Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Philip Hastings Irwin (1 November 1884 – 12 January 1958) 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 and Royal Navy officer. Irwin was a right-handed batsman. He was born at

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

, Lancashire. Irwin was an acting

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in the Royal Navy in 1905. It was in September of that year that he was given the full rank of sub-lieutenant. In April 1907, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Irwin made his debut for the Royal Navy in first-class cricket against the British Army 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 ...

in June 1914, a match in which he scored his maiden half century in his first innings, with a score of 66 opening the batting. Irwin served in the Royal Navy during World War I, and at some point during the conflict he obtained the rank of lieutenant commander. Following the war, he was promoted to the rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 31 December 1918. In June 1919 he made a second first-class appearance for the Royal Navy, in a match against Cambridge University at Fenner's, making scores of 2 and 0 in a heavy loss for the Royal Navy. Irwin later joined Cornwall, most likely while posted at

HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roy ...

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, with his debut for the county coming against Devon in the 1921

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...

. He played Minor counties cricket for Cornwall until 1925, making 41 appearances during that time. Playing for Cornwall made Irwin eligible to be selected for a combined Minor Counties team, appearing in one first-class match for the team in 1924 against HDG Leveson Gower's XI at

The Saffrons, Eastbourne The Saffrons is a multi-purpose sports ground in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The ground is home to Eastbourne Cricket Club, Eastbourne Town Football Club, Eastbourne Hockey Club and Compton Croquet Club. There is also a sand dressed astroturf pitch ...

. Dismissed for a duck by Francis Browne in their first-innings, he improved in their second-innings with a score of 80, his second first-class half century. In that same season, he appeared in another first-class match for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Oxford University at Lord's, though he had little success in this match. After retiring from the Royal Navy, Irwin joined the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

as a

Vice consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

in the General Consular Service. Irwin was later added to the British Army reserve list with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

shortly after the start of World War II in September 1939. He served at some point in the war with the Black Watch, continued to serve with them until 1948, when age forced him to relinquish his command, after which he was granted the honorary rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Irwin later died at Saint Peter Port,

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, on 12 January 1958. His grandfather, Frank Wright, was a first-class cricketer in the 1820s and 1830s.

References

External links

Philip Irwin
at ESPNcricinfo
Philip Irwin
at CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Philip 1884 births 1958 deaths Military personnel from Manchester People from Didsbury English cricketers Royal Navy cricketers Cornwall cricketers Minor Counties cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Royal Navy officers Royal Navy personnel of World War I Civil servants in the Foreign Office British Army personnel of World War II Black Watch officers