Frank Carroll Cobden (14 October 1849 – 7 December 1932) 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 who played for

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 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). In

the University Match The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club. From 2001, as part of the reorganisation of first-class cricket, ...

of 1870 he famously took a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

comprising the last three

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 ...

batsmen when Oxford required only three more runs to win. Thus Cambridge University won by two runs a match which they had seemed certain to lose. This feat led to the 1870 match becoming known as "Cobden's Match".

Early life and education

Born on 14 October 1849 at

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, London, Cobden was educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...

and Harrow before entering

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1869. He transferred to

Downing College Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

in 1871. In later life he 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

Radnorshire , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

Cricket career

His first-class career lasted only from 1870 to 1872, for he played no more at first-class level after leaving Cambridge. As well as the university, he also appeared for

(MCC). He was a right-arm

roundarm In cricket, roundarm bowling is a bowling style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowlers extend their arm about 90 degrees from their ...

fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. In 22 matches he took 65 wickets at an average of 17.20, with best innings figures of 6/35. He took five or more wickets in an innings four times and ten or more wickets in a match once. He made 471 runs at an average of 14.27. He passed fifty only once, when he scored 73 not out. According to ''Wisden'' he was a "free and powerful hitter". His brother, Halsted Cobden, also played first-class cricket. Cobden also played county cricket for

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, and, between 1868 and 1890, for

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. For the latter he scored a total 926 runs (highest in one match being 73), in 37 two-day matches while playing at club level for Bedstone, Ludlow and Radnor.

The 1870 University Match

The match, scheduled for three days, was finished in two. Cambridge scored 147 in their first innings. Oxford made 175 in reply, with Cobden taking 4/41. Cambridge slumped to 40/5 in their second innings, only 12 runs ahead, with Charles Francis doing most of the damage.

William Yardley William Yardley (1632 – 6 May 1693) was an early settler of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is the namesake of the borough of Yardley, Pennsylvania. As a persecuted Quaker minister, Yardley and his wife, Jane ( nee Heath) moved from Ranscloug ...

then came in to join John Dale, and they added 116 for the sixth wicket. Yardley made exactly 100, the first hundred ever made in the fixture. Dale scored 67. Cambridge finished with 206, with Francis taking 7/102. Oxford needed 179 to win. Cobden took the wicket of

Walter Hadow Walter Henry Hadow (25 September 1849 – 15 September 1898) was an English first-class cricketer, who had amateur status. Hadow was a noted schoolboy cricketer at Harrow, mentioned by Harry Altham as one of "a striking array of school bats ...

for a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

and Oxford were 0/1. However they recovered and reached 153/3 at one point, needing only another 26, thanks to 69 from

Cuthbert Ottaway Cuthbert John Ottaway (19 July 1850 – 2 April 1878)''Jackson's Oxford Journal'', 6 April 1878. was an English footballer. He was the first captain of the England football team and led his side in the first official international football ma ...

and 44 from Arthur Fortescue. Though wickets then began to fall, they progressed to 175/6, and their victory seemed assured. At that point Edward Ward dismissed Francis. Ward had taken six of the seven wickets to fall. He finished with the fine figures of 6/29 from 32 four ball overs. When Cobden began what proved to be the final over, the score was still 175/7, with four runs needed to win. From the first ball, Frederick Hill played a shot which seemed sure to reach the

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and thus to win the match. However it was brilliantly fielded and the batsmen could only run one. Hill then had to watch the tail-enders try to cope with Cobden in poor light. Samuel Butler was caught off the second ball of the over and William Stewart was bowled by the third. With four-ball overs at that time, Cobden had one ball left. If the batsman, Thomas Belcher, could survive it, then Hill would face the next over and would probably see Oxford home. But Cobden made no mistake and Belcher was bowled. Cobden finished with figures of 4/35, and 8/76 in the match.

Later life

In 1890, Cobden bought a hotel in

Capel Curig Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 ...

, North Wales, which he renamed

Cobden's Hotel Cobden's Hotel is a 19th-century hotel in Capel Curig, Conwy, Wales. It became famous after it was bought by the celebrated cricketer Frank Cobden and is reputedly haunted. Location The hotel is on the A5, a major road through North Wales, to th ...

. He died 7 December 1932, in Capel Curig.

Notes

References

CricketArchive entry for Cobden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobden, Frank 1849 births 1932 deaths English cricketers Free Foresters cricketers Cambridge University cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers English cricketers of 1864 to 1889 People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Gentlemen of the North cricketers People educated at Brighton College Gentlemen of Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers