Edward James Gothard OBE, MBE, TD (1 October 1904 – 17 January 1979) was an English
first-class cricketer who played for
Derbyshire in 1947 and 1948 and captained the side in both years.
Gothard was born in
Burton-on-Trent, the son of William Henry Gothard who played cricket for
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
. Gothard himself represented Staffordshire in the
Minor Counties Championship in 1927. He was an able rugby player but as a result of injury took to playing hockey instead. He was captain of Burton Hockey Club from 1933 to 1939.
During the Second World War he played four cricket matches for
Nottinghamshire in 1943. He was captain of Burton Hockey Club again from 1946 to 1947, and was a regular player for the club after the war. He played hockey for Derbyshire 30 times and was a trialist for the "Midlands".
[
Gothard became cricket captain for Derbyshire in the 1947 season and made his first-class debut at the age of 42 at the end of May against Northamptonshire. An innings victory marked the start of a good run for the Derbyshire team. Gothard was a strict disciplinarian, and they finished in fifth place in the 1947 County Championship. Against Middlesex Gothard took a hat-trick, including the wicket of ]Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
, one of the season's top scorers. During the 1948 season, Gothard clean bowled Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
at Derby. At the end of the 1948 season, when Derbyshire finished sixth, he retired from first-class cricket. Gothard was a right-arm medium-pace bowler who took 18 first-class wickets at an average of 40.55 and a best performance of 3–84. He was a right-handed batsman who batted in the lower-order. He played 63 innings in 45 first-class matches with one half-century and an average of 12.34.
Gothard was later secretary and treasurer of the club. He died in Birmingham at the age of 74.
Gothard's son, Squadron Leader Edward Leigh Gothard, MBE,1986 Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gothard, Edward
1904 births
1979 deaths
English cricketers
Derbyshire cricket captains
Cricketers from Burton upon Trent
Staffordshire cricketers