Albert Whittle
Encyclopedia
Albert Edward Mark Whittle (16 September 1877 – 18 March 1917) was a first-class
cricket
er who played for Warwickshire
and Somerset
. He was born in Bristol
and died at Charminster
, Dorset
. Whittle was a useful right-handed batsman the bulk of whose cricket career was spent batting low in the order
; he was also a right-arm medium-paced bowler.
, and then appeared in half a dozen games in 1901 without making much impact. He was still an irregular player in 1902, but in the match against Leicestershire
at Edgbaston
, batting at No 9, he made 81 and put on 148 for the eighth wicket with Willie Quaife
. In 1903, he played in half of Warwickshire's games but without success.
Then in 1904 he suddenly made a great advance both as a batsman and as a bowler, and played in every match for Warwickshire. In 21 matches for the county, he made 812 runs at an average of 30.07. In the match against Essex
at Edgbaston, batting at his customary position of No 9, he made 104, the only century of his career. The 177-run partnership for the eighth wicket he shared with Quaife was a Warwickshire record for that wicket at the time – it was overtaken in 1925 by the partnership of 228 between Alfred Croom
and Bob Wyatt
that remained Warwickshire's record in 2010. The partnership is still the highest for the eighth wicket for Warwickshire in first-class matches against Essex. In addition to his runs, Whittle also made useful contributions as a bowler in 1904, taking 35 wickets at an average of 28.97, the only season in which he took more than 10 wickets. In the match against Cambridge University
, he took five first-innings wickets for 64 runs, following that with three further wickets in the second innings: this was his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Less than a fortnight later, he improved on those figures with his five for 28 causing a Leicestershire collapse that gave Warwickshire victory.
Whittle was not able to sustain this bowling form into 1905. He appeared in only eight games in the season, but managed five scores of 50 or more in them, and his 416 runs were at an average of 41.60, the highest average of his career. But in 1906, his batting fell away badly and he left Warwickshire after this season.
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
and Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
. He was born in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and died at Charminster
Charminster
Charminster is a village in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road one mile north of Dorchester. The village has a population of 1,940 . The village has a small church of St. Mary. These two things give the village its name, Cerneminster , which eventually evolved into...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Whittle was a useful right-handed batsman the bulk of whose cricket career was spent batting low in the order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
; he was also a right-arm medium-paced bowler.
Warwickshire cricketer
Whittle first played for Warwickshire in 1900 in a single match against London CountyLondon County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
, and then appeared in half a dozen games in 1901 without making much impact. He was still an irregular player in 1902, but in the match against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, batting at No 9, he made 81 and put on 148 for the eighth wicket with Willie Quaife
Willie Quaife
William Quaife, known as "Willie", born at Newhaven, Sussex on 17 March 1872 and died at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 13 October 1951, was a cricketer who played for Sussex, Warwickshire and England....
. In 1903, he played in half of Warwickshire's games but without success.
Then in 1904 he suddenly made a great advance both as a batsman and as a bowler, and played in every match for Warwickshire. In 21 matches for the county, he made 812 runs at an average of 30.07. In the match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
at Edgbaston, batting at his customary position of No 9, he made 104, the only century of his career. The 177-run partnership for the eighth wicket he shared with Quaife was a Warwickshire record for that wicket at the time – it was overtaken in 1925 by the partnership of 228 between Alfred Croom
Alfred Croom
Alfred John William Croom was an English cricketer. He was a right-hand opening batsman and right-arm off-spin bowler who played for Warwickshire....
and Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
that remained Warwickshire's record in 2010. The partnership is still the highest for the eighth wicket for Warwickshire in first-class matches against Essex. In addition to his runs, Whittle also made useful contributions as a bowler in 1904, taking 35 wickets at an average of 28.97, the only season in which he took more than 10 wickets. In the match against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, he took five first-innings wickets for 64 runs, following that with three further wickets in the second innings: this was his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Less than a fortnight later, he improved on those figures with his five for 28 causing a Leicestershire collapse that gave Warwickshire victory.
Whittle was not able to sustain this bowling form into 1905. He appeared in only eight games in the season, but managed five scores of 50 or more in them, and his 416 runs were at an average of 41.60, the highest average of his career. But in 1906, his batting fell away badly and he left Warwickshire after this season.