Gilbert Claude Vassall (5 April 1876 – 19 September 1941) played 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 ...

for Somerset in six matches between 1902 and 1905. He was born at

Hardington Mandeville Hardington Mandeville is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 585. History The Hardington part of the name of the village means ''settle ...

, Somerset and died at Oxford. Vassall was the son of the rector of Hardington Mandeville. His older brother was

Harry Vassall Henry Vassall (22 October 1860 – 5 January 1926) was an English rugby union player, writer, and master of Repton School, Derbyshire. He was best known as a centre for Oxford University. Vassall played international rugby for England in the ea ...

. He was educated at

Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...

and at

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

and he played cricket for his college but not for the university side. His fame at Oxford was as a long jumper, and he was the champion for three consecutive years from 1897 to 1899 in the Varsity athletic match against Cambridge University, his jump of 23 feet and three inches in 1899 being only two inches short of the then record, held by

C. B. Fry Charles Burgess Fry (25 April 1872 – 7 September 1956) was an English sportsman, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. John Arlott described him with the words: "Charles Fry could b ...

. On leaving the university, Vassall became a schoolmaster at the Dragon School in Oxford, remaining there until his death, by which time he was joint headmaster. In the school holidays in 1902, 1903 and 1905, he played a few cricket matches for Somerset as a lower-order batsman and right-arm fast bowler. In his first game, against

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 joined

Peter Randall Johnson Peter Randall Johnson (5 August 1880 – 1 July 1959) was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Somerset and several amateur sides in a long first-class cricket career that stretched from 1900 to 1927. During his career, he appears to ...

with Somerset needing 65 for victory with three wickets to fall and hit an unbeaten 27 to take his side to success. But in his five other matches for Somerset over the next three years he only made 19 other runs and his only wicket came in 1905 when, as the seventh bowler used, he finally broke a stand of 261 by the Kent second wicket pair Ted Dillon and

James Seymour James Seymour (1702–1752) was an English painter, widely recognized for his equestrian art. Seymour was born in London. His father was an amateur artist and art dealer, whose other business dealings (as a banker, goldsmith, and diamond ...

Marriages

On 7 January 1902, Gilbert married Rosa Mary Cotter at Holy Trinity Church, Yeovil. She was the daughter of William Laurence Cotter (the rector of West Coker, Somerset, from 1880 to 1898) and his first wife, Edith Wood (a

Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...

heiress). Gilbert and Rosa lived at 181 Banbury Road, Oxford, for four years and then moved to 11 Charlbury Road, Oxford.The will of Rosa Mary Vassall dated 9 January 1902, proved at London 12 May 1928. When Rosa died on 9 March 1928, aged 49, she left her husband the income on her estate for life. On 1 August 1929, Gilbert married Brenda Elizabeth Ferrall at

Little Horsted Little Horsted (also known as ''Horsted Parva'') is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. It is located two miles (3.2 km) south of Uckfield, on the A26 road. The village is recorded in the Domesday ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

. She was the daughter of the Rev. Henry John Ferrall of

Heckingham Heckingham is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about a mile east of Loddon. It covers an area of and had a population of 143 in 53 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 179 at the 2011 census. Church of St Gr ...

, Norfolk. By 1929, Brenda had changed her name to "O'Ferrall," which was probably the version used by her Irish ancestors. She and Gilbert had one daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassall, Gilbert 1876 births 1941 deaths English cricketers English men's footballers Somerset cricketers People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Oxford University A.F.C. players Corinthian F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Men's association football players not categorized by position People from South Somerset (district) Cricketers from Somerset