Merrick Elderton
Encyclopedia
Merrick Beaufoy Elderton (21 February 1884 – 11 December 1939) was an English
cricket
er and educator. Elderton was a right-handed batsman
who fielded as a wicket-keeper
. He was born at Brentford
, Middlesex
.
Elderton was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
and later attended Clare College, Cambridge
. While attending Clare College, Elderton made his debut in first-class cricket
for Cambridge University
against Lancashire
in 1907. He made a further first-class appearances for the university in that season, against Yorkshire
. His two appearances had limited success, with him scoring 17 runs at an average
of 5.66, with a high score of 9, while behind the stumps he took 3 catches and made 3 stumpings. He also played for the Gentlemen of England against Cambridge University in 1907. He graduated from Cambridge in 1907, and in that same year he took up a teaching position with Sherborne School
in Dorset
.
Elderton served during World War I
with the Royal Garrison Artillery
, entering service in 1915. By July 1917, he hed been promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to Lieutenant
. Later in September 1917 he was promoted to Acting Captain
. He left the army in November 1918. Following the war, Elderton first appeared for Dorset
in the Minor Counties Championship, making his debut for the county against Devon
in 1921. In 1927, some twenty years after his last appearance in first-class cricket, he played a first-class match for the West
against the touring New Zealanders at the County Ground, Exeter
. In this match, Elderton scored 20 runs in the Wests first-innings, before being dismissed by Tom Lowry
. His final first-class appearance came for the Minor Counties against the touring New Zealanders in 1931. In this match, he scored 13 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings, before being dismissed by Cyril Allcott
, while in their second-innings he wasn't required to bat. He continued to play Minor counties cricket for Dorset until 1938, making between 1921 and then, 134 Minor Counties Championship.
He continued to teach at Sherborne School until his death on 11 December 1939.
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...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and educator. Elderton was a right-handed batsman
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
who fielded as a 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 was born at Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
.
Elderton was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
and later attended Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
. While attending Clare College, Elderton made his debut in 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 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...
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 1907. He made a further first-class appearances for the university in that season, against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
. His two appearances had limited success, with him scoring 17 runs at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 5.66, with a high score of 9, while behind the stumps he took 3 catches and made 3 stumpings. He also played for the Gentlemen of England against Cambridge University in 1907. He graduated from Cambridge in 1907, and in that same year he took up a teaching position with Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
Elderton served during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with the Royal Garrison Artillery
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...
, entering service in 1915. By July 1917, he hed been promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. Later in September 1917 he was promoted to Acting Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
. He left the army in November 1918. Following the war, Elderton first appeared for Dorset
Dorset County Cricket Club
Dorset 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 Dorset and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the Minor Counties Championship, making his debut for the county against Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon 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 Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
in 1921. In 1927, some twenty years after his last appearance in first-class cricket, he played a first-class match for the West
West of England cricket team
The West of England appeared in nine first-class matches between 1844 and 1948. Their first-class debut in 1844 came against the Marylebone Cricket Club, with their final appearance in first-class cricket coming against the East in 1948...
against the touring New Zealanders at the County Ground, Exeter
County Ground, Exeter
The County Ground is a cricket ground in Exeter, Devon. The earliest recorded match on the ground was in 1889 between the Gentlemen of Devon and Somerset. In 1902, Devon played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ground, which came against Wiltshire...
. In this match, Elderton scored 20 runs in the Wests first-innings, before being dismissed by Tom Lowry
Tom Lowry
Thomas Coleman Lowry was a New Zealand cricketer. He played in the first seven Test matches that New Zealand ever played, captaining the team in all of them....
. His final first-class appearance came for the Minor Counties against the touring New Zealanders in 1931. In this match, he scored 13 runs in the Minor Counties first-innings, before being dismissed by Cyril Allcott
Cyril Allcott
Cyril Francis Walter Allcott played six Tests for New Zealand from 1930-32....
, while in their second-innings he wasn't required to bat. He continued to play Minor counties cricket for Dorset until 1938, making between 1921 and then, 134 Minor Counties Championship.
He continued to teach at Sherborne School until his death on 11 December 1939.
External links
- Merrick Elderton at ESPNcricinfo
- Merrick Elderton at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...