Ken Cranston
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Ken" Cranston was an English
cricketer
, who played first-class cricket
for Lancashire
and eight times for England
, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist
.
, Liverpool
, where his father Henry Selby Cranston was a dentist. He and his elder brother Ronald were educated at Liverpool College, but Ronald died aged 23 after showing early cricketing talent. Ken Cranston played for the Lancashire Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship before World War II
. He served as a dental officer in the Royal Navy
during the war. He played cricket for the Royal Navy and Combined Services, and played club cricket
in Lancashire after the war. He also played hockey
for the county.
Cranston was appointed as captain
of Lancashire in 1947, replacing acting captain Jack Fallows. He made his first-class debut on 14 May as captain of Lancashire, in the match against Oxford University. He was an all-rounder
who bowled fast-medium and batted in the middle of the batting order
. He was immediately successful in first-class cricket, and made his Test cricket
debut in the Third Test against South Africa at Old Trafford
on 5 July, less than eight weeks after his first-class debut. In the Fourth Test at Headingley
, he took four wickets in six balls (w.w.ww) to end the South African second innings.
He was selected as vice-captain of the relatively weak MCC
side that toured to West Indies
in 1947-48. He captained England once, in the first Test against the West Indies
at Bridgetown, as Gubby Allen
had pulled a muscle on board the boat carrying them there. The match was drawn, but England ended up losing the four-match series 2-0. He was dropped from the Test side at the start of the following summer, but played one final Test later in 1948, when he was selected for the Fourth Test in the Ashes
series against the Invincibles
, in which the tourists scored 404 on the final day to win the match.
Cranston led Lancashire to third place in the County Championship
in 1947, with the team losing only one march. The team was fifth in 1948. Cranston himself scored over 1,000 runs in each year, and took 84 and then 79 wickets. He also played in two Gentlemen v. Players matches in 1947, at Lord's
and Scarborough, and again at Lord's in 1948. He resigned as captain of Lancashire at the end of his second season to concentrate on his dental practice in Liverpool. He played for the North of England against the South in 1947, 1949 and 1950, and played his last first-class match in 1950. He was president of Lancashire County Cricket Club in 1993-94, and was a president of the Lancashire Former Players' Association. He practised as a dentist in Aigburth until 1990.
He married twice. He first married Mary Joyce Harrison in 1942. They had a daughter and a son, but were divorced in 1964. He married Joanne Legg later that year; they had a son.
He became the oldest living former English Test cricketer on 28 December 2006, on the death of Norman 'Mandy' Mitchell-Innes
. Following his own death eleven days later in Southport
, that distinction passed to Arthur McIntyre.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, who played first-class cricket
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...
for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
and eight times for England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
.
Life and career
Cranston was born in AigburthAigburth
Aigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Mossley Hill, and Garston.-History:...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, where his father Henry Selby Cranston was a dentist. He and his elder brother Ronald were educated at Liverpool College, but Ronald died aged 23 after showing early cricketing talent. Ken Cranston played for the Lancashire Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served as a dental officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the war. He played cricket for the Royal Navy and Combined Services, and played club cricket
Club cricket
Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are always observed...
in Lancashire after the war. He also played hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
for the county.
Cranston was appointed as captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
of Lancashire in 1947, replacing acting captain Jack Fallows. He made his first-class debut on 14 May as captain of Lancashire, in the match against Oxford University. He was an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who bowled fast-medium and batted in the middle of 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 was immediately successful in first-class cricket, and made his 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...
debut in the Third Test against South Africa at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
on 5 July, less than eight weeks after his first-class debut. In the Fourth Test at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, he took four wickets in six balls (w.w.ww) to end the South African second innings.
He was selected as vice-captain of the relatively weak 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...
side that toured to West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in 1947-48. He captained England once, in the first Test against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
at Bridgetown, as Gubby Allen
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches...
had pulled a muscle on board the boat carrying them there. The match was drawn, but England ended up losing the four-match series 2-0. He was dropped from the Test side at the start of the following summer, but played one final Test later in 1948, when he was selected for the Fourth Test in the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series against the Invincibles
The Invincibles (cricket)
The Australian cricket team in England in 1948 was captained by Don Bradman, who was making his fourth and final tour of England. The team is famous for being the first Test match side to play an entire tour of England without losing a match. This feat earned them the nickname of The Invincibles,...
, in which the tourists scored 404 on the final day to win the match.
Cranston led Lancashire to third place in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1947, with the team losing only one march. The team was fifth in 1948. Cranston himself scored over 1,000 runs in each year, and took 84 and then 79 wickets. He also played in two Gentlemen v. Players matches in 1947, 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 Scarborough, and again at Lord's in 1948. He resigned as captain of Lancashire at the end of his second season to concentrate on his dental practice in Liverpool. He played for the North of England against the South in 1947, 1949 and 1950, and played his last first-class match in 1950. He was president of Lancashire County Cricket Club in 1993-94, and was a president of the Lancashire Former Players' Association. He practised as a dentist in Aigburth until 1990.
He married twice. He first married Mary Joyce Harrison in 1942. They had a daughter and a son, but were divorced in 1964. He married Joanne Legg later that year; they had a son.
He became the oldest living former English Test cricketer on 28 December 2006, on the death of Norman '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...
. Following his own death eleven days later in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, that distinction passed to Arthur McIntyre.