Charlie Townsend
Encyclopedia
Charles Lucas Townsend was a Gloucestershire cricket
er. An all-round
cricketer, Townsend was classically stylish, left-handed batsman, who was able to hit well despite his slender build. His off-side strokes were particularly effective, and his driving allowed him to score at a consistent pace throughout his major innings. In his younger days Townsend was also a spin bowler
, who relied chiefly on a big break from leg but could also turn the ball the other way. He was often extremely difficult on sticky wicket
s but very rarely effective on good ones.
from Clifton College
at the age of 16 in 1893. He took 21 wickets in four games and showed, despite his very slight build, the ability to get through a lot of bowling and spin the ball prodigiously from leg. In one innings against Middlesex, he bowled 70 five-ball overs (equivalent to 58 six-ball overs). In that season, his county's wicket-keeper
, William Brain
, completed the only instance in first-class cricket of a hat-trick
of stumpings, taken off Townsend's bowling. The following year, Townsend's record was modest though Grace gave him a good deal of bowling on soft pitches, and he was seen as not physically strong enough for county cricket by most critics of the day.
It was in 1895 that the sensation of Townsend's career occurred. Schoolwork meant he played only one match up to the 21 July - taking only two wickets for 94 - yet in Gloucestershire's remaining 11 matches he took 122 wickets. With increased physical strength, Townsend spun the ball so much on the treacherous pitches upon which almost all these games were played that, though he was often freely hit, batsmen eventually fell to his turning balls. During this period, Townsend was so successful that he was kept on by Grace for all but thirty of 659 five-ball overs bowled by Gloucestershire from one end.
During May, June and July 1896, when the weather was consistently dry, Townsend proved extremely ineffective. Though when the rain came he took 38 wickets in the last four matches, it was clear he was an easy bowler to play on firm pitches. The following year, Townsend's bowling was expensive even on the few rain-affected pitches because he was sacrificing accuracy to gain spin, but his batting developed so much that he attained the status of an all-rounder, scoring a maiden century against Yorkshire and winning a critical match against Nottinghamshire.
In 1898, Townsend bowled on a sticky wicket at Lord's to win the opening match against Middlesex, and, though on the hard pitches his bowling was largely harmless, his skill as a batsman reached far beyond that of previous years and he hit five centuries - the highest being 159 against Lancashire. When the rain returned in August, he lost his batting, but his bowling was - remarkably - even more irresistible than in 1895. Across five matches he bowled 1,533 balls with 65 maidens, taking 64 wickets for 715 runs an a bowling average
of 11.17 runs per wicket.
Townsend was rewarded for these feats with selection as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and his jump to the front rank of batsmen continued in the dry summer of 1899, when he made nine centuries, including 224 against Essex. Although his bowling had become expensive even when the pitches helped him, Townsend was chosen for his only Tests
against Australia. He did very modestly in these matches, but toured the United States
with a team led by K.S. Ranjitsinhji that winter. In 1900, though he only took 57 first-class
wickets, Townsend again batted well despite playing no really large innings, showing greater ability than before to counter the spinning ball on treacherous pitches, notably late in the season at Cheltenham.
However, from 1901 Townsend began devoting most of the summer to studying law
and later practising as a solicitor
. This meant that he could only play a handful of matches each season until 1906. Though he hardly bowled at all in these games, his batting continued to find success. He scored 147 on a fairly difficult pitch against Sussex in 1902, and 214 against Worcestershire in 1906. From 1907 he was appointed as Official Receiver at Stockton-on-Tees
and could play only exceptionally rarely (though he would have played in the Cheltenham festival in 1908 but for a strain). Innings of 61 against a formidable Yorkshire attack in his only appearance for 1907, 126 against the Australians in 1909 and 84 (after Gloucestershire at been dismissed for a record low 22 in their first innings) to beat Somerset in 1920 followed. His last appearances in 1921 and 1922 yielded little success, and Townsend was never involved in the game after that.
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. An all-round
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
cricketer, Townsend was classically stylish, left-handed batsman, who was able to hit well despite his slender build. His off-side strokes were particularly effective, and his driving allowed him to score at a consistent pace throughout his major innings. In his younger days Townsend was also a spin bowler
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, who relied chiefly on a big break from leg but could also turn the ball the other way. He was often extremely difficult on sticky wicket
Sticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
s but very rarely effective on good ones.
Career
Townsend first emerged as a leg break bowlerLeg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
from Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
at the age of 16 in 1893. He took 21 wickets in four games and showed, despite his very slight build, the ability to get through a lot of bowling and spin the ball prodigiously from leg. In one innings against Middlesex, he bowled 70 five-ball overs (equivalent to 58 six-ball overs). In that season, his county's wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, William Brain
William Brain
William Henry Brain was an English cricketer and footballer: a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who played for Gloucestershire, Oxford University and MCC in the early 1890s; as well as keeping goal for Headington United...
, completed the only instance in first-class cricket of 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...
of stumpings, taken off Townsend's bowling. The following year, Townsend's record was modest though Grace gave him a good deal of bowling on soft pitches, and he was seen as not physically strong enough for county cricket by most critics of the day.
It was in 1895 that the sensation of Townsend's career occurred. Schoolwork meant he played only one match up to the 21 July - taking only two wickets for 94 - yet in Gloucestershire's remaining 11 matches he took 122 wickets. With increased physical strength, Townsend spun the ball so much on the treacherous pitches upon which almost all these games were played that, though he was often freely hit, batsmen eventually fell to his turning balls. During this period, Townsend was so successful that he was kept on by Grace for all but thirty of 659 five-ball overs bowled by Gloucestershire from one end.
During May, June and July 1896, when the weather was consistently dry, Townsend proved extremely ineffective. Though when the rain came he took 38 wickets in the last four matches, it was clear he was an easy bowler to play on firm pitches. The following year, Townsend's bowling was expensive even on the few rain-affected pitches because he was sacrificing accuracy to gain spin, but his batting developed so much that he attained the status of an all-rounder, scoring a maiden century against Yorkshire and winning a critical match against Nottinghamshire.
In 1898, Townsend bowled on a sticky wicket at Lord's to win the opening match against Middlesex, and, though on the hard pitches his bowling was largely harmless, his skill as a batsman reached far beyond that of previous years and he hit five centuries - the highest being 159 against Lancashire. When the rain returned in August, he lost his batting, but his bowling was - remarkably - even more irresistible than in 1895. Across five matches he bowled 1,533 balls with 65 maidens, taking 64 wickets for 715 runs an a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 11.17 runs per wicket.
Townsend was rewarded for these feats with selection as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and his jump to the front rank of batsmen continued in the dry summer of 1899, when he made nine centuries, including 224 against Essex. Although his bowling had become expensive even when the pitches helped him, Townsend was chosen for his only Tests
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...
against Australia. He did very modestly in these matches, but toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a team led by K.S. Ranjitsinhji that winter. In 1900, though he only took 57 first-class
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...
wickets, Townsend again batted well despite playing no really large innings, showing greater ability than before to counter the spinning ball on treacherous pitches, notably late in the season at Cheltenham.
However, from 1901 Townsend began devoting most of the summer to studying law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and later practising as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. This meant that he could only play a handful of matches each season until 1906. Though he hardly bowled at all in these games, his batting continued to find success. He scored 147 on a fairly difficult pitch against Sussex in 1902, and 214 against Worcestershire in 1906. From 1907 he was appointed as Official Receiver at Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
and could play only exceptionally rarely (though he would have played in the Cheltenham festival in 1908 but for a strain). Innings of 61 against a formidable Yorkshire attack in his only appearance for 1907, 126 against the Australians in 1909 and 84 (after Gloucestershire at been dismissed for a record low 22 in their first innings) to beat Somerset in 1920 followed. His last appearances in 1921 and 1922 yielded little success, and Townsend was never involved in the game after that.