Kent County Cricket Club's 1910 season was the 21st season in which the County competed in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

played 29

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

matches during the season, losing only five matches overall, and won their third Championship title. They finished well ahead of second place

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. ...

in the 1910 County Championship. All-rounder

Frank Woolley Frank Edward Woolley (27 May 1887 – 18 October 1978) was an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1906 and 1938 and for the England cricket team. A genuine all-rounder, Woolley was a left-handed batsman ...

, who was becoming an established international player, was selected as one of

Wisden Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in 1911 after a successful 1910 season. The Championship title was the third of four by Kent in the years before the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It followed their success in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

. The club's fourth title was won in 1913.

Background

After decades of underachievement, Kent won their first

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

.Kent County Cricket Club Timeline

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...

. Retrieved 2017-11-23.1906: Kent's First Championship in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2006'',

, p.56. Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club. A mid-table finished in 1907 was followed by second place in 1908, despite winning more matches than the Champions

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

.Moseling M, Quarrington T (2013) ''A Half-Forgotten Triumph: The story of Kent's County Championship title of 1913'', p.6. Cheltenham: SportsBooks. . A second Championship title followed in

with the Kent side securing the title well before the end of the season after losing only two matches.Rice J, Renshaw A (2011
1910
''The Wisden Collector's Guide'', pp.98–99. London" A & C Black. Retrieved 2016-04-19. The re-emergence of strong Kent sides was based on the development of a mix of "gifted"Moseling & Quarrington ''op. cit.'', p.3. amateurs playing alongside an increasingly strong core of professionals, most of whom were a product of the club's

Tonbridge Nursery The Angel Ground was a sports ground at Tonbridge in the English county of Kent. It was used as a venue for first-class cricket by Kent County Cricket Club between 1869 and 1939 and then for association football by Tonbridge Angels F.C., until ...

- its player development centre based at the Angel Ground at Tonbridge. By 1906 professionals were making around 60% of all appearances for Kent, a figure which rose to 68% in 1910 and provided a solid foundation for the side to achieve success on the field.Moseling & Quarrington ''op. cit.'', pp.2–3.Moseling & Quarrington ''op. cit.'', pp.11–12.Lewis P (2013) ''For Kent and Country'', p.33. Brighton: Reveille Press. . McCanlis W (1907) 1907 – Blythe blooms in Kentish nursery, in Stern J & Williams M (eds) (2013) ''The Essential Wisden: An Anthology of 150 Years of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', p.657. London: A & C Black. Republished from ''Wisden Cricketer's Almanack'', 1907.

1910 season

Kent's opening match of the season, against the MCC at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

, was cancelled following the death of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

and the county began the 1910 season with a loss to

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 ...

before the

got under way with an innings victory against

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

at Lord's. The second match of the Championship season, against

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, was declared as "Not counted" as there was no play on the second day, 20 May, due to the funeral of the King.Lancashire v Kent in 1910 – scorecard
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Four away Championship matches saw Kent win three times before losing to

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, a set of games which also featured a win against

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 ...

Fenner's Fenner's is Cambridge University Cricket Club's ground. History Cambridge University Cricket Club had previously played at two grounds in Cambridge, the University Ground and Parker's Piece. In 1846, Francis Fenner leased a former cherry orchar ...

. Kent's first home game of the season was against

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 ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

in June and saw the county begin a series of 10 unbeaten matches which lasted until the end of July. Eight of these matches were wins. A loss to

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

was followed by seven successive winning matches, including two innings victories during

Canterbury Cricket Week Canterbury Cricket Week is the oldest cricket festival week in England and involves a series of consecutive Kent home matches, traditionally held in the first week in August. It was founded in 1842, although a similar festival week was first hel ...

at the beginning of August. By 12 August Kent had guaranteed the Championship title, the earliest date that the County Championship has ever been won.Ask Bearders #155

Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ( ...

, BBC Sport, 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2016-06-02. A loss against Championship runners-up

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

, a draw against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

and a loss in the

Champion County match The Champion County match is a cricket match, traditionally played between the winner of the previous season's County Championship, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The match was played at Lord's Cricket Ground for many seasons, but from 201 ...

in September completed the season.

Players

The 1910 side was captained by

Ted Dillon Edward Wentworth Dillon (15 February 1881 – 20 April 1941) was an English amateur sportsman in the early years of the 20th century. He played over 200 first-class cricket matches, mainly for Kent County Cricket Club between 1900 and 1913. Dill ...

in his second year of captaincy and featured England international players

Colin Blythe Colin Blythe (30 May 1879 – 8 November 1917), also known as Charlie Blythe, was an English professional cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team during the early part of the 20th century. Blythe was a Wisden Cricketer of ...

Douglas Carr Douglas Ward Carr (17 March 1872 – 23 March 1950) was an English amateur cricketer who played once for the England cricket team in 1909. Carr only began playing first-class cricket in 1909 aged 37 for Kent County Cricket Club. A leg-break bowl ...

Arthur Fielder Arthur Fielder (19 July 1877 – 30 August 1949) was an English professional cricketer who played as a fast bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team from 1900 to 1914. He played a major role in Kent's four County Champi ...

Kenneth Hutchings Kenneth Lotherington Hutchings (7 December 1882 – 3 September 1916) was an English amateur cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team between 1902 and 1912. He was primarily a batsman who played a major rol ...

and

.Obituary - Colin Blythe
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' 1918. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' 1949. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' 1917. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'', 1951. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Blythe and Woolley had toured South Africa with England over the 1909–10 English winter, but only Woolley, who had played in all five

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

during the tour, would go on to play again for England, having debuted the summer before.Mukherjee A (2013
Frank Woolley: A giant among the great English all-rounders
''Cricket Country'', 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Carr, along with Arthur Day had been chosen as two of the five

in the 1910 edition of the almanack and Woolley was chosen in the 1911 edition.Wilde S (2013) "1910 Five cricketers of the year" in ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players'', A&C Black, pp.67–69.Wilde S (2013) "1911 Five cricketers of the year" in ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players'', A&C Black, pp.70–72. Fielder and Hutchings had been chosen in 1907 and Blythe in 1904.Wilde S (2013) "1904 Five cricketers of the year" in ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players'', pp.49–52.Wilde S (2013) "1907 Five cricketers of the year" in ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players'', pp.58–60.
Available online
The nucleus of the team remained the same as the Championship winning sides of

and

, with the core of the side increasingly becoming professionals who had developed in the county's

. When Dillon, a shipbroker whose profession sometimes kept him away from cricket, was unable to play, former club captain

Jack Mason John Richard Mason (26 March 1874 – 15 October 1958), known as Jack Mason, was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1893 and 1914, captaining the team between 1898 and 1902. He play ...

generally led the side.Lewis P (2014) ''For Kent and Country'', pp.148–151. Brighton: Reveille Press. Fred Huish was the main wicket-keeper for Kent, with

Jack Hubble John Charlton Hubble (10 February 1881 – 26 February 1965), known as Jack Hubble, was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club in the first half of the 20th century. He was a right-handed ba ...

replacing him in one non-Championship match. Huish, the senior professional in the Kent side at the time, was in the process of making 151 consecutive Championship appearances for Kent.Fred Huish - Obituary
''

'', 1959. Retrieved 2016-04-10.Geraint Jones reaches impressive County Championship milestone

, 2012-09-03. Retrieved 2016-04-10. Hubble, who succeeded Huish as wicket-keeper after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, played primarily as a batsman.Hubble, John Charlton - Obituaries in 1966
''

'', 1966. Retrieved 2016-04-08. Former captain Cloudesley Marsham made his last first-class appearance for Kent before the First World War against

and did not play in a Championship match during the season. Keith Barlow played against both Cambridge and

, the only first-class appearances of his career. Other than Barlow, four players made their senior debuts for Kent during 1910: Eric Hatfeild,

Charles Hooman Charles Victor Lisle Hooman (3 October 1887 – 20 November 1969), often known as Chubby Holman, was an English amateur sportsman who played cricket for Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club between 1907 and 1910.

Freddie Knott Frederick Hammett Knott (30 October 1891 – 10 February 1972), known as Freddie Knott, was an English amateur cricketer. Knott played for Oxford University Cricket Club and Kent County Cricket Club in the years before the First World War. He ...

and Percy Morfee. Hooman appeared 15 times for the county during the season, his only season of first-class cricket with Kent. Ages given as of the first day of Kent's 1910 County Championship season, 16 May 1910. Source: CricketArchive and

CricInfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a d ...

statistics

Statistics

During 1910 Kent played 29

first-class matches First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

, including 26 in the

. They won 20, drew four and lost five matches, with 19 of the wins and only three losses occurring in the Championship. One match, against the MCC, was cancelled following the death of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Punter Humphreys Edward Humphreys (24 August 1881 – 6 November 1949), known as Punter Humphreys, was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1899 and 1920. He played nearly 400 first-class matche ...

led the county in run scoring with a total of 1,618 runs, including 1,483 in the County Championship.County Championship 1910 - Batting and fielding for Kent
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02.

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 ...

and

each scored over 1,000 runs for Kent, with

adding 919. Hutchings scored four centuries for Kent, with Humphreys, Seymour and Woolley each scoring three.First-class batting and fielding in England in 1910
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Humphreys' score of 200 not out against

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

was the highest score for Kent during the season and was his second double century for the county.County Championship 1910 - Centuries
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. At the time it was the third highest score in Kent history, beaten only by the 208 he had scored in 1909 and James Seymour's 204 from the 1907 season.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Seymour made a top score of 193 against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in 1910, Kent's second highest score of the year. Seymour and Hutchings shared a partnership of 205 at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

which was the highest third-wicket partnership of the Championship season and Humphreys and Arthur Day's stand of 254 was the highest fifth-wicket partnership of the season, set against Lancashire at Tunbridge Wells.County Championship 1910 - Highest partnerships for each wicket
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. As of 2016 this remains the highest fifth-wicket partnership at the Nevill Ground.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Kent's total of 607/6 declared against

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

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 ...

was the highest team total of the Championship seasonCounty Championship 1910 - Highest team totals
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. and, as of 2016, remains Kent's highest score against Gloucestershire on any ground.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02.

was Kent's leading wicket taker in 1910, taking 149 Championship wickets at an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

of 13.77.County Championship 1910 - Bowling for Kent
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. He took 165 wickets in total during the season for Kent, including taking

10 wickets in a match In cricket, a ten-wicket haul occurs when a bowler takes ten wickets in either a single innings or across both innings of a two-innings match. The phrase ten wickets in a match is also used. Taking ten wickets in a match at Lord's earns the bow ...

four times and

five wickets in an innings In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Taki ...

17 times during the season with his left arm spin bowling. Frank Woolley was the second leading wicket-taker with 132 wickets, whilst

, with 77,

, with 63, and Bill Fairservice, with 37, also made significant bowling contributions. Blythe took two hat tricks during the season, against

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

and against

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

.County Championship 1910 - Hat-tricks
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. These were the only two hat-tricks Blythe took for Kent in his prodigious career for the county.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Frank Woolley returned the best innings bowling figures for Kent during the season, taking 8/52 against

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

.County Championship 1910 - Five wickets in an innings
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Arthur Fielder had the best match figures of 12/76 at

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

.County Championship 1910 - 10 wickets in a match
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-06-02. Fred Huish claimed 73 wicket-keeping dismissals for Kent during the season, including 41 catches and 32 stumpings. Frank Woolley took 31 catches and James Seymour 30 catches during the season as part of Kent's well respected slip cordon. Humphreys, Seymour and Woolley played in every match for Kent during 1910, with Huish also playing in every Championship fixture.

Batting statistics

The table below includes all first-class batting for Kent during the 1910 season. Source: CricketArchive statistics and scorecards.

Bowling statistics

The table below includes all first-class bowling for Kent during the 1910 season. Source: CricketArchive statistics and scorecards.

References

External links

Kent County Cricket Club
{{Kent CCC

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

1910 in English cricket