C. H. B. Marsham

Cloudesley Marsham

Personal information
Full name	Cloudesley Henry Bullock Marsham
Born	10 February 1879 Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire
Died	19 July 1928 (aged 49) Wrotham Heath, Kent
Nickname	Slug
Batting style	Right-handed
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1900–1922	Kent
1900–1902	Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 175 Runs scored 5,879 Batting average 22.61 100s/50s 7/26 Top score 161 * Balls bowled 194 Wickets 2 Bowling average 87.50 5 wickets in innings 0 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 1/0 Catches/stumpings 88/–
Source: CricInfo, 8 April 2016

Cloudesley Henry Bullock Marsham (10 February 1879–19 July 1928), also known as Slug Marsham, was an English amateur cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1900 and 1922 and is most notable for having captained the Kent side to the County's first County Championship title in 1906. Marsham served as a captain in the West Kent Yeomanry during the First World War.

Early life

Marsham was born in Stoke Lyne near Bicester in Oxfordshire in 1879. He was born into a well-established cricketing family which had been associated with Kent cricket for over a century. His father C. D. B. Marsham played for Oxford University and the Gentlemen and was described as "the best Gentleman bowler of his day".^[1] His uncles Charles and Robert played first-class cricket for Oxford University, another uncle (George) appeared for Kent and his brother Francis played for both Kent and Oxford University. His son Algernon would go on to play for both sides as well.

Marsham was sent to Eton College in 1892, where he played for the school First XI. He played in two Eton v Harrow fixtures, before going on to study at Christ Church, Oxford. He played first-class cricket for Oxford from 1900 to 1902, captaining the side in his final year at university. He played in Varsity Matches for the University, scoring 100 not out in 1901, saving the game for Oxford in the process.^[1]

Cricket career

Marsham combined playing for Oxford with appearances for Kent, making his debut in 1900 against Nottinghamshire.^[2] Marsham succeeded Cuthbert Burnup as captain of Kent at the start of the 1904 season. In 1906 he led Kent to their first County Championship title. The Daily Mail wrote of him "Kent have a captain who, although young in years, possesses the judgement of a veteran", while Wisden told of how he "inspired his men by fine example".^[3] He played most frequently for the County whilst he was captain.^[4]

Marsham was described by Wisden as "a good, but not a great batsman".^[1] He was capable of fine batting under pressure and played effectively on the off-side.^[1] He scored over 1,000 runs in both 1904 and 1908 and made seven first-class centuries in his career.^[4] After 1909 he dropped out of first-class cricket, playing only sporadically until 1922 when he made his final first-class appearance.^[1][2] In total Marsham played 140 matches for Kent, averaging 21.13 with the bat. Other than Oxford, he also made first-class appearances for other teams such as MCC and The Gentlemen.^[5]

Later life

During World War I Marsham served as a captain in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry. He served in Egypt, Gallipoli, and Palestine during the war. He died in Wrotham Heath in 1928, aged just 49.^[1]

References

1. Marsham, Mr Cloudesley Henry Bullock - Obituaries in 1928, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1929. Retrieved 2016-04-09/
2. First-class matches played by Cloudesley Marsham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
3. 1906: Kent's First Championship in Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2006, Kent County Cricket Club, p.56.
4. First-class batting and fielding in each season by Cloudesley Marsham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
5. First-class batting and fielding for each team by Cloudesley Marsham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-09.

External links

• Player profile: C. H. B. Marsham from CricketArchive
• Player profile: C. H. B. Marsham from ESPNcricinfo