Henry Royston

Henry Royston
Personal information
Full name
Henry Royston
Born12 August 1819
Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, England
Died30 September 1873(1873-09-30) (aged 54)
St John's Wood, London, England
NicknameCocky[1]
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm roundarm slow
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1843–1861Marylebone Cricket Club
1850–1862Middlesex
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 68
Runs scored 1,065
Batting average 10.44
100s/50s –/2
Top score 60
Balls bowled 1,796
Wickets 110
Bowling average 12.01
5 wickets in innings 6
10 wickets in match 1
Best bowling 8/44
Catches/stumpings 28/–
Source: Cricinfo, 23 August 2019

Henry Royston (12 August 1819 – 30 September 1873) was an English first-class cricketer and cricket umpire.

Royston was born at Harrow on the Hill in August 1819. A professional all-round cricketer, he began his 25 year association with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1843,[2] making his debut in first-class cricket for the club against Hampshire at Lord's. Throughout the 1840s, he played for a number of club sides and played his first-class cricket almost exclusively for the MCC, except for two appearances for an England XI in 1845 and 1847.[3] He first played for Middlesex in 1850, debuting for the county in first-class matches against Surrey.[3] He also made first-class appearances for several other teams, including the Players in the Gentlemen v Players match, for the South in the North v South fixture and for a United England Eleven amongst others. His four appearances for Middlesex were sporadic and spread over a period of twelve years,[3] with his final appearance coming just two years before the formation of Middlesex County Cricket Club. It was for the MCC that he played the vast majority of his first-class matches for, making a total of 51 appearances between 1843–61.[3] In these matches he scored 974 runs at an average of 12.02, with a high score of 60.[4] Standing 5 foot 6 inches tall and bowling right-arm roundarm slow,[2] he also took 91 wickets for the MCC at a bowling average of 11.28, with best figures of 8 for 44. He took five wickets in an innings on five occasions and took ten wickets in a match once.[5] His appearances in club cricket continued into the 1850s and early 1860s, demonstrating that Royston was a sought after player, with him making guest appearances for the personal teams of many leading cricket figures of the day, including Sir Frederick Hervey-Bathurst, Robert Grimston and Roger Kynaston.[6]

Besides playing, he was a well known umpire, standing in 133 first-class matches between 1846 and 1872.[7] Away from cricket, Royston was by trade a confectioner.[2] He died at St John's Wood in September 1873.

References

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  1. ^ Parker, Eric (1950). The History of Cricket. Seeley Service. p. 132.
  2. ^ a b c Denison, William (1846). Cricket: Sketches of the Players. Simpkin, Marshall. pp. 71–2.
  3. ^ a b c d "First-Class Matches played by Henry Royston". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  4. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Henry Royston". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  5. ^ "First-class Bowling For Each Team by Henry Royston". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Teams Henry Royston played for". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Henry Royston as Umpire in First-Class Matches". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
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