Alfred Street (cricket umpire)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Edward Street, born at Godalming
, Surrey
, on 7 July 1869 and died at Exmouth
, Devon
, on 18 February 1951, was a cricket
player for Surrey
and later a respected cricket umpire
who stood in several Test matches
between 1912 and 1926.
As a player, Street was a middle or lower order right-handed batsman and an occasional medium-pace bowler. He played regularly for the successful Surrey side in only three seasons, from 1894 to 1896, and his one innings of distinction was an unbeaten 161 against Leicestershire
at Grace Road, Leicester in 1895, when his batting enabled a Surrey recovery from 94 for six wickets to reach a total of 385, which proved enough to win by an innings. He disappeared from first-class cricket
after 1898.
In 1909, Street joined the list of first-class umpires and remained on it for the following 25 years, retiring at the end of the 1934 season, though he reappeared for one match in 1939. He officiated in Test matches for the first time during the 1912 Triangular Tournament
and stood again in matches in the 1921, 1924 and 1926 seasons. In all, he umpired in 523 first-class matches.
In the 1919 season, Street was the central figure in the Heygate incident in the match between Somerset
and Sussex
at the County Ground, Taunton. With the scores tied, the injured Sussex batsman Harold Heygate
took more than the two minutes allowed to come to the wicket, and, following a Somerset appeal, Street adjudged him to be timed out
and the match result to be a tie. Street's decision was upheld by MCC
, though the Laws of Cricket
at the time did not allow for a "timed out" dismissal and Heygate was marked on the scorecard as "absent hurt". For a fuller description of this incident, which caused considerable controversy at the time, see the article on Heygate.
His father, James Street
, was also an umpire, who stood in one Test in 1890, as well as a player for Surrey. His uncle, George Street, was an umpire too, but was not a player at first-class level.
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, on 7 July 1869 and died at Exmouth
Exmouth
Exmouth is a town in Devon. It may also refer to:Places*Exmouth Peninsula in Southern Chile*Exmouth, Western AustraliaPeople*Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth , a British naval officerShips...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, on 18 February 1951, was a 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...
player for Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and later a respected cricket umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
who stood in several Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between 1912 and 1926.
As a player, Street was a middle or lower order right-handed batsman and an occasional medium-pace bowler. He played regularly for the successful Surrey side in only three seasons, from 1894 to 1896, and his one innings of distinction was an unbeaten 161 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 Grace Road, Leicester in 1895, when his batting enabled a Surrey recovery from 94 for six wickets to reach a total of 385, which proved enough to win by an innings. He disappeared from first-class cricket
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...
after 1898.
In 1909, Street joined the list of first-class umpires and remained on it for the following 25 years, retiring at the end of the 1934 season, though he reappeared for one match in 1939. He officiated in Test matches for the first time during the 1912 Triangular Tournament
1912 Triangular Tournament
The 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia, England and South Africa, the only Test-playing nations at the time....
and stood again in matches in the 1921, 1924 and 1926 seasons. In all, he umpired in 523 first-class matches.
In the 1919 season, Street was the central figure in the Heygate incident in the match between 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...
and Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
at the County Ground, Taunton. With the scores tied, the injured Sussex batsman Harold Heygate
Harold Heygate
Harold John Heygate, born at Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, on 4 August 1884 and died at Guildford, Surrey on 27 June 1937 was a cricketer of very minor distinction except in one respect: his role in his final first-class game led to a situation that is almost certainly unique and that caused a...
took more than the two minutes allowed to come to the wicket, and, following a Somerset appeal, Street adjudged him to be timed out
Timed out
Timed out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It occurs when an incoming batsman is not ready to play within three minutes of the previous batsman being out...
and the match result to be a tie. Street's decision was upheld by MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, though the Laws of Cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
at the time did not allow for a "timed out" dismissal and Heygate was marked on the scorecard as "absent hurt". For a fuller description of this incident, which caused considerable controversy at the time, see the article on Heygate.
His father, James Street
James Street (umpire)
James Street was an English cricketer who played for Surrey between 1863 and 1878. A round arm fast bowler, he took 534 of his 540 first-class wickets for Surrey. Subsequently he became an umpire, appearing in that role between 1873 and 1899, but in only two matches before 1877...
, was also an umpire, who stood in one Test in 1890, as well as a player for Surrey. His uncle, George Street, was an umpire too, but was not a player at first-class level.