Percy Holmes
Encyclopedia
Percy Holmes was an English
first-class cricket
er, who played for Yorkshire
and England
.
Holmes was born in Oakes
, Huddersfield
, Yorkshire
, England
. An opening batsman and a fine fielder, Holmes was a late developer who played only a handful of matches for Yorkshire before World War I
, but came to immediate prominence after it with 1,886 runs and five centuries in 1919. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1920.
With Herbert Sutcliffe
, Holmes formed for fifteen seasons the most prolific opening partnership in first-class cricket
, and 69 times they put on 100 runs or more for the first wicket. Their partnership culminated, in 1932 against Essex
at Leyton
, in a then-world-record stand of 555, beating the previous Yorkshire (and world) record by Brown and Tunnicliffe in 1898 by just one run. Holmes contributed an unbeaten 224 to the partnership, which remained the world-record first-wicket partnership for 44 years. It is still the highest partnership for any wicket in English domestic cricket, and the fifth-highest ever for any wicket in the world.
According to Neville Cardus
, Holmes was a jaunty, restless character who believed cricket should be fun. He tended to score quickly and to play shots, such as cuts and pulls, that "more correct" batsmen such as Sutcliffe rarely used.
career was limited to just seven matches, largely because Jack Hobbs
was a fixture in the England team until Holmes was past forty years of age. He was picked and discarded, like many others, as England chopped and changed its eleven in 1921 in a vain attempt to match the Australian cricket team
under Warwick Armstrong
; in fact, Holmes was top scorer, with thirty out of 112, in the first innings of the first Test at Trent Bridge
, but he scored only eight in the second innings, and the match was over inside two days. He had to wait six years before being picked again, for the 1927-28 tour to South Africa under Rony Stanyforth
, where he opened with Sutcliffe in all five Tests, making 302 runs, including four scores of more than fifty and a highest of 88, but finishing with a "pair" in the last Test. His seventh and final Test came ten days after his world record stand, when, at forty-five, he was picked for the Lord's match against India
in 1932. He made just 6 and 11.
, at that point the highest score ever made on the ground. In all first-class cricket, he scored 30,573 runs at an average of more than 42 per innings, with 67 centuries: he is 58th on the all-time list of run-getters.
His career with Yorkshire dissolved under a cloud, however, when the Yorkshire Committee, worried about his 46 years and increasing troubles with lumbago, resolved against renewing his contract. A brouhaha was quickly enkindled by the furious Yorkshire members, who put forward a vote of no confidence in the Committee, contending that this was no way to treat so true-hearted and prolific a servant of Yorkshire cricket, but the decision stood.
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...
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...
er, who played for 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....
and 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...
.
Holmes was born in Oakes
Oakes, Huddersfield
Oakes is a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the west of the town centre off the A640 New Hey Road towards the M62 motorway.It is situated between Marsh, Lindley and Salendine Nook....
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. An opening batsman and a fine fielder, Holmes was a late developer who played only a handful of matches for Yorkshire before 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...
, but came to immediate prominence after it with 1,886 runs and five centuries in 1919. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1920.
With Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
, Holmes formed for fifteen seasons the most prolific opening partnership 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...
, and 69 times they put on 100 runs or more for the first wicket. Their partnership culminated, in 1932 against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
at Leyton
Leyton Cricket Ground
Leyton Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Leyton, London.-Cricket ground:...
, in a then-world-record stand of 555, beating the previous Yorkshire (and world) record by Brown and Tunnicliffe in 1898 by just one run. Holmes contributed an unbeaten 224 to the partnership, which remained the world-record first-wicket partnership for 44 years. It is still the highest partnership for any wicket in English domestic cricket, and the fifth-highest ever for any wicket in the world.
According to Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
, Holmes was a jaunty, restless character who believed cricket should be fun. He tended to score quickly and to play shots, such as cuts and pulls, that "more correct" batsmen such as Sutcliffe rarely used.
International career
Holmes' Test cricketTest 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...
career was limited to just seven matches, largely because Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
was a fixture in the England team until Holmes was past forty years of age. He was picked and discarded, like many others, as England chopped and changed its eleven in 1921 in a vain attempt to match the Australian cricket team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
under Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Armstrong
Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...
; in fact, Holmes was top scorer, with thirty out of 112, in the first innings of the first Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, but he scored only eight in the second innings, and the match was over inside two days. He had to wait six years before being picked again, for the 1927-28 tour to South Africa under Rony Stanyforth
Rony Stanyforth
Lieutenant-Colonel Ronald Thomas Stanyforth was an Army officer and English amateur first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, captaining England in the four Test matches he played in.Stanyforth was born at Chelsea, London, England, the son of Edwin Wilfred...
, where he opened with Sutcliffe in all five Tests, making 302 runs, including four scores of more than fifty and a highest of 88, but finishing with a "pair" in the last Test. His seventh and final Test came ten days after his world record stand, when, at forty-five, he was picked for the Lord's match against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in 1932. He made just 6 and 11.
County career
In county cricket, Holmes was reliably prolific. He scored more than 2,000 runs in seven seasons between 1920 and 1930, and more than 1,500 runs in six other seasons. He scored 1,021 runs in the month of June in 1925 at an average of 102, a sequence that included his highest score, 315 not out, at Lord's against MiddlesexMiddlesex 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...
, at that point the highest score ever made on the ground. In all first-class cricket, he scored 30,573 runs at an average of more than 42 per innings, with 67 centuries: he is 58th on the all-time list of run-getters.
His career with Yorkshire dissolved under a cloud, however, when the Yorkshire Committee, worried about his 46 years and increasing troubles with lumbago, resolved against renewing his contract. A brouhaha was quickly enkindled by the furious Yorkshire members, who put forward a vote of no confidence in the Committee, contending that this was no way to treat so true-hearted and prolific a servant of Yorkshire cricket, but the decision stood.