Jack Smart (umpire)
Encyclopedia
John Abbotts Smart (12 April 1891 - 3 October 1979) was an English
first-class
cricket
er and Test match
umpire
.
Smart was born in Forest Hill near Marlborough in Wiltshire
, into a cricketing family. His father was a professional cricketer for Wiltshire
; and his brother Cyril Smart played first-class cricket for Warwickshire
and Glamorgan
, who set a world record in 1935 by hitting 34 runs off one over. Two other brothers played as professionals at clubs in Wales.
Smart worked as a miner before becoming a professional county cricketer. He played Minor Counties cricket for Wiltshire
from 1910 to 1912, and made his first-class cricket debut for Warwickshire
in 1919, playing alongside his brother Cyril from 1920 to 1922. He became a regular fixture in the Warwickshire side from 1920, playing 238 games in all. He began as an attacking batsman and occasional off break
bowler, but became the team's wicket-keeper
after the retirement of Tiger Smith
in 1930, catching 317 victims while standing behind the stumps and stumping 105 (in addition to 77 catches as an outfielder). He made 79 dismissals in 1932, a then county record which was bettered by Geoff Humpage
in 1985. He scored a total of 3,425 runs in 340 innings, at the relatively low batting average
of 11.53, including 9 half-centuries (four in 1923), and a high score of 68 not out against Worcestershire in 1922. He took 22 wickets at a bowling average
of 57.36, with best bowling of 3/31 against Northamptonshire in 1922.
He played his last first-class cricket in 1936, and turned to umpiring the following year. He umpired 4 Test matches, all played in England, two involving India in 1946 and two South Africa in 1947.
He made his debut as a Test umpire in the 1st Test against India at Lord's in June 1946, standing with Herbert Baldwin. His second Test as umpire was the 3rd Test that August, at the Oval
, whch was spoiled by rain. He also umpired the high-scoring but drawn 1st and 5th Tests against South Africa in 1947, at Trent Bridge
and the Oval.
He finally retired in 1948. He died in Bulkington
, near Nuneaton
, in Warwickshire.
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...
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...
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 and Test match
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...
umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
.
Smart was born in Forest Hill near Marlborough 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...
, into a cricketing family. His father was a professional cricketer 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....
; and his brother Cyril Smart played first-class cricket for 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...
and Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
, who set a world record in 1935 by hitting 34 runs off one over. Two other brothers played as professionals at clubs in Wales.
Smart worked as a miner before becoming a professional county cricketer. He played Minor Counties cricket 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....
from 1910 to 1912, and made his first-class cricket debut for 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...
in 1919, playing alongside his brother Cyril from 1920 to 1922. He became a regular fixture in the Warwickshire side from 1920, playing 238 games in all. He began as an attacking batsman and occasional off break
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
bowler, but became the team'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...
after the retirement of Tiger Smith
Tiger Smith
Ernest James "Tiger" Smith was an English wicket-keeper who played in 11 Tests from 1911/1912 to 1914. In county cricket, he had a much longer career as the successor to Dick Lilley: he played for Warwickshire on a regular basis until 1930...
in 1930, catching 317 victims while standing behind the stumps and stumping 105 (in addition to 77 catches as an outfielder). He made 79 dismissals in 1932, a then county record which was bettered by Geoff Humpage
Geoff Humpage
Geoffrey William Humpage is a former English cricketer who played in 3 ODIs in 1981.As of 2009, he still holds the Warwickshire batting record for the fourth wicket - a stand of 470 with Alvin Kallicharran against Lancashire at Southport in 1982, of which Humpage contributed 254...
in 1985. He scored a total of 3,425 runs in 340 innings, at the relatively low batting average
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 :...
of 11.53, including 9 half-centuries (four in 1923), and a high score of 68 not out against Worcestershire in 1922. He took 22 wickets at 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 57.36, with best bowling of 3/31 against Northamptonshire in 1922.
He played his last first-class cricket in 1936, and turned to umpiring the following year. He umpired 4 Test matches, all played in England, two involving India in 1946 and two South Africa in 1947.
He made his debut as a Test umpire in the 1st Test against India at Lord's in June 1946, standing with Herbert Baldwin. His second Test as umpire was the 3rd Test that August, at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, whch was spoiled by rain. He also umpired the high-scoring but drawn 1st and 5th Tests against South Africa in 1947, at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and the Oval.
He finally retired in 1948. He died in Bulkington
Bulkington
Bulkington is a large village and former parish in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, UK. In the 2001 census it had a population of 6,303. It is located around north-east of Coventry, just east of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth and south-west of Hinckley...
, near Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
, in Warwickshire.