Maurice Fernandes
Encyclopedia
Maurius Pacheco "Maurice" Fernandes, (12 August 1897 – 8 May 1981) was a West Indian Test cricket
er who played first-class cricket
for British Guiana
between 1922 and 1932. He made two Test appearances for the West Indies, in 1928 and 1930. Fernandes played as a right-handed top-order
batsman and occasional wicket-keeper
. He scored 2,087 first-class runs in 46 appearances at an average of 28.20.
Graduating from playing at the Demerara Cricket Club as a teenager, to play for British Guiana in 1922, Fernandes took part in tours of England in 1923
and 1928. He made his debut Test appearance during the 1928 tour
, playing in the first of the three Tests. His next, and final Test match came during the English tour of the West Indies in 1930. At the time, the West Indies had a custom of picking their captain
from the colony that the match was being played in, and Fernandes was granted the honour for the match in British Guiana. The West Indies won the match, their maiden victory in Test cricket. After the match, Fernandes only played one further first-class match, and retired from first-class cricket in 1932.
, Demerara
, British Guiana
on 12 August 1897. He played for the Demerara Cricket Club as a teenager, gaining a reputation as a good cricketer, and made his debut for British Guiana
during the 1922 Inter-Colonial Tournament, facing Trinidad. Playing as an opening batsman, Fernandes scored a duck
in his first innings, but made 25 runs in the second.
He was part of the West Indian team that toured England in 1923, playing twenty first-class matches against county
and representative opposition. Fernandes played in over half of the matches, and passed fifty on three occasions against first-class opposition. He had reached 83 not out
when his side declared
against Northamptonshire
, and reached 73 runs in the second innings against Lancashire
in the next match, having narrowly missed out in the first innings, when he scored 49. His highest score of the tour, and his maiden first-class century
came against Leicestershire
, when he hit 110 runs. In A History of Cricket, H. S. Altham
and E. W. Swanton
describe the touring side as one which "proved themselves equal to the best." The team relied heavily on the batting of George Challenor
, who struck six centuries, and it was only Challenor that Fernandes trailed in the batting averages on the tour: he scored 523 runs at an average of 34.86, and was one of only two players other than Challenor to score a century for the West Indies.
During the Inter-Colonial Tournament in October 1925, Fernandes made significant scores in each of British Guiana's matches: he scored 89 runs in the first innings of their match against Barbados
, helping his side to open up a 144-run first innings lead, which they converted into an eight wicket victory. In the subsequent match against Trinidad, he reached 124, but lacked support from his teammates, three of whom fell just short of half-centuries. British Guiana eventually lost the match by two wickets. In the following February, the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) toured the West Indies, playing matches in Barbados
, Trinidad
, British Guiana and Jamaica
. Three of the matches, one in each location excluding Jamaica, was against representative West Indies sides: Fernandes played in the match held in British Guiana, but not in either of the others, and also played in both matches between British Guiana and the touring MCC. In the last of these matches, he was selected as captain
of the British Guiana side, and marked the occasion by scoring 120 in his team's only innings of a drawn match. He remained as captain for the colony's 1927 match against Barbados, in which their opponents scored 715/9 declared: the second highest innings score made against the team.
. After the success of their 1923 tour, three of the matches were granted Test status
. The team played 30 first-class matches, but in contrast to their previous tour, they won just five of them. Altham and Swanton describe the side as being "substantially less formidable combination than the West Indies of '23." The touring side lacked a regular wicket-keeper
, and as a result Fernandes and the West Indian captain Karl Nunes
shared the duties, though Nunes kept in all three Tests. Both were expensive on occasion: against Ireland, Fernandes allowed 25 byes
in one innings,, and Nunes the same number against Nottinghamshire
. Fernandes' batting was significantly less effective than it had been five years before; he passed fifty on only three occasions, making 73 against both Ireland, and Cambridge University
, and 54 against Middlesex
. He played in the first Test match, the West Indies' first appearance in Test cricket, facing England at Lord's
. Batting at number three in each innings, he scored a duck
in the first, and eight runs in the second after the West Indies had been forced to follow-on
. England won the match by an innings and 58 runs. Fernandes played 20 of the first-class matches in the tour, and scored 581 runs at an average of 18.15.
During the 1929 Inter-Colonial Tournament, Fernandes made the highest score of his first-class career during a seven-day match against Barbados. After the early dismissal of captain Maurice Green, Fernandes joined Jeremy McKenzie at the crease
. The pair added 177 runs for the second wicket before McKenzie was run out
for 74. Fernandes then shared another century partnership with Frank de Caires
, before being dismissed for 141. British Guiana won the match by 391 runs to progress to the final, in which they faced Trinidad. Fernandes scored half-centuries in both innings of the final, scoring 88 runs in the first and 54 runs in the second to help his side to a four wicket victory. Early the following year, the English cricket team toured the West Indies, playing four Tests and eight first-class matches. Fernandes captained British Guiana in both of their matches against the MCC, each of which was lost by an innings. Traditionally, the West Indies named a different captain for each of their home matches, generally selecting a player from the host colony for the honour. Fernandes was chosen as captain for the Test played at Bourda
, Georgetown
, British Guiana. The first two Tests had resulted in a draw and an English victory. Fernandes won the toss and elected to bat first. Clifford Roach
and Errol Hunte
opened the batting for the West Indies and scored 144 runs together for the opening partnership before Hunte was out for 53. George Headley
then joined Roach at the crease, and the pair took the score onto 336 before Roach was dismissed after reaching his double century. Fernandes and Headley took the score up to 400, of which Fernandes added 22. The remaining batsmen were dismissed for a combined 71; Headley scored a century and the West Indies were all out for 471. The England team was then bowled out for 145, a first innings deficit of 326. Despite the healthy lead, Fernandes chose not to enforce the follow-on, and the West Indies batted again to score 290, leaving England requiring 617 runs in the fourth innings to achieve victory. Patsy Hendren
scored a century for the visitors, but no other batsman reached 50 runs, and with just four minutes of the match remaining, the West Indies secured their maiden Test win by 289 runs.
obituary as being "an obdurate batsman", and was praised for his cutting and driving during the 1923 tour of England. He remained a private individual throughout his cricketing career, a characteristic which became stronger after his retirement from cricket. He had one son, Leslie, who played one first-class match for Guyana in the 1960–61 season, and died in a car accident in 1977 aged 38. After this, Fernandes' health, already poor, deteriorated rapidly, and he died on 8 May 1981, aged 83.
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...
er 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 British Guiana
Guyana national cricket team
The Guyana cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Guyana.It does not take part in any international competitions, but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Carib Beer Cup and the KFC Cup, and the best players may be selected for the West Indies...
between 1922 and 1932. He made two Test appearances for the West Indies, in 1928 and 1930. Fernandes played as a right-handed top-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...
batsman and occasional 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...
. He scored 2,087 first-class runs in 46 appearances at an average of 28.20.
Graduating from playing at the Demerara Cricket Club as a teenager, to play for British Guiana in 1922, Fernandes took part in tours of England in 1923
West Indian cricket team in England in 1923
The West Indian cricket team toured England in the 1923 season. The team played 28 matches between 19 May and 5 September 1923 of which 20 were regarded as first-class. This was the 3rd West Indian tour following those of 1900 and 1906....
and 1928. He made his debut Test appearance during the 1928 tour
West Indian cricket team in England in 1928
The West Indian cricket team that toured England in the 1928 season was the first to play Test cricket. The team was not very successful, losing all three Tests by an innings and winning only five of the 30 first-class matches played....
, playing in the first of the three Tests. His next, and final Test match came during the English tour of the West Indies in 1930. At the time, the West Indies had a custom of picking their 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...
from the colony that the match was being played in, and Fernandes was granted the honour for the match in British Guiana. The West Indies won the match, their maiden victory in Test cricket. After the match, Fernandes only played one further first-class match, and retired from first-class cricket in 1932.
Early life and career
Maurius Pacheco Fernandes was born in GeorgetownGeorgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
, British Guiana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
on 12 August 1897. He played for the Demerara Cricket Club as a teenager, gaining a reputation as a good cricketer, and made his debut for British Guiana
Guyana national cricket team
The Guyana cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Guyana.It does not take part in any international competitions, but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Carib Beer Cup and the KFC Cup, and the best players may be selected for the West Indies...
during the 1922 Inter-Colonial Tournament, facing Trinidad. Playing as an opening batsman, Fernandes scored 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 his first innings, but made 25 runs in the second.
He was part of the West Indian team that toured England in 1923, playing twenty first-class matches against county
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:...
and representative opposition. Fernandes played in over half of the matches, and passed fifty on three occasions against first-class opposition. He had reached 83 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...
when his side declared
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, and reached 73 runs in the second innings against 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...
in the next match, having narrowly missed out in the first innings, when he scored 49. His highest score of the tour, and his maiden first-class century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
came 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....
, when he hit 110 runs. In A History of Cricket, H. S. Altham
Harry Altham
Harry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
and E. W. Swanton
E. W. Swanton
Ernest William Swanton CBE is chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised...
describe the touring side as one which "proved themselves equal to the best." The team relied heavily on the batting of George Challenor
George Challenor
George Challenor was a West Indian cricketer who was part of the first West Indies Test side. He was recognised as the first great West Indian batsman, his obituary in Wisden Cricketer's Almanack ending with the words "His admirable batting did much toward raising cricket in West Indies to Test...
, who struck six centuries, and it was only Challenor that Fernandes trailed in the batting averages on the tour: he scored 523 runs at an average of 34.86, and was one of only two players other than Challenor to score a century for the West Indies.
During the Inter-Colonial Tournament in October 1925, Fernandes made significant scores in each of British Guiana's matches: he scored 89 runs in the first innings of their match against Barbados
Barbados national cricket team
The Barbadian cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Barbados.It does not take part in any international competitions , but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, and the best players may be...
, helping his side to open up a 144-run first innings lead, which they converted into an eight wicket victory. In the subsequent match against Trinidad, he reached 124, but lacked support from his teammates, three of whom fell just short of half-centuries. British Guiana eventually lost the match by two wickets. In the following February, 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) toured the West Indies, playing matches in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, British Guiana and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Three of the matches, one in each location excluding Jamaica, was against representative West Indies sides: Fernandes played in the match held in British Guiana, but not in either of the others, and also played in both matches between British Guiana and the touring MCC. In the last of these matches, he was selected 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 the British Guiana side, and marked the occasion by scoring 120 in his team's only innings of a drawn match. He remained as captain for the colony's 1927 match against Barbados, in which their opponents scored 715/9 declared: the second highest innings score made against the team.
Test cricket
Fernandes was part of the West Indian side which toured England in 1928West Indian cricket team in England in 1928
The West Indian cricket team that toured England in the 1928 season was the first to play Test cricket. The team was not very successful, losing all three Tests by an innings and winning only five of the 30 first-class matches played....
. After the success of their 1923 tour, three of the matches were granted Test status
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...
. The team played 30 first-class matches, but in contrast to their previous tour, they won just five of them. Altham and Swanton describe the side as being "substantially less formidable combination than the West Indies of '23." The touring side lacked a regular 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...
, and as a result Fernandes and the West Indian captain Karl Nunes
Karl Nunes
Robert Karl Nunes was a West Indian cricketer who played in West Indies' first Test in their inaugural Test tour of England as wicketkeeper and captain....
shared the duties, though Nunes kept in all three Tests. Both were expensive on occasion: against Ireland, Fernandes allowed 25 byes
Bye (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bye is a run scored by the batting team when the ball has not been hit by the batsman and the ball has not hit the batsman's body.-Scoring byes:...
in one innings,, and Nunes the same number 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...
. Fernandes' batting was significantly less effective than it had been five years before; he passed fifty on only three occasions, making 73 against both Ireland, and 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...
, and 54 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. He played in the first Test match, the West Indies' first appearance in Test cricket, facing England 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...
. Batting at number three in each innings, he scored 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, and eight runs in the second after the West Indies had been forced to follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
. England won the match by an innings and 58 runs. Fernandes played 20 of the first-class matches in the tour, and scored 581 runs at an average of 18.15.
During the 1929 Inter-Colonial Tournament, Fernandes made the highest score of his first-class career during a seven-day match against Barbados. After the early dismissal of captain Maurice Green, Fernandes joined Jeremy McKenzie at the crease
Crease (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...
. The pair added 177 runs for the second wicket before McKenzie was 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...
for 74. Fernandes then shared another century partnership with Frank de Caires
Frank De Caires
Francis Ignatius de Caires - A sound right-handed batsman, Frank de Caires was born in Guyana on May 12, 1909 and died there on February 2, 1959, aged 49. His career spanned the years from 1929 to 1938 although in truth, after February 1931 his appearances became more and more sporadic...
, before being dismissed for 141. British Guiana won the match by 391 runs to progress to the final, in which they faced Trinidad. Fernandes scored half-centuries in both innings of the final, scoring 88 runs in the first and 54 runs in the second to help his side to a four wicket victory. Early the following year, the English cricket team toured the West Indies, playing four Tests and eight first-class matches. Fernandes captained British Guiana in both of their matches against the MCC, each of which was lost by an innings. Traditionally, the West Indies named a different captain for each of their home matches, generally selecting a player from the host colony for the honour. Fernandes was chosen as captain for the Test played at Bourda
Bourda
The Bourda is a cricket ground in Georgetown, Guyana, used by the Guyanese cricket team for matches with other nations in the Caribbean as well as some Test matches involving the West Indies. Located in Bourda in Georgetown, Guyana, between Regent Street and North Road, it is home to the Georgetown...
, Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, British Guiana. The first two Tests had resulted in a draw and an English victory. Fernandes won the toss and elected to bat first. Clifford Roach
Clifford Roach
Clifford Archibald Roach was a West Indian cricketer who played in West Indies' first Test in their inaugural Test tour of England....
and Errol Hunte
Errol Hunte
Errol Ashton Clairmore Hunte was a West Indian cricketer who played in three Tests in 1930....
opened the batting for the West Indies and scored 144 runs together for the opening partnership before Hunte was out for 53. George Headley
George Headley
George Alphonso Headley was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before the Second World War. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for West Indies and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Headley also represented Jamaica and played professional club cricket in...
then joined Roach at the crease, and the pair took the score onto 336 before Roach was dismissed after reaching his double century. Fernandes and Headley took the score up to 400, of which Fernandes added 22. The remaining batsmen were dismissed for a combined 71; Headley scored a century and the West Indies were all out for 471. The England team was then bowled out for 145, a first innings deficit of 326. Despite the healthy lead, Fernandes chose not to enforce the follow-on, and the West Indies batted again to score 290, leaving England requiring 617 runs in the fourth innings to achieve victory. Patsy Hendren
Patsy Hendren
Elias Henry Hendren better known as Patsy Hendren was an English cricketer. Patsy was one of the most prolific English batsmen of the period between the wars, averaging 47.63 in his 51 Test matches...
scored a century for the visitors, but no other batsman reached 50 runs, and with just four minutes of the match remaining, the West Indies secured their maiden Test win by 289 runs.
Later career and life
After his single match as West Indies Test captain, Fernandes did not appear for the West Indies again, and only made one further appearance for British Guiana, scoring 78 and 7 against Trinidad in the 1932 Inter-Colonial Tournament final. Fernandes is described in his Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
obituary as being "an obdurate batsman", and was praised for his cutting and driving during the 1923 tour of England. He remained a private individual throughout his cricketing career, a characteristic which became stronger after his retirement from cricket. He had one son, Leslie, who played one first-class match for Guyana in the 1960–61 season, and died in a car accident in 1977 aged 38. After this, Fernandes' health, already poor, deteriorated rapidly, and he died on 8 May 1981, aged 83.