Jake Seamer
Encyclopedia
John Wemyss "Jake" Seamer (23 June 1913 – 16 April 2006) was an amateur
cricket
er who played for Oxford University
and Somerset
either side of the Second World War. A bespectacled cricketer, Seamer was a right-handed batsman who played with a defensive streak to his game which was rarely seen among amateur batsmen of his time. He was described as a leg break
googly
bowler, but in truth he rarely bowled at all, and claimed just four first-class wickets.
Seamer played the best of his cricket while at Oxford University. All four of his first-class centuries were made for the university side, and his average for Oxford was 35.30, significantly higher than his career average of 20.35. He made his highest score against Free Foresters in his second year, during which he accrued 858 runs, more than double he managed in any other season. On completion of his studies at Oxford, Seamer joined the Sudan Political Service, which limited his first-class cricket appearances to periods of leave
. He was named as one of three amateurs to captain Somerset in 1948, leading the team during June and July. That season was his last for Somerset, and he made only one further first-class appearance. He became a district commissioner in the Sudan
, and after leaving the service, he taught at Marlborough College
and was twice mayor of Marlborough.
, Somerset
on 23 June 1913. The son of a vicar, Seamer had two secret career wishes in his youth; he wanted to be either an actor or, failing that, a county cricket
er. He attended Marlborough College
in Wiltshire
, and played for the school's cricket team from 1930 to 1932. In the winter terms, Marlborough also ran rugby union
and hockey
teams – rugby in the term before Christmas and hockey in the term between Christmas and Easter. Seamer was a member of the rugby team in 1930 and 1931 first as a wing forward, then as a prop forward. He also played hockey for the Marlborough first team. As a cricketer, his performances for his school led to his selection for "Lord's Schools" in match against "The Rest" at Lord's Cricket Ground
, in which he scored 33 runs in the first innings and 3 runs in the second, remaining not out
on both occasions. Following that match he also appeared for a representative Public Schools side against the Army
at Lord's, but his batting was less successful, failing to reach double figures in either innings.
During the summer between graduating from Marlborough College and going up to Oxford University, Seamer made his county cricket
debut, playing three matches for Somerset County Cricket Club
. In his first match for Somerset, played against Derbyshire
, he played as a specialist batsman at number eight in the batting order
. He came in to bat when Somerset had lost six wickets for the addition of 88 runs, and together with his captain, Reggie Ingle
, helped Somerset to recover. The pair put on a partnership
of 104 runs, and Seamer scored 70 runs in his debut innings. In both his other matches for the county that season, Seamer batted as part of the top order, and though he reached double figures in each of his innings, he did not achieve another half-century.
, Oxford University. Seamer played just one first-class
match for the university in his freshman year, appearing against Worcestershire
at The Parks
. He scored 33 before being run out
in his only innings, and also bowled six overs, though without claiming a wicket. He appeared eleven times for Somerset that year, but despite regular scores of 20 or more, he did not score a half-century, and averaged 13.06 runs.
In his second year at Oxford, Seamer played as part of a strong batting line-up for the university: Fredrick de Saram passed 1,000 runs for the side, while Mandy Mitchell-Innes
fell just two runs short of the landmark. Seamer, despite scoring over three hundred runs less than either, finished second in the batting averages for the year with 51.76. He scored three centuries for the university, passing one hundred runs against the Free Foresters
, the Minor Counties and the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC). His score of 194, made against the Free Foresters was the highest first-class total of Seamer's career, and the three centuries he scored during 1934 were remarkable for the fact that he only scored one other first-class century during his career. Seamer earned his cricketing Blue in 1934, appearing in the University match
against Cambridge University
. He was dismissed for a duck
in the first innings, but batted with resolve in the second. He remained at the crease with the tail for over two hours, eventually being not out on 24, to help Oxford force a draw. Seamer found batting more difficult in the County Championship
: in thirteen innings for Somerset in 1934, he passed 50 once, against Kent
, and averaged 16.81, significantly lower than his total for Oxford.
Seamer scored the last of his four first-class centuries in 1935, his third year at Oxford and his fourth of ten seasons of first-class cricket. The hundred, like all his previous ones, was scored for the university; he reached 113 runs in the second innings of a defeat to Surrey
. Seamer struggled for runs in his other matches for the university that year, and in the contest against Cambridge, he scored four and three in a game which Cambridge won easily. In nine innings for Somerset that season, he never scored more than 17 runs and averaged 7.11.
Seamer graduated in 1935, but returned to Oxford for a further year to study Arabic
. In his final year of cricket at Oxford, he only appeared in three matches: he was not required to bat in either innings against the Free Foresters, and only batted once against Leicestershire
, scoring 5 runs. Out of form and not required for the university team, he went off to play for Somerset in the match against Cambridge University and scored 68. He followed that with a further game for Somerset in which he was not successful and travelled with the Somerset side for the next match against Glamorgan
at Llanelli
, but Mitchell-Innes, as Oxford captain, called him up as cover for the injured Roger Kimpton
; on the morning of the match, The Times reported that Kimpton was likely to play and Seamer would be stood down. In the event, Kimpton failed his fitness test and Seamer's final match for the university team was the University match against Cambridge, and as in the previous year, Oxford suffered a heavy defeat. Seamer scored 11 runs in the first innings, and then when Oxford were asked to follow on, he batted tenaciously to reach 43 runs, which forced Cambridge to bat again. Requiring 17 runs to win, Cambridge chased the total down in 5.4 overs with eight wickets to spare. In total, Seamer played 21 matches for Oxford, scoring 1,059 runs at an average of 35.30.
on 15 February, had to be postponed because of dense fog on the day. The match was played a week later on a pitch that was, according to the report in The Times, pretty much waterlogged, and Seamer and his fellow back Leeming were credited with enabling Oxford to emerge with a 1-1 draw: Seamer set up the attack that led to the Oxford goal and overall "Oxford owed much to their backs, J. W. Seamer and J. A. Leeming, whose defence, although becoming a trifle wild in the second half, was the saving of the side".
Political Service. He continued to play cricket for Somerset during his periods of leave, but it dramatically reduced his availability for the county. During his time at Oxford, Seamer had become good friends with Mitchell-Innes; the pair both attended the same college, and played together for both the university and Somerset. When Mitchell-Innes graduated from Oxford the year after Seamer, he joined his friend in the Sudan, where the pair often organised cricket matches, despite the extreme heat. Seamer's duties prevented him from playing for Somerset at all during 1937, but he appeared eight times the following year through May and early June. His average that season was the highest he achieved after leaving university, recording 20.78 from his 14 innings, though his highest score was 47 runs, scored against Derbyshire. In 1939, the last season of first-class county cricket in England before the Second World War, Seamer played seven times for Somerset. However, unlike his appearances the previous year, in which he had generally batted as part of the top order, Seamer predominantly appeared in the middle order for the county in 1939, and his highest score was 28.
After the conclusion of the war, county cricket resumed in 1946, during which year Seamer played two matches with little success. He did not appear in first-class cricket in 1947, but was named as one of three captains of Somerset in 1948. Jack Meyer
had reluctantly captained the side in 1947, but stepped down at the end of the season: he was having problems with his sight, and required daily painkillers for lumbago
. There was no obvious replacement for Meyer; like many counties Somerset would not consider having a professional captain, and finding an amateur with the time and money to lead the side was proving troublesome. So, with no single candidate suitable, the Somerset committee announced that the club would be captained first by Mitchell-Innes during his leave from the Sudan, then Seamer during his own leave. Once both of these had returned to their duties, George Woodhouse
would take over. In his history of Somerset County Cricket Club, Peter Roebuck
describes the situation as a "remarkable state of affairs", while David Foot suggests that the true number of captains was closer to seven. During his time as captain, Seamer carried an old train board saying "To Tonbridge" in his cricket bag, claiming that it brought good luck to the team. In the eleven matches that Somerset played under his captaincy though, only one resulted in a victory. Seamer claimed that some of his best friends at the club were among the professionals, who he praised for their team spirit, despite the strained leadership changes. His friendship with the professionals was in contrast to the attitudes of both the club's committee, and its captain for the previous season. Meyer had been unpopular with the professionals due to his attitude to the game, and the manner in which he utilised them, while the club's committee felt that the professional players deserved little recognition when successful, claiming that this was what they were paid for. Seamer's batting was no longer strong enough to support his inclusion in the team, and he played low in the middle order. He failed to reach double figures in any of his first seven innings that season, but recorded a half-century against Kent in his final match for Somerset, his first since 1936 in first-class cricket.
Seamer did not appear again for Somerset after his period as captain in 1948. In total for the county, he scored 1,405 runs at an average of 15.61. He made his final first-class appearance the following season, appearing for the Free Foresters against Oxford University. He later made three Minor Counties Championship
appearances for Wiltshire
in 1956, though without much success.
. When he left the Sudan Political Service in 1950, he returned to England and took up a teaching position at his old school, Marlborough College
. In addition to teaching Latin, English and history, he became a housemaster
, before his retirement in 1973. He served as mayor of Marlborough twice, and as a justice of the peace, and was awarded Freedom of the City
in 2001. He died, following an illness on 16 April 2006, aged 92.
to Taunton
, a distance of over 15 miles, to watch Somerset play cricket. When he began playing for the county, prior to starting at Oxford University, a number of his childhood heroes were still in the side. In one match, Seamer had been dismissed, and passed one of these heroes, Jack White
coming to the wicket. White asked what kind of bowler Jim Cornford
was, as he had not seen him play before. Seamer, unsure, bluffed and stated that he bowled outswingers
. Shortly afterwards, White returned to the dressing room, irate, and declared "the fellow bowls bloody inswingers." Bespectacled, Seamer dressed smartly and was proud of his Somerset heritage, often putting on a broad accent when he was in London.
Unlike most amateurs of the time, Seamer prioritised defensive play when batting; he watched the ball and minimised the risks, valuing his own wicket. This careful style was exemplified by his innings in the University match of 1934, when he helped Oxford salvage a draw by batting for two hours with the tail, during which time he scored 24 runs. Despite his circumspect batting technique, Seamer enjoyed his cricket, and in a more relaxed setting he once scored a century before lunch: playing in the Sudan, the match started at seven in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat. Before their opponent's innings, Seamer and his team-mates got them drunk to improve their chances of a win.
Amateur status in first-class cricket
Amateur status in first-class cricket had a special meaning, especially in England, in that the amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs...
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 Oxford University
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...
and 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...
either side of the Second World War. A bespectacled cricketer, Seamer was a right-handed batsman who played with a defensive streak to his game which was rarely seen among amateur batsmen of his time. He was described as a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
bowler, but in truth he rarely bowled at all, and claimed just four first-class wickets.
Seamer played the best of his cricket while at Oxford University. All four of his first-class centuries were made for the university side, and his average for Oxford was 35.30, significantly higher than his career average of 20.35. He made his highest score against Free Foresters in his second year, during which he accrued 858 runs, more than double he managed in any other season. On completion of his studies at Oxford, Seamer joined the Sudan Political Service, which limited his first-class cricket appearances to periods of leave
Leave (military)
In military, leave is a permission to be away from one's unit, either for a specified or unspecified period of time.The term AWOL, standing for absent without leave, is a term for desertion used in armed forces of many English speaking countries....
. He was named as one of three amateurs to captain Somerset in 1948, leading the team during June and July. That season was his last for Somerset, and he made only one further first-class appearance. He became a district commissioner in the Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
, and after leaving the service, he taught at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and was twice mayor of Marlborough.
Early life
Jake Seamer was born in ShapwickShapwick, Somerset
Shapwick is a village on the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It is situated to the west of Glastonbury.-History:Shapwick is the site of one end of the Sweet Track, an ancient causeway dating from the 39th century BC....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
on 23 June 1913. The son of a vicar, Seamer had two secret career wishes in his youth; he wanted to be either an actor or, failing that, a county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
er. He attended Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
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 played for the school's cricket team from 1930 to 1932. In the winter terms, Marlborough also ran rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
teams – rugby in the term before Christmas and hockey in the term between Christmas and Easter. Seamer was a member of the rugby team in 1930 and 1931 first as a wing forward, then as a prop forward. He also played hockey for the Marlborough first team. As a cricketer, his performances for his school led to his selection for "Lord's Schools" in match against "The Rest" at Lord's Cricket Ground
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...
, in which he scored 33 runs in the first innings and 3 runs in the second, remaining not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
on both occasions. Following that match he also appeared for a representative Public Schools side against the Army
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
at Lord's, but his batting was less successful, failing to reach double figures in either innings.
During the summer between graduating from Marlborough College and going up to Oxford University, Seamer made his county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
debut, playing three matches 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...
. In his first match for Somerset, played against Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
, he played as a specialist batsman at number eight in the batting 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...
. He came in to bat when Somerset had lost six wickets for the addition of 88 runs, and together with his captain, Reggie Ingle
Reggie Ingle
Reginald Addington Ingle, known as "Reggie", was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1923 to 1939 and captained the side from 1932 to 1937...
, helped Somerset to recover. The pair put on a partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 104 runs, and Seamer scored 70 runs in his debut innings. In both his other matches for the county that season, Seamer batted as part of the top order, and though he reached double figures in each of his innings, he did not achieve another half-century.
University cricket
Following his graduation from Marlborough College, Seamer attended Brasenose CollegeBrasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
, Oxford University. Seamer played just one 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...
match for the university in his freshman year, appearing 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...
at The Parks
University Parks
The Oxford University Parks, more normally the University Parks, or just The Parks to members of the local community, is one large parkland area slightly northeast of the Oxford city centre in England...
. He scored 33 before being run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
in his only innings, and also bowled six overs, though without claiming a wicket. He appeared eleven times for Somerset that year, but despite regular scores of 20 or more, he did not score a half-century, and averaged 13.06 runs.
In his second year at Oxford, Seamer played as part of a strong batting line-up for the university: Fredrick de Saram passed 1,000 runs for the side, while Mandy Mitchell-Innes
Mandy Mitchell-Innes
Norman Stewart Mitchell-Innes, known as Mandy Mitchell-Innes was an English cricketer who played in one Test in May 1935. He became England's oldest surviving Test cricketer on 7 October 2001, on the death of Alf Gover. Following his own death, that distinction passed to Ken Cranston, who...
fell just two runs short of the landmark. Seamer, despite scoring over three hundred runs less than either, finished second in the batting averages for the year with 51.76. He scored three centuries for the university, passing one hundred runs against the Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
, the Minor Counties and the 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...
(MCC). His score of 194, made against the Free Foresters was the highest first-class total of Seamer's career, and the three centuries he scored during 1934 were remarkable for the fact that he only scored one other first-class century during his career. Seamer earned his cricketing Blue in 1934, appearing in the University 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...
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...
. He was dismissed for 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...
in the first innings, but batted with resolve in the second. He remained at the crease with the tail for over two hours, eventually being not out on 24, to help Oxford force a draw. Seamer found batting more difficult in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
: in thirteen innings for Somerset in 1934, he passed 50 once, against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, and averaged 16.81, significantly lower than his total for Oxford.
Seamer scored the last of his four first-class centuries in 1935, his third year at Oxford and his fourth of ten seasons of first-class cricket. The hundred, like all his previous ones, was scored for the university; he reached 113 runs in the second innings of a defeat to 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...
. Seamer struggled for runs in his other matches for the university that year, and in the contest against Cambridge, he scored four and three in a game which Cambridge won easily. In nine innings for Somerset that season, he never scored more than 17 runs and averaged 7.11.
Seamer graduated in 1935, but returned to Oxford for a further year to study Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. In his final year of cricket at Oxford, he only appeared in three matches: he was not required to bat in either innings against the Free Foresters, and only batted once against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, scoring 5 runs. Out of form and not required for the university team, he went off to play for Somerset in the match against Cambridge University and scored 68. He followed that with a further game for Somerset in which he was not successful and travelled with the Somerset side for the next match against 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...
at Llanelli
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
, but Mitchell-Innes, as Oxford captain, called him up as cover for the injured Roger Kimpton
Roger Kimpton
Roger Charles MacDonald Kimpton, DFC was an Australiancricketer who played 62 first-class games, mostly in the late 1930s...
; on the morning of the match, The Times reported that Kimpton was likely to play and Seamer would be stood down. In the event, Kimpton failed his fitness test and Seamer's final match for the university team was the University match against Cambridge, and as in the previous year, Oxford suffered a heavy defeat. Seamer scored 11 runs in the first innings, and then when Oxford were asked to follow on, he batted tenaciously to reach 43 runs, which forced Cambridge to bat again. Requiring 17 runs to win, Cambridge chased the total down in 5.4 overs with eight wickets to spare. In total, Seamer played 21 matches for Oxford, scoring 1,059 runs at an average of 35.30.
Hockey at Oxford
While Seamer won three Blues for cricket, he was even more successful as a field hockey player, appearing in the University hockey match four times. In his first year at the university, he was a late call-up to the team for the big match when the regular right wing-half, M. Martin Harvey, was ill. For the 1933-34 season, when he was secretary of the hockey club, he moved to right-back and won a second Blue. For the 1934/35 season, Seamer was captain of hockey at Oxford. The university match in February 1935, in which Seamer again played at right-back, was a goal-less draw in which defences proved too strong for the forwards on either side. Seamer's reappearance in Oxford for his Arabic course after graduation meant that he was available for the university hockey team in the 1935/36 season as well: the 1936 university match, due to be played at BeckenhamBeckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
on 15 February, had to be postponed because of dense fog on the day. The match was played a week later on a pitch that was, according to the report in The Times, pretty much waterlogged, and Seamer and his fellow back Leeming were credited with enabling Oxford to emerge with a 1-1 draw: Seamer set up the attack that led to the Oxford goal and overall "Oxford owed much to their backs, J. W. Seamer and J. A. Leeming, whose defence, although becoming a trifle wild in the second half, was the saving of the side".
County cricket
On the completion of his extra year learning Arabic at Oxford, Seamer joined the SudanAnglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
Political Service. He continued to play cricket for Somerset during his periods of leave, but it dramatically reduced his availability for the county. During his time at Oxford, Seamer had become good friends with Mitchell-Innes; the pair both attended the same college, and played together for both the university and Somerset. When Mitchell-Innes graduated from Oxford the year after Seamer, he joined his friend in the Sudan, where the pair often organised cricket matches, despite the extreme heat. Seamer's duties prevented him from playing for Somerset at all during 1937, but he appeared eight times the following year through May and early June. His average that season was the highest he achieved after leaving university, recording 20.78 from his 14 innings, though his highest score was 47 runs, scored against Derbyshire. In 1939, the last season of first-class county cricket in England before the Second World War, Seamer played seven times for Somerset. However, unlike his appearances the previous year, in which he had generally batted as part of the top order, Seamer predominantly appeared in the middle order for the county in 1939, and his highest score was 28.
After the conclusion of the war, county cricket resumed in 1946, during which year Seamer played two matches with little success. He did not appear in first-class cricket in 1947, but was named as one of three captains of Somerset in 1948. Jack Meyer
Jack Meyer (educator and cricketer)
Rollo John Oliver Meyer , known generally as 'Jack', and at Millfield mainly as 'Boss', was an English educationalist who founded Millfield School and Millfield Preparatory School in Somerset; he was also an all-round sportsman who played cricket at first-class level in both England and in India...
had reluctantly captained the side in 1947, but stepped down at the end of the season: he was having problems with his sight, and required daily painkillers for lumbago
Low back pain
Low back pain or lumbago is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is...
. There was no obvious replacement for Meyer; like many counties Somerset would not consider having a professional captain, and finding an amateur with the time and money to lead the side was proving troublesome. So, with no single candidate suitable, the Somerset committee announced that the club would be captained first by Mitchell-Innes during his leave from the Sudan, then Seamer during his own leave. Once both of these had returned to their duties, George Woodhouse
George Woodhouse
George Edward Sealy Woodhouse DL, born at Blandford Forum, Dorset, on 15 February 1924 and died also at Blandford on 19 January 1988, had two careers: one as a cricketer for Somerset and Dorset, the second as the chairman from 1962 to his death of the family brewing company Hall and Woodhouse...
would take over. In his history of Somerset County Cricket Club, Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
describes the situation as a "remarkable state of affairs", while David Foot suggests that the true number of captains was closer to seven. During his time as captain, Seamer carried an old train board saying "To Tonbridge" in his cricket bag, claiming that it brought good luck to the team. In the eleven matches that Somerset played under his captaincy though, only one resulted in a victory. Seamer claimed that some of his best friends at the club were among the professionals, who he praised for their team spirit, despite the strained leadership changes. His friendship with the professionals was in contrast to the attitudes of both the club's committee, and its captain for the previous season. Meyer had been unpopular with the professionals due to his attitude to the game, and the manner in which he utilised them, while the club's committee felt that the professional players deserved little recognition when successful, claiming that this was what they were paid for. Seamer's batting was no longer strong enough to support his inclusion in the team, and he played low in the middle order. He failed to reach double figures in any of his first seven innings that season, but recorded a half-century against Kent in his final match for Somerset, his first since 1936 in first-class cricket.
Seamer did not appear again for Somerset after his period as captain in 1948. In total for the county, he scored 1,405 runs at an average of 15.61. He made his final first-class appearance the following season, appearing for the Free Foresters against Oxford University. He later made three Minor Counties Championship
Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status...
appearances 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 1956, though without much success.
Later life
Seamer married Letice Dorothy Lee, and had two children, Katherine Judith and Mary. By 1948 Seamer had risen to be the district commissioner for Khartoum NorthKhartoum North
Khartoum North is a city close to, but distinct from, Khartoum in central Sudan. The city is close to the confluence of the White and Blue Nile on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile. The city, which had in 1993 a rapidly growing population of 900,000, is connected by bridges to Khartoum and Omdurman...
. When he left the Sudan Political Service in 1950, he returned to England and took up a teaching position at his old school, Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
. In addition to teaching Latin, English and history, he became a housemaster
Housemaster
In British education, a housemaster is a member of staff in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school . The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and care of boarders in the house and typically lives on the premises...
, before his retirement in 1973. He served as mayor of Marlborough twice, and as a justice of the peace, and was awarded Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
in 2001. He died, following an illness on 16 April 2006, aged 92.
Personality and style
A personable man, Seamer was a popular captain of Somerset. He had some quirks to his personality, and Roebuck goes as far as describing him as an eccentric. During his childhood he would often cycle from his home in ShapwickShapwick, Somerset
Shapwick is a village on the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It is situated to the west of Glastonbury.-History:Shapwick is the site of one end of the Sweet Track, an ancient causeway dating from the 39th century BC....
to Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, a distance of over 15 miles, to watch Somerset play cricket. When he began playing for the county, prior to starting at Oxford University, a number of his childhood heroes were still in the side. In one match, Seamer had been dismissed, and passed one of these heroes, Jack White
Jack White (cricketer)
John Cornish White, known as "Farmer" or "Jack", was an English cricketer who played for Somerset and England. White was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929...
coming to the wicket. White asked what kind of bowler Jim Cornford
Jim Cornford
James Henry Cornford was a first class cricketer . He was born in Sussex in 1911 and played 322 first class matches, largely for Sussex County Cricket Club, between 1931 and 1952. A right arm fast medium bowler, he took 1019 wickets at 26.49 with a best of 9 for 53. He was very much a tail end...
was, as he had not seen him play before. Seamer, unsure, bluffed and stated that he bowled outswingers
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
. Shortly afterwards, White returned to the dressing room, irate, and declared "the fellow bowls bloody inswingers." Bespectacled, Seamer dressed smartly and was proud of his Somerset heritage, often putting on a broad accent when he was in London.
Unlike most amateurs of the time, Seamer prioritised defensive play when batting; he watched the ball and minimised the risks, valuing his own wicket. This careful style was exemplified by his innings in the University match of 1934, when he helped Oxford salvage a draw by batting for two hours with the tail, during which time he scored 24 runs. Despite his circumspect batting technique, Seamer enjoyed his cricket, and in a more relaxed setting he once scored a century before lunch: playing in the Sudan, the match started at seven in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat. Before their opponent's innings, Seamer and his team-mates got them drunk to improve their chances of a win.