Walter William Read (23 November 1855 - 6 January 1907) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

. A fluent right hand bat, he was also an occasional bowler of lobs who sometimes switched to quick overarm deliveries. He captained England in two Test matches, winning them both. Read was named a

Wisden Cricketer 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 1893.

Cricket career

Read took part in the original Ashes series of 1882–3 and is commemorated by the poem inscribed on the side of the urn: :''When

Ivo Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated So ...

goes back with the urn, the urn;'' :'' Studds,

Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, Read and Tylecote return, return;'' :''The welkin will ring loud,'' :''The great crowd will feel proud,'' :''Seeing Barlow and

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Elli ...

with the urn, the urn;'' :''And the rest coming home with the urn.'' He played for

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. ...

from 1873 to 1897, scoring 338 for them 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 the ...

in 1888. At the time, it was the second highest first-class score ever made. He was a member of the side that won 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 1890-2, 1894 and 1895. After

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played ...

he was the most prolific amateur of his day. He became the first number 10 to score a hundred in Test cricket when he made 117 against Australia at The Oval in 1884. His match-saving innings remains the highest score by a No. 10 in Tests. He reached his century in 113 minutes with 36 scoring strokes. His partnership of 151 with William Scotton remains England's highest for the ninth wicket against Australia. According to Sir

Home Gordon Sir Home Seton Charles Montagu Gordon, 12th Baronet Gordon of Embo, Sutherland (30 September 1871 – 9 September 1956 at Rottingdean, East Sussex) was a journalist and author who was best known for his writing on cricket. He contributed regularl ...

, Read was furious at being held down so low in the order.

References

External links

''Annals of Cricket'' by W. W. Read (1896)
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Walter 1855 births 1907 deaths England Test cricketers England Test cricket captains English cricketers Surrey cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen cricketers North v South cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Cricketers from Reigate Gentlemen of the South cricketers East of England cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers C. I. Thornton's XI cricketers Lyric Club cricketers Lord Londesborough's XI cricketers

Cricket career

References

Further reading

External links