George Strachan was an English

cricketer 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 ...

. He was born at Prestbury, near

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, 21 November 1850. His height was 6 ft. 1 in.; weight, 13 st. According to W. G. Grace:

He was a good bowler and batsman: but it was by his brilliant fielding that he made his reputation; and there can be little doubt that at long-leg or cover-point he had few equals in his own time. Many a batsman, having hit a ball in the direction of cover-point, started to run, being ignorant of his wonderful quickness and great reach, and feeling certain he could never get to it; but not only did he get to it, but picking it up with surprising quickness, he had it into the wicket-keeper's or bowler's hands like a flash and seconds before the batsman had reached his crease! At Cheltenham College, where he was educated, they tell of a smart bit of fielding which he did when the M.C.C. played the College Eleven one year. He was bowling to George Hearne, who stepped back and pulled him twice between the wicket and mid-on. The third ball was bowled in the same place, and Hearne pulled it again; but Mr. Strachan moved a yard or two when he saw him make up his mind to hit in the same way, and brought off a remarkable catch yards from the wicket. As a batsman he had sound defence, and hit freely.

He represented Gloucestershire, Middlesex, and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He captained Surrey from 1872 to 1875 and from 1877 to 1878.Surrey County Cricket Club Yearbook 2013, p143. For 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, ex ...

in 1872 he met with marked success as a bowler, and in the same match at The Oval in 1875 he took five wickets in 21 balls, off which no runs were scored. George Strachan died on 29 December 1901, at Middelburg,

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, South Africa.

References

*
Cricinfo page on George Strachan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strachan, George 1850 births 1901 deaths English cricketers Middlesex cricketers Surrey cricketers Surrey cricket captains Gloucestershire cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen cricketers North v South cricketers People educated at Cheltenham College Gentlemen of the South cricketers Surrey Club cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Cricketers from Gloucestershire