Alonzo Drake
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Drake was an English
first-class cricket
er who played 157 matches for Yorkshire
between 1909 and 1914. Despite making his first class debut at the relatively late age of 25, Drake was a vital part of the Yorkshire team in the seasons before World War I
.
, Yorkshire
, England
, Drake played for the Yorkshire Second XI
in 1908 and 1909, the year he first broke into the first team. He took 12 wickets in five matches, and 28 in 1910 including a spell of 5/10 against Western Counties, at Titwood, Glasgow
. In 1911, he finally established himself in the Yorkshire side. A more than useful left-handed batsman, he averaged
35 with the bat and took 79 wickets at 22.40.
In 1913, he took 102 wickets at the top of the Yorkshire averages and, in the last season of a truncated career, claimed 135 wickets at 15.30, including 11 five wicket hauls. Like Schofield Haigh
, he was devastating on poor or rain affected wickets but, unlike Haigh, could bowl long spells and had a fine economy rate on flatter batting tracks. He took five wickets in an innings 29 times.
He claimed remarkable 4/4 and 3/3 returns, for match figures of 7/7, against Somerset
at The Recreation Ground, Bath
in 1913. He grabbed 5/6 in the second innings against Derbyshire
at Queen's Park, Chesterfield
in 1914, including the wickets of Richard Baggallay
, Gilbert Curgenven
, Colin Hurt
and Thomas Forrester
in consecutive balls. His most famous feat was the taking all ten Somerset wickets for 35 at Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare
in 1914, when he took 15 in the match for 51 runs. Only Drake, Hedley Verity
(twice), and Frank Smailes
, have taken all ten wickets in an innings for Yorkshire.
He took a hat-trick
against Essex
at Fartown Ground, Huddersfield in 1912, in a spell in which he took 5 wickets and conceded no runs. He took three wickets in four balls in a first-class 'friendly' Roses Match
at The Circle, Kingston upon Hull that year. He bowled unchanged with Major Booth
throughout the game in consecutive matches in 1914 - against Gloucestershire
and Somerset.
His batting continued to be useful. He scored 4,816 runs in all, with three centuries and a best of 147*
against Derbyshire
, for an average of 21.69.
He fell into ill health, and died aged 34 in February 1919, in Honley
, Yorkshire.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
er who played 157 matches for Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
between 1909 and 1914. Despite making his first class debut at the relatively late age of 25, Drake was a vital part of the Yorkshire team in the seasons before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Life and career
Born in Parkgate, RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Drake played for the Yorkshire Second XI
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
in 1908 and 1909, the year he first broke into the first team. He took 12 wickets in five matches, and 28 in 1910 including a spell of 5/10 against Western Counties, at Titwood, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. In 1911, he finally established himself in the Yorkshire side. A more than useful left-handed batsman, he averaged
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
35 with the bat and took 79 wickets at 22.40.
In 1913, he took 102 wickets at the top of the Yorkshire averages and, in the last season of a truncated career, claimed 135 wickets at 15.30, including 11 five wicket hauls. Like Schofield Haigh
Schofield Haigh
Schofield Haigh was a Yorkshire and England cricketer. He played for eighteen seasons for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, for England from the 1898/99 tour to 1912, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1901....
, he was devastating on poor or rain affected wickets but, unlike Haigh, could bowl long spells and had a fine economy rate on flatter batting tracks. He took five wickets in an innings 29 times.
He claimed remarkable 4/4 and 3/3 returns, for match figures of 7/7, against 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...
at The Recreation Ground, Bath
Recreation Ground (Bath)
The Recreation Ground is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally....
in 1913. He grabbed 5/6 in the second innings against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
at Queen's Park, Chesterfield
Queen's Park, Chesterfield
Queen's Park is a county cricket ground located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England and lies within a park in the centre of the town established for Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897...
in 1914, including the wickets of Richard Baggallay
Richard Baggallay (cricketer)
Richard Romer Claude Baggallay D.S.O. M.C. was an English army officer and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1912 and 1919 and captained the side in 1913, 1914 and 1919....
, Gilbert Curgenven
Gilbert Curgenven
Gilbert Curgenven was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1901 to 1922....
, Colin Hurt
Colin Hurt
Colin Noel Bickley Hurt was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire in 1914.Hurt was born in Darley Dale. He played three first-class matches for Derbyshire during July 1914, and, in his second match, against Lancashire, was one of the three batsmen taken in a hat-trick scored by John...
and Thomas Forrester
Thomas Forrester (cricketer)
Thomas Forrester was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Warwickshire from1896 to 1899 and for Derbyshire from 1902 to 1920...
in consecutive balls. His most famous feat was the taking all ten Somerset wickets for 35 at Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare
Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare
Clarence Park was given to the town of Weston-super-Mare by Rebecca Davies in memory of her husband. The cricket pavilion at the park dates from 1882. A multitude of sports have been played at the park, including cricket. The ground is owned by the local council. It is currently used by...
in 1914, when he took 15 in the match for 51 runs. Only Drake, Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
(twice), and Frank Smailes
Frank Smailes
Frank Smailes was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire, and one Test for England...
, have taken all ten wickets in an innings for Yorkshire.
He took a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
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 Fartown Ground, Huddersfield in 1912, in a spell in which he took 5 wickets and conceded no runs. He took three wickets in four balls in a first-class 'friendly' Roses Match
Roses Match
The Roses Match refers to any game of cricket played between Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club. Yorkshire's emblem is the white rose, while Lancashire's is the red rose. The associations go back to the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century...
at The Circle, Kingston upon Hull that year. He bowled unchanged with Major Booth
Major Booth
This page is about an English Cricketer. For other persons named William Booth, see William Booth .Major William Booth was a cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1908 and 1914, a season in which he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the...
throughout the game in consecutive matches in 1914 - against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
and Somerset.
His batting continued to be useful. He scored 4,816 runs in all, with three centuries and a best of 147*
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, for an average of 21.69.
He fell into ill health, and died aged 34 in February 1919, in Honley
Honley
Honley is a large village in West Yorkshire, England near to Holmfirth and Huddersfield situated on the banks of the River Holme in the Holme Valley. In 2001 it had a population of 5,897 according to the census.-Education:...
, Yorkshire.
External links
- Alonzo Drake at ESPNcricinfo
- Alonzo Drake at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...