Alick Handford (3 May 1869 – 15 October 1935) was an English
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er whose
first-class career spanned from 1892 to 1915, and included matches for American, English, and New Zealand teams. He later worked as a cricket coach, and also
umpired several first-class matches.
Career in the United States
Born in
Wilford
Wilford is a village in the city of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. The village is to the northeast of Clifton, Nottinghamshire, Clifton, southwest of West Bridgford, northwest of Ruddington and southwest of Nottingham city centre. It i ...
,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
,
[Alick Handford](_blank)
– CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Handford made his first-class debut in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, appearing in 1892 for the Players (professional cricketers) in the
Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, exc ...
fixture.
[First-class matches played by Alick Handford (26)](_blank)
– CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 January 2015. He had been preceded in American cricket by his older brother,
Sanders Handford
Sanders may refer to:
People
Surname
* Sanders (surname)
* Bernie Sanders, US presidential candidate and senator
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary and daughter of Mike Huckabee
* Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC (Kentuc ...
(1858–1917), who played four first-class matches for American sides. Alick Handford opened both the batting and the bowling on debut, but the professionals lost the match comprehensively, by an innings and 281 runs. The Players side generally consisted of expatriate Englishmen, often employed as coaches, with the Gentlemen allowing only non-Americans with amateur status, five years' residency, and intended naturalization.
Career in England
Handford had returned to England by 1894, where he appeared twice for
Liverpool and District early in
the season – in a first-class match against
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, and then in a two-day fixture against
the touring South Africans. He made his
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
debut for Nottinghamshire, the county of his birth, in July 1894, and played four matches in his debut season. In those four matches, Handford, a right-arm medium pacer, took 25 wickets at an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
of 17.44, which included three five-wicket hauls. These were 5/25 on his Nottinghamshire debut against
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, 7/75 in the next match, against
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, and 5/53 in his final match of the season, against
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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.
After his successful debut season, Handford appeared for Nottinghamshire again in the 1895 County Championship. However, he took only 13 wickets from eight matches, six of which came in a single match against
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
(including a five-wicket haul, 5/23). During the
1895 season, Handford also appeared for the
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) for the first time, having had a position found for him on the MCC groundstaff. He would go on to play matches for the MCC around England, including against many of the
non-first-class counties, and also in Wales and Ireland. He was also sent by the MCC to spend a season in
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, to assist with the development of the game there.
[(29 September 1923)]
"EMPIRE CRICKET COACH."
– ''New Zealand Truth
''New Zealand Truth'' was a tabloid newspaper published weekly in New Zealand from 1905 to 2013.
History
''New Zealand Truth'' was founded in 1905 by Australian John Norton in Wellington, as a New Zealand edition of his Sydney ''Truth'', aim ...
''. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Handford made only three further appearances for Nottinghamshire after the 1895 season, once in 1896 and twice in 1898.
Playing for the MCC against
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
in June 1898, he took 7/39, his best first-class bowling figures.
Despite his performance, the MCC lost the match by nine wickets, after twice being bowled out for under 100 runs.
Handford's final first-class match in England came when he was aged 32, for the MCC against
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
in May 1901.
He subsequently gained employment as a coach, working in
North Wales
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, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
, at the
Repton School
Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...
in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, and again in South Africa, for several schools in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. While in South Africa, he helped train
the South African team that won its first series against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
during the 1905–06 season.
Returning to England, he coached at
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...
, and also made his first-class umpiring debut during the
1908 season, officiating a match at the
County Ground, Derby
The County Cricket Ground (usually shortened to the County Ground, also known as the Racecourse Ground; currently the Incora County Ground due to sponsorship) is a cricket ground in Derby, England. It has been the home of Derbyshire County Cricke ...
, between
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
and the touring
Philadelphians
The Philadelphians, or the Philadelphian Society, were a 17th-century English dissenter group. They were organized around John Pordage (1607–1681), an Anglican priest from Bradfield, Berkshire, who had been ejected from his parish in 1655 beca ...
. His umpiring companion was
Henry Shaw, an ex-Derbyshire player.
Career in New Zealand and later life
Initially sent by the MCC to coach at
Christ's College, Christchurch
Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, ...
, in 1912, Handford remained in New Zealand until 1927.
During the 1913–14 season, he umpired five matches for
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
(three in the
Plunket Shield
New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. Since the 2009–10 season it has been known by its original name of the Plunket Shield.
History
The Plunket Shield competition was instigated in Octob ...
, and two against
the touring Australians). The following season, he played in one last first-class match, after a gap of almost 14 years. Handford, aged 46, captained
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...
in its inaugural first-class match, played against
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
at
Rugby Park
Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C. Rugby Park has also been used for con ...
,
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
.
He was the only player in the Southland side with prior first-class experience, but failed to have any impact as the team lost by 118 runs.
Handford subsequently became a resident of
Greymouth
Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...
, coaching in towns on the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
of the South Island.
Returning to England, he coached
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
's second XI during the
1930 season, but the following year, in November 1931, he was convicted of fraud for
obtaining property by deception
Obtaining property by deception was formerly a statutory offence in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
England and Wales
This offence was created by section 15 of the Theft Act 1968. Sections 15(1) and (2) of that Act read:
This offence r ...
. He had stayed at several hotels without paying, and was sentenced to 28 days' imprisonment.
[(26 November 1931)]
"Professional Cricketer Guilty of Fraud"
– ''The Adelaide Advertiser
''The Advertiser'' is a daily tabloid format newspaper based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. First published as a broadsheet named ''The South Australian Advertiser'' on 12 July 1858,[Tavistock, Devon
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...]
, in October 1935.
See also
* List of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club players
This is a list in alphabetical order of cricketers who have played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in top-class matches since the club was founded in 1841. Like the Nottinghamshire county cricket teams, Nottinghamshire county teams formed ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handford, Alick
1869 births
1935 deaths
English expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand
English cricketers
English cricket coaches
English cricket umpires
English expatriates in the United States
English fraudsters
Liverpool and District cricketers
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Nottinghamshire cricketers
People from Rushcliffe (district)
Cricketers from Nottinghamshire
Players of United States of America cricketers
Southland cricketers
English expatriate sportspeople in South Africa