Lionel Cranfield (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Lionel Lord Cranfield played first-class
cricket
for Gloucestershire
and Somerset
between 1903 and 1922. He was born in Brixton
, London
and died at Sale, Cheshire
.
Cranfield was a right-handed lower-order batsman and a left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He had a very spasmodic career in first-class cricket, playing four games for Gloucestershire in 1903, four for Somerset in 1906, and then two more for Gloucestershire in 1910. In 1913 and 1914 he appeared in seven and eight games respectively, and there were then four appearances in three different seasons after the First World War; all of these later matches were for Gloucestershire. As late as the early 1930s he was playing Lancashire League cricket for Enfield
.
Cranfield's best bowling figures were achieved in the first innings of his first first-class match: six for 67 against the Gentlemen of Philadelphia at Cheltenham
in 1903. He passed 50 only once in a first-class innings, making an undefeated 51 against Kent
at Gloucester
in 1914; he also made 46 in the second innings of this match.
His brother, Beaumont Cranfield
, played for Somerset between 1897 and 1908 and Lionel's son, Monty Cranfield
, played for Gloucestershire from 1934 to 1951.
, in his anecdotal history of Lancashire League cricket, Cricket in the Leagues, wrote a whole chapter on Lionel Cranfield as "The Man who Inspired". Cranfield, he wrote, had set up a florist shop in Middleton
and joined Middleton Cricket Club as its professional "for less money than he could have obtained elsewhere in league cricket because of the challenge the job offered and the prospect that his engagement might be good for (the) florist business". He had earlier played for clubs in the Bolton League
, the Central Lancashire League and the Lancashire League. Kay records that Cranfield was an inspirational cricket coach and that, when his League cricket playing career was over, he became assistant coach at Eton College
, working alongside George Hirst, before retiring from that back to Middleton.
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...
for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
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...
between 1903 and 1922. He was born in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. 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 Sale, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
Cranfield was a right-handed lower-order batsman and a left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He had a very spasmodic career in first-class cricket, playing four games for Gloucestershire in 1903, four for Somerset in 1906, and then two more for Gloucestershire in 1910. In 1913 and 1914 he appeared in seven and eight games respectively, and there were then four appearances in three different seasons after the First World War; all of these later matches were for Gloucestershire. As late as the early 1930s he was playing Lancashire League cricket for Enfield
Enfield Cricket Club
Enfield Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at Dill Hall Lane in Accrington. For the 2011 season its captain is Adam Bracewell, and its professional is Werner Coetsee of South Africa. The club has won the league on 5 occasions and the cup on 4...
.
Cranfield's best bowling figures were achieved in the first innings of his first first-class match: six for 67 against the Gentlemen of Philadelphia at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
in 1903. He passed 50 only once in a first-class innings, making an undefeated 51 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...
at Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
in 1914; he also made 46 in the second innings of this match.
His brother, Beaumont Cranfield
Beaumont Cranfield
Beaumont Cranfield was a first-class cricketer who made 125 appearances for Somerset from 1897 until his death in 1909. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 563 wickets for his county. At his prime, he could impart strong curve on the ball that meant he could place almost all his fielders on...
, played for Somerset between 1897 and 1908 and Lionel's son, Monty Cranfield
Monty Cranfield
Lionel Montague Cranfield played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1934 and 1951. He was born in Bristol and died at Stockport, Greater Manchester.-Family:...
, played for Gloucestershire from 1934 to 1951.
League cricket
The cricket writer John KayJohn Kay (cricket journalist)
John Kay was a British cricket correspondent for the Manchester Evening News from the end of the Second World War to 1975 and for the Brighton Argus...
, in his anecdotal history of Lancashire League cricket, Cricket in the Leagues, wrote a whole chapter on Lionel Cranfield as "The Man who Inspired". Cranfield, he wrote, had set up a florist shop in Middleton
Middleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
and joined Middleton Cricket Club as its professional "for less money than he could have obtained elsewhere in league cricket because of the challenge the job offered and the prospect that his engagement might be good for (the) florist business". He had earlier played for clubs in the Bolton League
Bolton Cricket League
The Bolton Cricket League is a cricket league comprising fourteen teams in and around Bolton, Greater Manchester in North West England. The league runs competitions at First Team, Second Team, Under 18, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 levels.-Teams:...
, the Central Lancashire League and the Lancashire League. Kay records that Cranfield was an inspirational cricket coach and that, when his League cricket playing career was over, he became assistant coach at Eton College
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"....
, working alongside George Hirst, before retiring from that back to Middleton.