Jump to content

Harold Watson (cricketer, born 1888)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harold Watson
Personal information
Full name
Harold Watson
Born5 March 1888
Gooderstone, Norfolk, England
Died14 March 1969(1969-03-14) (aged 81)
Hauxton, Cambridgeshire,
England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1924Minor Counties
1913–1921Marylebone Cricket Club
1910–1927Norfolk
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 13
Runs scored 189
Batting average 9.45
100s/50s –/–
Top score 42
Balls bowled 1,731
Wickets 37
Bowling average 25.02
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 5/70
Catches/stumpings 5/–
Source: Cricinfo, 3 November 2013

Harold Watson (5 March 1888 – 14 March 1969) was an English cricketer active in the 1910s and 1920s, making just over a dozen appearances in first-class cricket. Born at Gooderstone, Norfolk, Watson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium and who played most of his cricket at minor counties level with Norfolk.

Career

[edit]

Watson made his debut in minor counties cricket for Norfolk in the 1910 Minor Counties Championship against Suffolk,[1] winning the Minor Counties Championship in his first season.[2] He made two appearances in his debut season but followed this up with nine in 1911, and eight in 1912.[1] Norfolk against won the Minor Counties Championship in 1913,[2] with Watson playing nine matches in that season.[1] It was in 1913 that he made his debut in first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Kent at Lord's,[3] with him taking a wicket with his first delivery in first-class cricket when he dismissed England Test cricketer Frank Woolley.[2] He followed this up with a further first-class appearance for the MCC in that season, before making a further four in 1914.[3] He took his only first-class five wicket haul in this season against Hampshire. Additionally, Watson appeared in seven matches for Norfolk throughout that season.[1]

Following the First World War, Watson played two first-class matches for the MCC in 1919 against Yorkshire and Oxford University.[3] before resuming his minor counties career with Norfolk in 1920, making six appearances,[1] as well as a single appearance for the MCC against Nottinghamshire at Lord's.[3] He made nine appearances for Norfolk in 1921,[1] as well as playing his final three first-class matches for the MCC against Kent, Cambridge University and Oxford University.[3] Watson played a total of twelve first-class matches for the MCC, taking 37 wickets at an average of 24.48.[4] With the bat, he scored 176 runs at a batting average of 9.77, with a high score of 45.[5] Watson's best season in minor counties cricket came in 1922, when he took 59 wickets at a bowling average of 14.37 across his thirteen matches.[1][2] He made ten appearances for Norfolk in 1923, and followed this up with nine in the following season.[1] It was in 1924 that he was selected to play what would be his final appearance in first-class cricket for a combined Minor Counties cricket team against the touring South Africans.[3] He made ten appearances for Norfolk in 1925, but made no appearances in 1926.[1] He played three further matches for the county in 1927.[1] In 95 appearances for Norfolk in the Minor Counties Championship, Watson took 384 wickets at an average of 17.23.[2]

Outside of playing, Watson was also a coach, coaching cricket at RNC Dartmouth, Bishop's Stortford College and the Perse School. He was also later employed as the head porter at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2] He died at Hauxton, Cambridgeshire on 14 March 1969.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Harold Watson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Wisden – Obituaries in 1969". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "First-Class Matches played by Harold Watson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  4. ^ "First-class Bowling For Each Team by Harold Watson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  5. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Harold Watson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
[edit]