Sir Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson Gower ( ; 8 May 1873 – 1 February 1954) was an English

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 ...

from the

Leveson-Gower family Leveson-Gower ( ), also Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, is the name of a powerful British noble family. Over time, several members of the Leveson-Gower family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the family include the duke ...

. He played

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 ...

for

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 ...

and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

and captained

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 ...

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

. His school nickname "Shrimp" remained with him through his life, but few cricket sources refer to him by anything other than his initials. He was a selector for the England cricket team, and a cricketing knight.

Early life

Leveson Gower was born in Titsey Place near

Oxted Oxted is a town and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is south south-east of Croydon in Greater London, west of Sevenoaks in Kent, and north of East Grinstead in West Sussex. Oxt ...

in Surrey, the seventh of twelve sons of Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower JP DL FSA, by his wife

The Hon ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Sophia Leveson Gower LJStJ (née Leigh). His father was a great-great grandson of

John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, PC (10 August 1694 – 25 December 1754), was an English Tory politician and peer who twice served as Lord Privy Seal from 1742 to 1743 and 1744 to 1754. Leveson-Gower is best known for his political caree ...

(descending from his youngest son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

), and served as Liberal MP for two years for

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

from 1863 to 1865. His mother was the daughter of

Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh (27 June 1791 – 27 September 1850) was a British landowner and minor poet. He was Lord of the Manor of Hunningham. Early life Leigh was the son of James Henry Leigh, of Adlestrop, Gloucestershire, the son of Jame ...

and sister of Sir

Edward Chandos Leigh Sir Edward Chandos Leigh (22 December 1832 – 18 May 1915) was a British aristocrat of the Victorian era, a barrister by profession, and a first-class cricketer. He served as President of MCC for 1887–88. Background Born at Stoneleigh Abb ...

QC and

James Wentworth Leigh James Wentworth Leigh (22 January 1838 – 5 January 1923) was an Anglican priest in the last decade of the 19th century and the first two of the 20th. He was a very active Freemason, an enthusiastic temperance campaigner, and an ardent social re ...

. His uncles, and brothers Frederick Leveson-Gower and Evelyn Marmaduke Gresham Leveson-Gower, also played first-class cricket. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

, where he played cricket for the school

first eleven The First XI (or, less commonly, First 11) are the eleven primary players in an organisation's leading team, particularly a football or cricket team. A player who is considered a core part of the starting line-up in a First XI team is often the ...

for three years from 1890, and in 1892 he captained the school team to its first victory against

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

for 10 years, scoring 99 runs and taking 8 wickets for 33 runs in the match. The school team also included

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 pla ...

, who later played first-class cricket for

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 ...

. He attended

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the ...

, and played cricket for Oxford for four years, receiving his

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

in 1893 and captaining the Oxford team in 1896. He hit 73 runs and took 7–84 in the match against Cambridge in 1895. He did not receive a degree.

Cricket career

He started to play for Surrey as an amateur in 1895. He played his last match for Surrey in 1920, but continued to play occasional first-class cricket until 1931. In all, he played in 277 first-class matches, scoring 7,638 runs at a batting average of 23.72, including 4 centuries, and took 46 wickets at an average of 29.95, including 5 wickets on three occasions. His highest first-class score, 155, was reached playing for Sussex against Oxford in 1899. As captain of Surrey from 1908 to 1910, he led the team to 3rd, 5th and 2nd 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 b ...

. He was treasurer of Surrey from 1926 to 1928, and the club's president from 1929 to 1939. He was an outstanding fielder, and took 103 catches. He toured the West Indies with

Lord Hawke Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke (16 August 1860 – 10 October 1938), generally known as Lord Hawke, was an English amateur cricketer active from 1881 to 1911 who played for Yorkshire and England. He was born in Willingham by Stow, near G ...

in 1896–97, and North America with

Pelham Warner Sir Pelham Francis Warner, (2 October 1873 – 30 January 1963), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner or "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket, was a Test cricketer and cricket administrator. He was knighted for services to sport in ...

in 1897. He joined 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 influe ...

(MCC) tours to South Africa in 1905–6, but did not play in the Tests. He returned to South Africa in 1909–10, and captained England in all three of the Test matches he played, winning one and losing two against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

in 1909/10, with

Frederick Fane Frederick Luther Fane, (27 April 1875 – 27 November 1960) played cricket for the England cricket team in 14 Test matches. He also played for Essex, Oxford University and London County. Fane was born at Curragh Camp in County Kildare, Irel ...

captaining the other two Test matches of the series. He played for the Gentlemen against the Players on several occasions. For fifty years he played a major role in organising the

Scarborough Festival {{No footnotes, date=July 2011 The Scarborough Festival is an end of season series of cricket matches featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has been held in Scarborough, on the east coast of Yorkshire, since 1876. The ground, at North Mar ...

which takes place at the end of each English cricket season. Touring Test teams would play annually against H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI. He became a Freeman of the

Borough of Scarborough The Borough of Scarborough () is a non-metropolitan district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the town of Scarborough, it covers a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire, including Whitby and Filey. It borders R ...

in 1950. Leveson Gower became an England Test selector in 1909, and was chairman of selectors in 1924 and from 1927 to 1930. In 1925 he published a book called ''Cricket Personalities'', which included profiles on well-known cricketers such as

Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...

Percy Fender Percy George Herbert Fender (22 August 1892 – 15 June 1985) was an English cricketer who played 13 Tests for his country and was captain of Surrey between 1921 and 1931. An all-rounder, he was a middle-order batsman who bowled mainly leg ...

and

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 ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

for his services to

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 st ...

in 1953 and in the same year he published a book of reminiscences entitled ''Off and on the Field''.

Other activities

Outside cricket, Leveson Gower was a stockbroker. He married Enid Mary Hammond-Chambers in 1908. They had no children. He served as a major in the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

in the First World War, and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He died in Kensington, survived by his wife.

Nickname

Leveson Gower was nicknamed "Shrimp" at school, probably due to his shortness and slight physique, but few cricket sources refer to him by anything other than his initials. During a tour of America in 1897 organised by

Plum Warner Sir Pelham Francis Warner, (2 October 1873 – 30 January 1963), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner or "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket, was a Test cricketer and cricket administrator. He was knighted for services to sport in ...

that Leveson Gower took part in, the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

n journalist Ralph D. Paine published the following piece of humorous verse concerning the pronunciation of his surname: :''At one end stocky

Jessop Jessop is a surname, and may refer to: * Bob Jessop (born 1946), British Marxist theoretician * Carolyn Jessop (born 1968), American author * Charles Minshall Jessop, mathematician * Christine Jessop, Canadian child murdered in 1984 * Clytie Jess ...

frowned,'' :''The human catapult'' :''Who wrecks the roofs of distant towns'' :''When set in his assault.'' :''His mate was that perplexing man'' :''We know as "Looshun-Gore",'' :''It isn’t spelt at all that way,'' :''We don’t know what it's for.'' :''But as with Cholmondeley and St. John'' :''The alphabet is mixed,'' :''And Yankees cannot help but ask -'' :''"Why don't you get it fixed?"''Alan Gibson (1989) ''The Cricket Captains of England'', The Pavilion Library, , p. 114

References

External links

www.burkespeerage.comCricinfo
''Wisden'', 1955
H.D.G. Leveson Gower introducing English Test players on a British Pathe newsreel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leveson-Gower, H D G England Test cricket captains Surrey cricket captains Oxford University cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen cricketers North v South cricketers Free Foresters cricketers Presidents of Surrey County Cricket Club Cricket players and officials awarded knighthoods Knights Bachelor 1873 births 1954 deaths Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson-Gower England cricket team selectors Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford People educated at Winchester College British Army personnel of World War I Harlequins cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricketers English cricketers Surrey cricketers H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers Lord Hawke's XI cricketers C. I. Thornton's XI cricketers Lord Londesborough's XI cricketers P. F. Warner's XI cricketers A. J. Webbe's XI cricketers Oxford University Past and Present cricketers Over 30s v Under 30s cricketers Royal Army Service Corps officers Marylebone Cricket Club South African Touring Team cricketers Military personnel from Surrey England Test cricketers