Stuart Symington (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Stuart Johnston Symington, born at Bexhill-on-Sea
, Sussex
, on 16 September 1926 and died at Hereford
on 11 December 2009, played first-class
cricket
for Leicestershire
as an amateur in 1948 and 1949. He was captain of the Leicestershire side in 1949. After little more than a year in full-time cricket, he resumed his career in the Army.
and played for Leicestershire in wartime matches. He made his first-class debut in a couple of matches in the 1948 season. He took four wickets in his first match against Hampshire
, and this was followed by scores of 21 and 40 in the second game, which was against Essex
. In 1948, Leicestershire had appointed the professional, Les Berry
, as captain, only the second appointment of a professional by one of the first-class counties since the 1890s (the previous instance had also been by Leicestershire, when Ewart Astill
was appointed captain for the 1935 season). In both 1935 and 1948, the appointment had been necessitated because no amateur was available to lead the team: Wisden
also reported that "possibly affected by the cares of captaincy", Berry "did not reproduce the form of previous years".
For the 1949 season, Symington was offered the captaincy of the county side and accepted, although he had played only two matches at this point. The move was not a success. Though Berry returned to form, the side as a whole played badly, and, having finished in 11th place out of 17 in the County Championship
in 1948, Leicestershire slipped to bottom place in 1949. Under Symington's captaincy, only two matches were won, though there was a third victory late in the season after he had departed.
Symington's own record for the season was respectable: he batted mostly at No 6 or No 7, and made 659 runs at an average
of 21.25. There were three scores of more than 50, with the highest being 65, made in the match against Essex at Leicester
. Bowling was the weakness of the Leicestershire side as a whole, and in the absence of alternatives Symington was cast in the role of opening bowler for most of the season. He took only 30 wickets in the season at the high average
of 43.73. There was one good bowling day, early in the season: in Leicestershire's first home match, he took five Derbyshire
wickets for 45 runs, and this was the only five-wicket innings performance of his career.
Symington's departure from Leicestershire appears to have been abrupt. He captained the side in the match against Lancashire
at Blackpool, but that was his last appearance for the team. The former Oxford University
and Glamorgan
all-rounder Gwynn Evans
, now a schoolmaster in Leicestershire
, took over as captain for the remaining six matches of the 1949 season. For 1950, Leicestershire recruited the former Worcestershire
amateur Charles Palmer as both secretary and captain. Symington did not play first-class cricket again.
in 1946. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1948 (backdated to November 1947). When he finished with first-class cricket, he resumed his army career as a lieutenant; in 1953, he was promoted to be a captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. One of his jobs in the army was to be an aide-de-camp to the governor of the Bahamas. He retired from the regular army in 1958 and joined the Territorial Army, being promoted to major on his retirement from the regular army. He resigned his commission in 1959.
Symington joined the family firm of R. and W. H. Symington in Market Harborough
as a director; the company made corsets and its mill is now the site of the Harborough Museum
. In the 1970 general election, he stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative Party
candidate for the Leicester North West
seat, losing by more than 2,000 votes to the Labour candidate Greville Janner
.
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, on 16 September 1926 and died at Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
on 11 December 2009, played first-class
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 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....
as an amateur in 1948 and 1949. He was captain of the Leicestershire side in 1949. After little more than a year in full-time cricket, he resumed his career in the Army.
Cricket career
A right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler, Symington was educated at Canford SchoolCanford School
Canford School is a coeducational independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the village of Canford Magna, near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, in South West England. The school was founded in 1923. There are approximately 600 pupils at Canford, organised into houses...
and played for Leicestershire in wartime matches. He made his first-class debut in a couple of matches in the 1948 season. He took four wickets in his first match against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
, and this was followed by scores of 21 and 40 in the second game, which was 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...
. In 1948, Leicestershire had appointed the professional, Les Berry
Les Berry
George Leslie "Les" Berry, born at Dorking, Surrey on 28 April 1906 and died at Great Glen, Leicestershire on 5 February 1985, was a cricketer who played for Leicestershire and holds many of the county's first-class batting records....
, as captain, only the second appointment of a professional by one of the first-class counties since the 1890s (the previous instance had also been by Leicestershire, when Ewart Astill
Ewart Astill
Ewart Astill was, along with George Geary, the mainstay of the Leicestershire team from 1922 to about 1935. He played in nine Test matches but was never picked for a home Test or for the Ashes tour...
was appointed captain for the 1935 season). In both 1935 and 1948, the appointment had been necessitated because no amateur was available to lead the team: Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
also reported that "possibly affected by the cares of captaincy", Berry "did not reproduce the form of previous years".
For the 1949 season, Symington was offered the captaincy of the county side and accepted, although he had played only two matches at this point. The move was not a success. Though Berry returned to form, the side as a whole played badly, and, having finished in 11th place out of 17 in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 1948, Leicestershire slipped to bottom place in 1949. Under Symington's captaincy, only two matches were won, though there was a third victory late in the season after he had departed.
Symington's own record for the season was respectable: he batted mostly at No 6 or No 7, and made 659 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 21.25. There were three scores of more than 50, with the highest being 65, made in the match against Essex at Leicester
Grace Road
Grace Road is a cricket ground, in Leicester, England, home to Leicestershire County Cricket Club.-History:The land which Grace Road is built on was bought by Leicestershire County Cricket Club in 1877 from the then Duke of Rutland and spent the massive sum of £40,000 on developing a cricket club,...
. Bowling was the weakness of the Leicestershire side as a whole, and in the absence of alternatives Symington was cast in the role of opening bowler for most of the season. He took only 30 wickets in the season at the high average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 43.73. There was one good bowling day, early in the season: in Leicestershire's first home match, he took five Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
wickets for 45 runs, and this was the only five-wicket innings performance of his career.
Symington's departure from Leicestershire appears to have been abrupt. He captained the side in the match 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...
at Blackpool, but that was his last appearance for the team. The former Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
all-rounder Gwynn Evans
Gwynn Evans
Gwynn Evans was a Welsh cricketer. Evans was a right-handed batting who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Bala, Merionethshire....
, now a schoolmaster in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, took over as captain for the remaining six matches of the 1949 season. For 1950, Leicestershire recruited the former Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
amateur Charles Palmer as both secretary and captain. Symington did not play first-class cricket again.
After cricket
Symington had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
in 1946. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1948 (backdated to November 1947). When he finished with first-class cricket, he resumed his army career as a lieutenant; in 1953, he was promoted to be a captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. One of his jobs in the army was to be an aide-de-camp to the governor of the Bahamas. He retired from the regular army in 1958 and joined the Territorial Army, being promoted to major on his retirement from the regular army. He resigned his commission in 1959.
Symington joined the family firm of R. and W. H. Symington in Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
as a director; the company made corsets and its mill is now the site of the Harborough Museum
Harborough Museum
Harborough Museum was opened in 1983 in a former mill building that also houses the Harborough District Council offices and is set in the historic market town of Market Harborough....
. In the 1970 general election, he stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate for the Leicester North West
Leicester North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester North West was a borough constituency in the city of Leicester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
seat, losing by more than 2,000 votes to the Labour candidate Greville Janner
Greville Janner
Greville Ewan Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone is a British Labour politician, lawyer and author. A QC since 1971, he was a Labour MP from 1970 to 1997...
.