Arthur Hardy Wood (25 May 1844 — 10 September 1933) was an English first-class

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. The third son of the industrialist John Wood, he was born in May 1844 at

Thedden Grange Thedden Grange is a privately owned country house and estate in the civil parish of Bentworth, on the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire, England. Since renovation in the mid-1970s the original house, outbuildings and land have been divided into se ...

in Bentworth, Hampshire. Wood was educated at Eton College, but did not play for the college cricket eleven. Wood made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Lancashire at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

in 1870. He played six times in first-class cricket for Hampshire in the 1870s, and was appointed Hampshire's third

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1879 (though Hampshire played no first-class matches in that season). He was replaced as captain by Russell Bencraft the following season, but did captain Hampshire again, this time in first-class matches between 1883 and 1885, being Hampshire's final captain before their first-class status was revoked at the end of the 1885 season. In total, Wood played 28 first-class matches for Hampshire as a wicket-keeper. In these, he scored 849 runs at an average of 18.45; he made six half centuries, with a highest score of 82. As wicket-keeper, he took 23 catches and made five

stumping Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease ...

s. In addition to playing for Hampshire, Wood also made two first-class appearances for the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1880 and 1881. In 1886, he was elected president of Hampshire County Cricket Club and was its vice-president the remainder of his life. Outside of cricket, Wood was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Hampshire. He was well known in hunting circles in Hampshire, becoming Master of the Hounds for the Hampshire Hunt in 1884, in addition to serving as its secretary. Later moving to Uckfield in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, Wood became associated with

Sussex County Cricket Club Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Sussex. Its limited overs team is called the Sussex Sharks. The c ...

, serving as its vice president and was for many years a member of its committee. He died in Hove in September 1933. He was married three times during his life. His son, also called Arthur, played first-class cricket while serving with the Royal Navy.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Arthur 1844 births 1933 deaths People from Bentworth People educated at Eton College English cricketers Hampshire cricketers Hampshire cricket captains Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers English justices of the peace English cricket administrators Cricketers from Hampshire