Ian Lomax
Encyclopedia
Ian Raymond Lomax played cricket
for more than 20 years for Wiltshire
in the Minor Counties and latterly in List A cricket, and also played in first-class
matches for a variety of amateur sides, including the Free Foresters and MCC
. In 1962, he played in half a dozen first-class games for Somerset
, but the life of a day-to-day county cricketer was not for him. He was born in Fulham
, London
and died at Deane
, Basingstoke
, Hampshire
.
, "an Edwardian sense of style and 18th century zest". A middle-order right-handed batsman and an enthusiastic though irregular fast-medium bowler, Lomax was termed "a grand stroke-player" as a schoolboy cricketer in 1949 and did not change his hard-hitting methods much over the years. He started playing for Wiltshire in the Minor Counties in 1950 and made his first-class cricket debut in 1952 for the Free Foresters in a match against Cambridge University
. Other individual matches for teams largely composed of amateurs followed in other seasons, and in the summer of 1961 he was a member of a tour organised and captained by former Surrey
captain Stuart Surridge
to Bermuda
.
Lomax's only full-time first-class cricket was a series of six games he played for Somerset at the start of the 1962 season which, according to one account, fulfilled "a long-cherished wish to sample county cricket".. Batting in the lower middle order, he had one spectacular innings, making 83 in just 64 minutes, with three sixes and 10 fours, to bring Somerset within sight of an unlikely victory in the match against Hampshire
at Taunton. But he left Somerset before the end of May 1962 and did not reappear in first-class county cricket.
Lomax went back to Minor Counties cricket with Wiltshire across the 1960s, regularly captaining the side. In both 1965 and 1969, Wiltshire qualified, as one of the better-performing Minor Counties, for the knock-out phase of the Gillette Cup
and though both matches were lost quite comfortably against first-class opposition, Lomax did well in both games. Against Nottinghamshire
in 1965, he made 50 out of a Wiltshire total of 157. And his 63 out of 147 against Essex
in 1969 included 16 off an over from England Test
bowler Robin Hobbs
and won Lomax the man of the match
award. He played for Wiltshire until 1970.
in Wiltshire
and also had extensive interests in horse-racing and hunting. He was master of the Craven Farmers' Hunt and for some years held a racehorse trainer's licence, although the actually trainer was his first wife, Rosemary, who was at the time barred from holding a trainer's licence by the-then rules of the Jockey Club
. The Lomaxes married in 1953 and were divorced in the early 1970s; a daughter, Sarah, was the wife of the racing driver James Hunt
.
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...
for more than 20 years for Wiltshire
Wiltshire County Cricket Club
Wiltshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Wiltshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
in the Minor Counties and latterly in List A cricket, and also played in 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...
matches for a variety of amateur sides, including the Free Foresters and 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 1962, he played in half a dozen first-class games 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...
, but the life of a day-to-day county cricketer was not for him. He was born in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and died at Deane
Deane, Hampshire
Deane is a village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Its name appears in the name of the borough in which it is placed, Basingstoke and Deane.-Governance:...
, Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
Cricket career
Educated at Eton, Lomax had, according to his obituary in Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
, "an Edwardian sense of style and 18th century zest". A middle-order right-handed batsman and an enthusiastic though irregular fast-medium bowler, Lomax was termed "a grand stroke-player" as a schoolboy cricketer in 1949 and did not change his hard-hitting methods much over the years. He started playing for Wiltshire in the Minor Counties in 1950 and made his first-class cricket debut in 1952 for the Free Foresters in a match against Cambridge 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...
. Other individual matches for teams largely composed of amateurs followed in other seasons, and in the summer of 1961 he was a member of a tour organised and captained by former 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...
captain Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge
Walter Stuart Surridge was a cricketer who played for Surrey. He was born at Herne Hill in south London, educated at Emanuel School, and died at Glossop in Derbyshire....
to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
Lomax's only full-time first-class cricket was a series of six games he played for Somerset at the start of the 1962 season which, according to one account, fulfilled "a long-cherished wish to sample county cricket".. Batting in the lower middle order, he had one spectacular innings, making 83 in just 64 minutes, with three sixes and 10 fours, to bring Somerset within sight of an unlikely victory in the match against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
at Taunton. But he left Somerset before the end of May 1962 and did not reappear in first-class county cricket.
Lomax went back to Minor Counties cricket with Wiltshire across the 1960s, regularly captaining the side. In both 1965 and 1969, Wiltshire qualified, as one of the better-performing Minor Counties, for the knock-out phase of the Gillette Cup
Gillette Cup
The Gillette Cup may refer to the following cricket competitions:* Gillette Cup — an English knock-out one-day competition known as the Gillette Cup from 1963 to 1980, now known as the Friends Provident Cup...
and though both matches were lost quite comfortably against first-class opposition, Lomax did well in both games. 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...
in 1965, he made 50 out of a Wiltshire total of 157. And his 63 out of 147 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...
in 1969 included 16 off an over from England Test
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...
bowler Robin Hobbs
Robin Hobbs
Robin Nicholas Stuart Hobbs is a former English cricketer, who played in seven Tests for England from 1967 to 1971. He played first-class cricket for both Essex and Glamorgan....
and won Lomax the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award. He played for Wiltshire until 1970.
Outside cricket
Lomax was a farmer at BaydonBaydon
Baydon is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England about south-east of Swindon. The eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary with Berkshire and the village is about north-west of the West Berkshire market town of Hungerford....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and also had extensive interests in horse-racing and hunting. He was master of the Craven Farmers' Hunt and for some years held a racehorse trainer's licence, although the actually trainer was his first wife, Rosemary, who was at the time barred from holding a trainer's licence by the-then rules of the Jockey Club
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...
. The Lomaxes married in 1953 and were divorced in the early 1970s; a daughter, Sarah, was the wife of the racing driver James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
.