw. Stanyforth performed in 4 matches on the tour managing simply 4 runs and three catches earlier than a hand harm pressured him to journey residence. Realistically he was by no means seemingly so as to add to his 4 caps, a younger Les Ames appeared in all of the Exams and was presumably all the time going to take action, harm allowing.
The Caribbean journey was, successfully, the top of Stanyforth’s profession in main cricket. There have been a couple of extra First Class matches for MCC and Free Foresters the final of which was in 1933, and after that it was membership cricket just for the person who, as a Main, had left the Military in 1930. From there he had returned to responsibility with the Duke of Gloucester by which function he will need to have had some type of involvement within the abdication disaster in 1936.
Additionally within the Nineteen Thirties Stanyforth contributed a couple of articles on wicketkeeping to The Cricketer on the request of the editor, his previous good friend Warner. There was even a guide in 1935, a modest tutorial textual content, which sadly offers no actual flavour of Stanyforth the person.
The Second World Struggle noticed Stanyforth serve his nation as soon as extra. In his late forties he didn’t see energetic service as such, however was one of many final officers to be evacuated from Dunkirk. After that his function was as a workers officer, and he ended his service, by then a Lieutenant Colonel, in 1946.
His army profession at an finish Stanyforth, by then a married man, did return for a time to the Royal Family, and he was concerned with the MCC and, to a lesser extent, Yorkshire. A rich man in his personal proper after his father’s demise the Stanyforths divided their time between Kirk Hammerton Corridor and London, they usually additionally had a house in Kenya that they might go to within the winter months.
Sadly for Stanyforth his retirement was not destined to be a prolonged one. In his closing years he was dogged by unwell well being and died on the age of 71 in 1964. His widow survived him for one more twenty years, however she didn’t keep in Yorkshire, Kirk Hammerton Corridor and all its contents being offered within the months following Stanyforth’s passing.
*England’s Youngest Captain: The Life and Occasions of Monty Bowden and Two South African Journalists by Jonty Winch, revealed in 2003
**In actual fact I’m fairly certain there are three, loads of proof supporting the rivalry that there was a second and older sister who was introduced up in and spent her life in France.
