Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Antony Ronald Legard (17 January 1912 – 22 August 2004), nicknamed Loopy, was an Indian-born English

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

er who played 36 matches, mostly for

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 ...

, in the 1930s. He also played twice for

Free Foresters Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' (or nomadic) club, having no home ground. The Free Foresters were founded by the Rev. Willi ...

and had one match each for

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

in India and

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). Legard made his first-class debut for Oxford 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 ...

The University Parks The Oxford University Parks, commonly referred to locally as the University Parks, or just The Parks, is a large parkland area slightly northeast of the city centre in Oxford, England. The park is bounded to the east by the River Cherwell, thoug ...

in May 1932; he took four wickets, including that of

Alan Shipman Alan Wilfred Shipman (7 March 1901, Ratby, Leicestershire – 12 December 1979) was a first-class cricketer for Leicestershire between 1920 and 1936. As an all-rounder, he batted right-handed, and was a right-handed fast-bowler between 1920 and ...

in both innings. He played consistently that season, including against the

South Americans South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

(on their only first-class tour) when he scored 38, the only time he ever passed 20. Later in the year he was selected for the Varsity 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 ...

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 ...

, where he took six wickets in a drawn match. Legard played for much of the 1933 season, but was not selected for the Varsity Match, and did not appear at all in 1934. Obituary. ''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'' 2005. However, 1935 saw him once again picked for the Lord's game, and once again perform excellently: he obtained career-best figures of 7–36 in the second innings with what his '' Wisden'' obituary called a "devastating" opening spell of swing bowling. Even so, a powerful Cambridge side won the game by a wide margin. That game marked his last appearance for Oxford, but less than a fortnight later he played his one and only

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 ...

match, appearing for Worcestershire at

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

. He took no wickets, but his 18 from number eleven in the first innings was a useful contribution to Worcestershire's eventual 30-run victory. The remainder of Legard's first-class career consisted of four matches spread over almost a decade: one for Europeans against

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

in the

Bombay Pentangular The Bombay Quadrangular was an influential cricket tournament held in Bombay, British India between 1892–93 and 1945–46. At other times it was known variously as the Presidency Match, Bombay Triangular, and the Bombay Pentangular. Presidency ...

— the Europeans were thrashed by an innings and 209 runs, but Legard claimed four wickets — two appearances for Free Foresters against Cambridge University, and finally (aged 40) a one-off appearance for MCC against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in Dublin. Legard was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and Trinity College, Oxford. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

and was appointed MBE (military) in 1940 "for distinguished services in the field." Later he worked for ICI.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legard, Antony English cricketers Worcestershire cricketers Oxford University cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Europeans cricketers Free Foresters cricketers 1912 births 2004 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford British Army personnel of World War II Royal Engineers officers Members of the Order of the British Empire Imperial Chemical Industries people British people in colonial India