Sir Henry William Russell Bencraft (4 March 1858 — 25 December 1943) was an English 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 str ...

er, sports administrator, medical doctor, businessman and philanthropist. Bencraft was an important figure in the early history of Hampshire County Cricket Club, overseeing the club from the loss of its first-class status to its reacquisition of that status, both as a player and an administrator. As an administrator, he is credited with saving Hampshire County Cricket Club from extinction in 1880, and later played a role in its reacquisition of first-class status and joining of 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 ...

in 1895. Outside of Hampshire cricket, he sat on the committee of 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 ...

, then the governing body of cricket. Bencraft took an interest in other sports beside cricket and was described as a pioneer of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

in Southampton, holding the chairmanship of Southampton St. Mary's F.C., and was instrumental in the club's move from the

Antelope Ground The Antelope Ground, Southampton was a sports ground that was the first home of both Hampshire County Cricket Club, who played there prior to 1884, and of Southampton Football Club, who played there from 1887 to 1896 as "Southampton St. Mary' ...

to Northlands Road. He was president of the

Hampshire Football Association The Hampshire Football Association, also known as ''Hampshire FA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Hampshire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its ...

, overseeing the formation of the Southern Football League. In

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

, he was president of the

Hampshire Rugby Football Union Hampshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in the county of Hampshire, England. It represent clubs sides not just from Hampshire but also from the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, who take part in many of the comp ...

and played for the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

. He also held administrative positions across other sporting organisations in the Southampton area. In his hometown of Southampton, Bencraft played a prominent role in business and civic life, holding appointments with a number of prominent businesses in the town, in addition to sitting on the town council and serving as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

, which he managed alongside his medical career. He was involved in philanthropy in Southampton, raising money for a number of causes and supporting disabled soldiers during 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 ...

Early life and education

The son of Dr. Henry Bencraft senior, he was born at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in March 1858. As a young child he grew fond of

by playing it in local fields, often at the deanery of St Mary's Church. His education began at preparatory level at the City College,Death of Sir Russell Bencraft. '' Southern Daily Echo''. 28 December 1943. pp. 1–2 after which he went up to St Edward's School in

Oxford 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 ...

where he was head boy, playing both cricket and football for the school.Dr. Russell Bencraft
''

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 str ...

''. 14 April 1892. pp. 49-50 From there, he matriculated to

St George's, University of London St George's, University of London (legally St George's Hospital Medical School, informally St George's or SGUL), is a University located in Tooting in South London and is a constituent college of the University of London. St George's has its o ...

to study medicine. He played cricket and football for St George's, in addition to playing

club cricket Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are obs ...

for the United Hospitals. During this time, he once scored six centuries in a week with a highest score of 243. In Hampshire, he played

as a scrum-half for the

in Hampshire. Bencraft later passed the examinations to be admitted to the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

in 1885.

Cricket career and administration

After strong performances in club cricket in Southampton, he was noticed by

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

and made his debut in

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 officia ...

for them against

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 ...

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient Briti ...

in 1876, at the age of 18. The following year during a meeting at Winchester to decide whether Hampshire County Cricket Club should be wound up, he was appointed secretary of the club, replacing

Clement Booth Clement Booth (11 May 1842 – 14 July 1926) was an English first-class cricketer and administrator. Booth played first-class cricket for several teams, but was largely associated with Cambridge University, Hampshire and the Marylebone Cricket ...

. Speaking to the magazine ''

'', Bencraft stated he became secretary simply because nobody else could be found who was willing to do it.Dr. Russell Bencraft
''

''. 2 July 1896. pp. 249-50 Three years later, with the club facing extinction, Bencraft took a prominent role in saving it in his capacity as secretary. He succeeded Arthur Wood as captain for the 1880 season, with him captaining the side until 1882. During this period, Bencraft ran the club virtually unassisted, holding the roles of captain, secretary and committee member. He relinquished the captaincy back to Arthur Wood in 1883, and played first-class cricket for Hampshire until their first-class status was revoked in 1885 following years of difficult circumstances and poor results. In the 1880s, Bencraft also played in first-class cricket for the

(MCC), making two appearances against

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 th ...

1881 and Hampshire in 1885. He was subsequently succeeded as honorary secretary of Hampshire in 1885 by James Fellowes, the season in which Hampshire lost first-class status. Bencraft played an important role alongside Fellowes in Hampshire's acquisition of a new ground on land at Northlands Road, negotiations for which began in 1883 while Bencraft was still club secretary. His best season for Hampshire came during the period in which they did not hold first-class status, with him scoring 428 runs with a highest score of 195 against

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...

. He captained Hampshire for a second time in 1894, succeeding Francis Lacey. While afforded first-class status for the 1894 season, Hampshire did not play any first-class fixtures that season, but Bencraft did lead Hampshire in their first ever

match the following season against

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

in 1895, which Hampshire won by 11 runs. Later in the 1895 season, he led Hampshire to victory against a strong

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

team at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. He continued to play first-class cricket for Hampshire into the 1896 season, though had relinquished the captaincy to Teddy Wynyard following that season. In total, Bencraft played 44 first-class matches for Hampshire from 1876 to 1896, after which he retired from playing at the age of 37 to focus on his medical career. He scored 908 runs for Hampshire 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 15.65; he made two half centuries, with a highest score of 62

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

. Considered a safe pair of hands in the field who usually fielded at cover-point, he took 32 catches. After finishing his playing career, Bencraft maintained his connection to Hampshire County Cricket Club, holding every office at Hampshire over a 60-year period, including club president. He resigned as honorary secretary in 1905, after which the position was abolished. During an annual meeting held in the

, Bencraft encouraged the provision of schemes to help cricketers find work during the winter months, with him finding it wrong that fit and healthy men could not earn a wage outside the summer cricket season. As a member of the MCC, he served on the MCC Committee and was instrumental in the appointment of Hampshire's Lionel Tennyson to captain

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

midway through the 1921 Ashes Series.

Administrator in other sports

Bencraft was also active in sports administration outside of cricket. Described as a pioneer of

in Southampton, he succeeded Canon Basil Wilberforce as president of Southampton St. Mary's F.C., with his connections helping them secure the use of the County Ground at Northlands Road, at an annual rental of £200, when the

was sold for re-development in 1896. He held the position of club president until its conversion into a company, thereafter assisting in its development. As president of the

, he oversaw the formation of the Southern Football League and presented Southampton St. Mary's with the competition trophy when they won

1896–97 Southern Football League The 1896–97 season was the third in the history of the Southern League. Southampton St.Mary's won the Division One championship. Millwall Athletic applied for election to Football League. However, they were not elected. Division One Division ...

. He maintained his presidency of the Southern Football League until 1908, when he was replaced by Sydney Buxton. He was known to referee football matches, particularly in

Hampshire Senior Cup The Hampshire Senior Cup is a cup competition open to football teams affiliated with the Hampshire Football Association. The competition was founded in 1887 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of 1914 to 1919 when it was p ...

matches. He also held similar administrative positions in other sports, including as president of the

, the Southampton Civil Service Sports Association, and the Stoneham Golf Club, for which he was also a life-long member. During his tenure as president of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union, the county won the

twice in 1933 and 1936.

Life outside of sport

Like his father before him, Bencraft held the post of medical officer to the St. Mary's Workhouse. He also held a number of similar medical appointments across Southampton; he was medical officer for the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

, Workhouse Infirmary, the Southampton

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, Hollybrook Children's Home, and Messrs Edwin Jones & Co. Bencraft's association with medical institutions in Southampton extended to administration, where he was an honorary treasurer of the

Royal South Hants Hospital The Royal South Hants Hospital, known locally as "The RSH", is a community hospital in Southampton. It is managed by NHS Property Services. History The hospital was founded as a voluntary hospital in 1835 and moved into its first premises in ...

and Southampton Hospital, helping to raise between £30,000 and £40,000 for both hospitals during his tenure. He also lent his assistance to the Free Southampton Eye Hospital. He was also actively involved in several local companies and was a director of three of the biggest companies in Southampton; these were the Southern Daily Echo, Southampton Gas Company, and Edwin Jones & Co. He was appointed director of the Southern Daily Echo in 1904, subsequently becoming its deputy chairman and later chairman in 1932. With the Southampton Gas Company, he was appointed director in 1914 and was appointed its chairman in 1928, a post he continued to hold on his 75th birthday. The company named a collier ''Sir Russell'' in his honour; it was later sunk by enemy action during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. His business association with Edwin Jones & Co. had begun in 1896, when he was appointed to its board. In 1911, he was appointed to the Southampton Chamber of Commerce. Bencraft had additional business interests in Southampton, as chairman of the Southampton Trustee Savings Bank, a local director of the

Royal Exchange Assurance Company The Royal Exchange Assurance, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London. Origins The Royal Exchange Assurance emerged from a joint stock insurance enterpr ...

, and director of the Chapel Tramways Company. Bencraft was noted for his philanthropic interests in Southampton. He was chairman of The Hampshire Girls Orphanage, retaining the chairmanship until he relinquished it due to ill health toward the end of his life. He did much to assist military personnel in Southampton during the First World War, helping to raise money for disabled soldiers and contributions toward a church for military personnel on

Southampton Common Southampton Common is a large open space to the north of the city centre of Southampton, England. It is bounded by the districts of Shirley, Bassett, Highfield and Portswood. The area supports a large variety of wildlife, including one of th ...

. His civic duties extended to Bencraft being appointed a

in 1895, an appointment he held for nearly fifty years. He was also a councillor, representing the All Saints Ward from November 1889 to 1902. Bencraft was knighted in the

1924 New Year Honours The 1924 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 January 1924. The recipients of h ...

for services to medicine, with a banquet held to celebrate his knighthood in February 1924. During the Second World War, his house, where he had lived since his birth on Winn Road, was destroyed in a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

air raid. Following the destruction of his home, Bencraft and his wife (who had been married since 1889) moved to the village of

Compton and Shawford Compton and Shawford is a civil parish in the City of Winchester district, immediately southwest of the city, in Hampshire, England. Its main settlements are the villages of Compton and Shawford. Description The word ''compton'' means ''villag ...

near Winchester. He was a Freemason and was a past master of the Twelve Brothers Lodge in Southampton. Six months after having his left leg

amputated Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indiv ...

above the knee, Bencraft died at Compton and Shawford on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

in 1943, aged 85; his wife had predeceased him the previous year. His nephew, Ernest Read, was also a first-class cricketer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bencraft, Russell 1858 births 1943 deaths Cricketers from Southampton People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford Alumni of St George's, University of London 19th-century English medical doctors English cricketers Hampshire cricketers English cricket administrators Hampshire cricket captains Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 20th-century English medical doctors Southampton F.C. directors and chairmen English football referees English rugby union administrators Councillors in Hampshire English justices of the peace English businesspeople in shipping English businesspeople in retailing English philanthropists English Freemasons Knights Bachelor Cricket people awarded knighthoods English amputees Physicians with disabilities British scientists with disabilities British lawyers with disabilities