Thomas Routledge
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Routledge - A fine attacking batsman and occasional, but useful change-bowler, Thomas Routledge was born in Liverpool
, Lancashire
, England
on 18 April 1867 and died in Billingham
, County Durham
, England
on 9 May 1927, aged 60. He played for Transvaal
during the last decade of the 19th Century and appeared in four Test
matches for South Africa against England
, all of them on home soil. He was aggressive at the crease but so often failed to convert a good start into a significant one, only twice surpassing 50 or more runs in an innings
. His first Test match was the sole representative affair of England’s visit in 1891-92
, played at Cape Town
. He also played in the three-match series of 1895-96 but in all four Tests he could only manage a top score of 24 (overall average 9.00) as England showed their dominance, winning each match convincingly. Routledge’s highest first-class score was 77, scored in the 1893-94 Currie Cup
match against Eastern Province
at Cape Town. However, on the day the meeting was held to select South Africa’s inaugural side to tour England in 1894
, he made a century in a non-first-class match and secured his place as a result of it. None of the 24 matches on the tour have yet been given first-class status even though many of them were against first-class county clubs. No obituary appeared within the Wisden Cricketers Almanack for Routledge after his death in 1927.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
on 18 April 1867 and died in Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, 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...
on 9 May 1927, aged 60. He played for Transvaal
Transvaal cricket team
Gauteng cricket team is the first-class cricket team of the province of Gauteng in South Africa....
during the last decade of the 19th Century and appeared in four Test
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...
matches for South Africa against England
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...
, all of them on home soil. He was aggressive at the crease but so often failed to convert a good start into a significant one, only twice surpassing 50 or more runs in an innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
. His first Test match was the sole representative affair of England’s visit in 1891-92
History of cricket in South Africa to 1918
This article describes the history of South African cricket from its known beginnings until the end of the First World War in 1918.First-class cricket was introduced to South Africa in the 1888-89 season with the arrival of the first English touring team and the presentation by Sir Donald Currie of...
, played at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He also played in the three-match series of 1895-96 but in all four Tests he could only manage a top score of 24 (overall average 9.00) as England showed their dominance, winning each match convincingly. Routledge’s highest first-class score was 77, scored in the 1893-94 Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
match against Eastern Province
Eastern Province cricket team
Eastern Province cricket team is the team representing the Eastern Province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa.-Honours:* Currie Cup - 1988–89, 1991–92; shared - 1989–90* Standard Bank Cup - 1989–90, 1991–92...
at Cape Town. However, on the day the meeting was held to select South Africa’s inaugural side to tour England in 1894
South African cricket team in England in 1894
The inaugural South African tour of England took place in the 1894 season.None of the 24 matches are currently regarded as first-class fixtures, even though South Africa had already begun playing matches subsequently recognised as Test matches at home and even though many of the matches on tour...
, he made a century in a non-first-class match and secured his place as a result of it. None of the 24 matches on the tour have yet been given first-class status even though many of them were against first-class county clubs. No obituary appeared within the Wisden Cricketers Almanack for Routledge after his death in 1927.