Herbert Whitfeld
Encyclopedia
Herbert Whitfeld was an English amateur
sportsman who played association football and county cricket
.
In football, he helped Old Etonians
win the 1879 FA Cup Final
and was on the losing side in 1881
as well as making one appearance for England
in 1879. In cricket, he played for Sussex County Cricket Club
whom he captained in 1883 and 1884. He was later a director of Barclays Bank.
, near Lewes
in East Sussex
and was educated at Eton
where he developed an interest in all forms of sport and played for the college football team in 1877. He was also a member of the college cricket eleven from 1875 to 1877, being captain in his last year.
He went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1877 and earned blues in cricket in every year between 1878 and 1881 and in football in 1879, 1880 and 1881. He also represented the university at athletics, as a medium distance runner, and in real tennis
where he was partner to Ivo Bligh, who was to become the captain of the England cricket team.
and in 1879 he helped the Old Boys reach the final of the FA Cup
for the third time in five years. Whitfeld played as an outside-forward and scored in each of the three matches against Darwen
in the fourth round and against Nottingham Forest
in the semi-final.
In the final
, played at the Kennington Oval on 29 March 1879, the Old Etonians met Clapham Rovers
, for whom this was the first appearance in the final. Although Clapham dominated the early stages of the final, with Norman Bailey
having two attempts on target, Whitfeld continued to run at the Clapham defenders with little assistance from his colleagues. After a goalless first-half, the only goal of the game came after 59 minutes, when Charles Clerke
scored from close range following a run from Harry Goodhart
. The old Etonians thus claimed the cup for the first time in what was considered to be "the poorest FA Cup Final to date" with Whitfeld being "the most skilful player on view".
Whitfeld's solitary England appearance came when he was one of five new players selected for the match against Wales
at the Kennington Oval on 18 January 1879. The match was played in a blizzard and both captains agreed to play halves of only 30 minutes each. This was the first match between the two countries — Wales had previously only played three international matches, all against Scotland, including a 9–0 defeat in March 1878. England's two goals came from Whitfeld and fellow débutante, Thomas Sorby
, with William Davies
scoring for Wales. According to the football historian, Philip Gibbons, "England were surprised by the level of skill shown by the Welsh team".
In the following year, Clapham Rovers gained their revenge, defeating the Old Etonians in the Fifth Round, but the Old Boys reached the final again in 1881, with Whitfeld scoring twice in the 10–0 victory over Brentwood in the First Round. The final
was played at the Kennington Oval against the Old Carthusians
on 9 April 1881; this was the Old Carthusians first appearance in the final and the Old Etonians, on their fourth appearance, were expected to win comfortably. In the event, the Old Carthusians won convincingly, with goals from Edward Wynyard
, Edward Parry
, and Alexander Todd.
Whitfeld was also a member of the Wanderers
, and played in their final match on 18 December 1883.
, Whitfeld represented the university
from 1878 to 1881. His first match came against Yorkshire
in May 1878 when he scored a duck
; despite this, the university won the match by 10 wickets. In June, his unbroken 81 helped the university to a resounding victory over Surrey
by an innings and 112 runs. In his first varsity match
, he score a total of 27 runs to help Cambridge defeat Oxford
by 238 runs.
He made his first appearance for Sussex
against Kent in July 1878, scoring only two runs as Sussex were defeated by an innings and 36 runs.
His only first-class
century
came in May 1880 when he scored 116, partnering Ivo Bligh (90) to 150 for the first wicket and Richard Jones (124) to a stand of 121 for the second wicket against the Gentlemen of England. The university scored a total of 593 in a drawn match.
His first match as captain of Sussex came when he took over from Frederick Greenfield for the county's final match of 1882 against Nottinghamshire
; Nottinghamshire won the match by 10 wickets. Whitfield retained the captaincy for the next two years with his final match as captain coming in August 1884, when his 41* was not sufficient to prevent Surrey
winning by four wickets.
His first-class cricket career was now coming to an end and he made only one further appearance for the county, in August 1885.
In all, he made 23 appearances for Cambridge University and 39 for Sussex in a career that spanned twelve seasons. He also played for I Zingari
and Marylebone Cricket Club
as well as other representative sides. His last first-class match was for I Zingari in 1889.
, East Sussex. He died at nearby Chailey
on 6 May 1909 aged 50.
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
sportsman who played association football and county 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...
.
In football, he helped Old Etonians
Old Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
win the 1879 FA Cup Final
1879 FA Cup Final
The 1879 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Clapham Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1-0, the only goal scored by Charles Clerke.-The Final:...
and was on the losing side in 1881
1881 FA Cup Final
The 1881 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Carthusians and Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. Old Carthusians won 3-0, the goals scored by Edward Wynyard, Edward Hagarty Parry, and Alexander Todd.-The Final:...
as well as making one appearance for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in 1879. In cricket, he played for Sussex County Cricket Club
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...
whom he captained in 1883 and 1884. He was later a director of Barclays Bank.
Early career and education
Whitfeld was born in HamseyHamsey
Hamsey is a civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles north of Lewes on the Prime Meridian...
, near Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
where he developed an interest in all forms of sport and played for the college football team in 1877. He was also a member of the college cricket eleven from 1875 to 1877, being captain in his last year.
He went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
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...
in 1877 and earned blues in cricket in every year between 1878 and 1881 and in football in 1879, 1880 and 1881. He also represented the university at athletics, as a medium distance runner, and in real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
where he was partner to Ivo Bligh, who was to become the captain of the England cricket team.
Football career
On leaving university, Whitfeld joined the Old EtoniansOld Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
and in 1879 he helped the Old Boys reach the final of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
for the third time in five years. Whitfeld played as an outside-forward and scored in each of the three matches against Darwen
Darwen F.C.
A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:...
in the fourth round and against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in the semi-final.
In the final
1879 FA Cup Final
The 1879 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Clapham Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1-0, the only goal scored by Charles Clerke.-The Final:...
, played at the Kennington Oval on 29 March 1879, the Old Etonians met Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers F.C.
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct...
, for whom this was the first appearance in the final. Although Clapham dominated the early stages of the final, with Norman Bailey
Norman Bailey (footballer)
Norman Coles Bailey was an English footballer from the late 19th century, who made 19 appearances for England playing at half back.-Playing career:...
having two attempts on target, Whitfeld continued to run at the Clapham defenders with little assistance from his colleagues. After a goalless first-half, the only goal of the game came after 59 minutes, when Charles Clerke
Charles Clerke (footballer)
Charles John Clerke was an English amateur footballer who scored the only goal in the 1879 FA Cup Final.Clerke was born at Hanover Square, London and christened at St George's, Hanover Square in December 1857...
scored from close range following a run from Harry Goodhart
Harry Goodhart
Harry Chester Goodhart was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward in four FA Cup Finals for Old Etonians, before going on to become Professor of Humanities at the University of Edinburgh.-Early life and education:...
. The old Etonians thus claimed the cup for the first time in what was considered to be "the poorest FA Cup Final to date" with Whitfeld being "the most skilful player on view".
Whitfeld's solitary England appearance came when he was one of five new players selected for the match against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at the Kennington Oval on 18 January 1879. The match was played in a blizzard and both captains agreed to play halves of only 30 minutes each. This was the first match between the two countries — Wales had previously only played three international matches, all against Scotland, including a 9–0 defeat in March 1878. England's two goals came from Whitfeld and fellow débutante, Thomas Sorby
Thomas Sorby
Thomas Heathcote Sorby was an English amateur footballer who made one appearance for England.-Football career:...
, with William Davies
William Davies (footballer born 1855)
William Henry Davies was a Welsh amateur footballer who made four appearances for the Wales national football team in the 1870s and 1880s, and scored his country's first international goal.-Career outside football:...
scoring for Wales. According to the football historian, Philip Gibbons, "England were surprised by the level of skill shown by the Welsh team".
In the following year, Clapham Rovers gained their revenge, defeating the Old Etonians in the Fifth Round, but the Old Boys reached the final again in 1881, with Whitfeld scoring twice in the 10–0 victory over Brentwood in the First Round. The final
1881 FA Cup Final
The 1881 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Carthusians and Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. Old Carthusians won 3-0, the goals scored by Edward Wynyard, Edward Hagarty Parry, and Alexander Todd.-The Final:...
was played at the Kennington Oval against the Old Carthusians
Old Carthusians F.C.
Old Carthusians Football Club is an association football club whose players are former pupils of Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, England...
on 9 April 1881; this was the Old Carthusians first appearance in the final and the Old Etonians, on their fourth appearance, were expected to win comfortably. In the event, the Old Carthusians won convincingly, with goals from Edward Wynyard
Teddy Wynyard
Edward George Wynyard was an English cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1896 to 1906.He captained Hampshire County Cricket Club between 1896 and 1899....
, Edward Parry
Edward Hagarty Parry
Edward Hagarty Parry was a Canadian-born English international footballer.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Ted Parry attended Charterhouse School, and played 3 times for England from 1879-1882. He scored once....
, and Alexander Todd.
Whitfeld was also a member of the Wanderers
Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
, and played in their final match on 18 December 1883.
Cricket career
While he was at Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity 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...
, Whitfeld represented the 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...
from 1878 to 1881. His first match came 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....
in May 1878 when he scored a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
; despite this, the university won the match by 10 wickets. In June, his unbroken 81 helped the university to a resounding victory over 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...
by an innings and 112 runs. In his first varsity match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
, he score a total of 27 runs to help Cambridge defeat Oxford
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...
by 238 runs.
He made his first appearance for 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...
against Kent in July 1878, scoring only two runs as Sussex were defeated by an innings and 36 runs.
His only 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...
century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
came in May 1880 when he scored 116, partnering Ivo Bligh (90) to 150 for the first wicket and Richard Jones (124) to a stand of 121 for the second wicket against the Gentlemen of England. The university scored a total of 593 in a drawn match.
His first match as captain of Sussex came when he took over from Frederick Greenfield for the county's final match of 1882 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
; Nottinghamshire won the match by 10 wickets. Whitfield retained the captaincy for the next two years with his final match as captain coming in August 1884, when his 41* was not sufficient to prevent 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...
winning by four wickets.
His first-class cricket career was now coming to an end and he made only one further appearance for the county, in August 1885.
In all, he made 23 appearances for Cambridge University and 39 for Sussex in a career that spanned twelve seasons. He also played for I Zingari
I Zingari
I Zingari are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs.-History:...
and Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
as well as other representative sides. His last first-class match was for I Zingari in 1889.
Later career
After leaving university, Whitfeld joined Barclays Bank and became a local director based in LewesLewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, East Sussex. He died at nearby Chailey
Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located ten miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury...
on 6 May 1909 aged 50.
Family
His brother, Francis played two matches for Sussex in 1878 and his nephew, George played three matches in 1908.Honours
Old EtoniansOld Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners: 18791879 FA Cup FinalThe 1879 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Clapham Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1-0, the only goal scored by Charles Clerke.-The Final:... - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalists: 18811881 FA Cup FinalThe 1881 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Carthusians and Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. Old Carthusians won 3-0, the goals scored by Edward Wynyard, Edward Hagarty Parry, and Alexander Todd.-The Final:...