Dar Lyon
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Douglas Lyon generally known as Dar Lyon was an English first-class
cricket
er who played for Somerset County Cricket Club
through the 1920s. He was a right-handed top order
batsman known for his beautiful driving who occasionally captained and kept wicket
for the county.
He also became a politician, barrister
, and later a magistrate, colonial administrator and judge in various British colonies. He was Chief Justice of the Seychelles
in the late 1940s and 1950s.
on 22 April 1898, Lyon was educated at Rugby School
. He enjoyed a lot of success in school cricket, playing in the school XI for three years, and captaining the side in his final year. He finished his schooling in the middle of the First World War, and was called up for service in the British Army
. He initially served in the ranks
of the Royal Field Artillery
, but was commissioned on 20 February 1917. He was wounded in action during the war.
After demobilisation, Lyon chose to continue his studies at Trinity College
, Cambridge
. During his first year, he only played one first-class match for the university, against the MCC
at Lord's
, and failed to get a 'blue'. His first-class debut however, came earlier than this, when he turned out for Somerset
against Cambridge University Cricket Club
at the end of May 1920. In the following match, a County Championship
tie against Worcestershire
, Lyon scored his maiden first-class century, hitting 115 in 135 minutes.
During his second year, Lyon got his 'blue', appearing in seven first-class matches for Cambridge University before keeping wicket for a strong Cambridge side during the University Match against Oxford University Cricket Club
. In a reversal from the previous year, he also played for Cambridge University against his Somerset team-mates. He once again kept wicket for a victorious Cambridge side against Oxford the following year. While at Cambridge he was also a member of Footlights
, and president from 1919–22.
obituary as being "considered by many to be among the best batsmen who never gained a cap for England". A professional, he passed 1,000 runs in the 1923 season
, and was selected to play for the Gentlemen
in July of the same year. He scored 120 in the match, putting on 219 in a second wicket partnership with Greville Stevens
. The following season, he was selected to play for 'The Rest' against England, in a three-day Test Trial match. Lyon recorded scores of 32 and 3, and took a catch in both innings during a three wicket loss. Lyon was the only member of the team not to go on to represent England at Test cricket
. Fellow Somerset batsman Jack MacBryan
wasn't impressed, saying of his friend, "Dar is a grand chap and a very fine cricketer. Don't know what the Test selectors were thinking about." Later in the season, he hit his highest total in first-class cricket as he made 219 against Derbyshire. He once again represented the Gentlemen, but after scoring 11 in the first innings, was out for a duck in the second.
Lyon only made six appearances in the County Championship during the 1925 season, the highlight being a century during the 93 run loss to Warwickshire
. The following summer of 1926 was among the last in which Lyon played a significant number of games for Somerset, as he spent more and more time on his legal career, with his 20 appearances yielding 1062 runs. In a match against the touring Australians, Lyon showed the England selectors what they were missing out on. He played Clarrie Grimmett
with little regard for the wrist-spinner's reputation and struck 136 runs in an innings total of only 245 for Somerset. He finished the summer on a high with a further century coming in the final match against Yorkshire
.
Recognition did come in the form of a call-up for the MCC
in May 1927, with Lyon making a half-century against Surrey
, followed by a century against the New Zealanders. Sporadic performances in the late 1920s and early 30s were highlighted by centuries against Essex
and Surrey
. When he was appointed to Gambia in 1932, Lyon's first-class cricket career was all but ended. A further appearance in 1935 against Middlesex
resulted in a pair. He returned to Somerset in 1938, and played his final season for the county.
. In 1925, he was called to the bar, practising on the South Eastern Circuit and in London. He stood as Liberal party
candidate for Bury St Edmunds
at the 1929 General Election, finishing second. He was appointed a magistrate in Gambia in 1932. On 9 June 1933 (now described as an acting legal adviser) he was appointed to both the Executive
and Legislative Council
s of Gambia as one of the official advisors of the governor. He was then appointed a Resident Magistrate
in Tanganyika
, where he served until 1938.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Lyon was again commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the Royal Artillery
on 28 December 1939. He served as a Deputy Assistant Adjutant General
at the War Office
until 1941, when he was given command of a light anti-aircraft artillery regiment. After the war he moved to Kenya
, where he was appointed a Resident Magistrate in 1945. He next became Chief Justice of the Seychelles in 1948, serving until 1957 when he was appointed a puisne judge of the Ugandan High Court
. In July 1954 a petition signed by a number of leading residents of the Seychelles, asking that Lyon not be appointed for a third term, and making various allegations about his conduct, was sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
, Alan Lennox-Boyd
in London. Lennox-Boyd decided there was no case to answer, but the petition caused considerable debate in the House of Commons in July and August 1956. Lyon served in Uganda until 1961, when he retired to the United Kingdom. He died at Hastings on 17 February 1964. He had been married twice. In addition to his cricketing and legal careers, he composed music for revues organised by André Charlot
.
, known as Bev, played for Oxford University and Gloucestershire. The brothers were on opposing sides in the 1922 Varsity match. And in 1930, in the match between Somerset and Gloucestershire at Taunton, Dar scored 210 after being dropped twice by Tom Goddard
, but Bev replied with a century of his own and led his side to victory by eight wickets.
On 9 May 1928, Lyon married Helen Alice Earle (née Elliot), who had been divorced earlier that year by Lyon's Somerset cricket colleague Guy Earle
, whose second wife she had been. Helen Lyon was born in 1899 and died in 1967.
His family were of Jewish origin.
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 Somerset County Cricket Club
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...
through the 1920s. He was a right-handed top 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...
batsman known for his beautiful driving who occasionally captained and kept wicket
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...
for the county.
He also became a politician, barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, and later a magistrate, colonial administrator and judge in various British colonies. He was Chief Justice of the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Early career
Born at CaterhamCaterham
Caterham is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is geographically divided into two sections: Caterham on the Hill and Caterham Valley - the main town centre. The town lies close to the A22, a few miles south of Croydon, in a valley cut into the dip slope of the North Downs...
on 22 April 1898, Lyon was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
. He enjoyed a lot of success in school cricket, playing in the school XI for three years, and captaining the side in his final year. He finished his schooling in the middle of the First World War, and was called up for service in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He initially served in the ranks
Other Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
of the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
, but was commissioned on 20 February 1917. He was wounded in action during the war.
After demobilisation, Lyon chose to continue his studies at Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. During his first year, he only played one first-class match for the university, against the 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...
at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, and failed to get a 'blue'. His first-class debut however, came earlier than this, when he turned out for 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...
against Cambridge University Cricket Club
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...
at the end of May 1920. In the following match, a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
tie against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
, Lyon scored his maiden first-class century, hitting 115 in 135 minutes.
During his second year, Lyon got his 'blue', appearing in seven first-class matches for Cambridge University before keeping wicket for a strong Cambridge side during the University Match against Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
. In a reversal from the previous year, he also played for Cambridge University against his Somerset team-mates. He once again kept wicket for a victorious Cambridge side against Oxford the following year. While at Cambridge he was also a member of Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
, and president from 1919–22.
England prospect
Lyon was described in his WisdenWisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
obituary as being "considered by many to be among the best batsmen who never gained a cap for England". A professional, he passed 1,000 runs in the 1923 season
1923 English cricket season
-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - Buckinghamshire*Wisden - Arthur Gilligan, Roy Kilner, George Macaulay, Cecil Parkin, Maurice Tate-External sources:*...
, and was selected to play for the Gentlemen
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
in July of the same year. He scored 120 in the match, putting on 219 in a second wicket partnership with Greville Stevens
Greville Stevens
Greville Thomas Scott Stevens was an English cricketer who played for Middlesex, Oxford University and England. He captained England in one Test match, which was lost to South Africa in 1927/8, when he stood in for Rony Stanyforth. Stevens was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1918.-External...
. The following season, he was selected to play for 'The Rest' against England, in a three-day Test Trial match. Lyon recorded scores of 32 and 3, and took a catch in both innings during a three wicket loss. Lyon was the only member of the team not to go on to represent England at Test cricket
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...
. Fellow Somerset batsman Jack MacBryan
Jack MacBryan
John "Jack" Crawford William MacBryan was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Somerset and made one almost imperceptible appearance in a Test match for England...
wasn't impressed, saying of his friend, "Dar is a grand chap and a very fine cricketer. Don't know what the Test selectors were thinking about." Later in the season, he hit his highest total in first-class cricket as he made 219 against Derbyshire. He once again represented the Gentlemen, but after scoring 11 in the first innings, was out for a duck in the second.
Lyon only made six appearances in the County Championship during the 1925 season, the highlight being a century during the 93 run loss to 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...
. The following summer of 1926 was among the last in which Lyon played a significant number of games for Somerset, as he spent more and more time on his legal career, with his 20 appearances yielding 1062 runs. In a match against the touring Australians, Lyon showed the England selectors what they were missing out on. He played Clarrie Grimmett
Clarrie Grimmett
Clarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
with little regard for the wrist-spinner's reputation and struck 136 runs in an innings total of only 245 for Somerset. He finished the summer on a high with a further century coming in the final match against 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....
.
Recognition did come in the form of a call-up for the 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...
in May 1927, with Lyon making a half-century against 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...
, followed by a century against the New Zealanders. Sporadic performances in the late 1920s and early 30s were highlighted by centuries 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...
and 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...
. When he was appointed to Gambia in 1932, Lyon's first-class cricket career was all but ended. A further appearance in 1935 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
resulted in a pair. He returned to Somerset in 1938, and played his final season for the county.
Later life
In 1923 Lyon took up farming in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. In 1925, he was called to the bar, practising on the South Eastern Circuit and in London. He stood as Liberal party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate for Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury St Edmunds is a county constituency located in Suffolk and centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds. It elects one Member of Parliament to in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
at the 1929 General Election, finishing second. He was appointed a magistrate in Gambia in 1932. On 9 June 1933 (now described as an acting legal adviser) he was appointed to both the Executive
Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)
An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.Executive Councillors are informally...
and Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
s of Gambia as one of the official advisors of the governor. He was then appointed a Resident Magistrate
Resident Magistrate
A resident magistrate is a title for magistrates used in certain parts of the world, that were, or are, governed by the British. Sometimes abbreviated as RM, it refers to suitably qualified personnel - notably well versed in the law - brought into an area from outside as the local magistrate,...
in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, where he served until 1938.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Lyon was again commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
on 28 December 1939. He served as a Deputy Assistant Adjutant General
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
until 1941, when he was given command of a light anti-aircraft artillery regiment. After the war he moved to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where he was appointed a Resident Magistrate in 1945. He next became Chief Justice of the Seychelles in 1948, serving until 1957 when he was appointed a puisne judge of the Ugandan High Court
High Court
The term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...
. In July 1954 a petition signed by a number of leading residents of the Seychelles, asking that Lyon not be appointed for a third term, and making various allegations about his conduct, was sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Alan Lennox-Boyd
Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton
Alan Tindal Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, CH, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician.-Background, education and military service:...
in London. Lennox-Boyd decided there was no case to answer, but the petition caused considerable debate in the House of Commons in July and August 1956. Lyon served in Uganda until 1961, when he retired to the United Kingdom. He died at Hastings on 17 February 1964. He had been married twice. In addition to his cricketing and legal careers, he composed music for revues organised by André Charlot
André Charlot
André Eugene Maurice Charlot was a French impresario known primarily for the highly successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937...
.
Family
Lyon's younger brother, Beverley Hamilton LyonBeverley Lyon
Beverley Hamilton "Bev" Lyon, born at Caterham, Surrey on 19 January 1902 and died at Balcombe, Sussex on 22 June 1970, was a cricketer who played for Oxford University and Gloucestershire...
, known as Bev, played for Oxford University and Gloucestershire. The brothers were on opposing sides in the 1922 Varsity match. And in 1930, in the match between Somerset and Gloucestershire at Taunton, Dar scored 210 after being dropped twice by Tom Goddard
Tom Goddard
Tom Goddard was the fifth highest wicket taker in first-class cricket....
, but Bev replied with a century of his own and led his side to victory by eight wickets.
On 9 May 1928, Lyon married Helen Alice Earle (née Elliot), who had been divorced earlier that year by Lyon's Somerset cricket colleague Guy Earle
Guy Earle
Guy Fife Earle, born at Newcastle upon Tyne on 24 August 1891 and died at Maperton, Wincanton, Somerset, on 30 December 1966, played first-class cricket for Surrey and Somerset for 20 years before and after the First World War...
, whose second wife she had been. Helen Lyon was born in 1899 and died in 1967.
His family were of Jewish origin.