Francis Spurway

Francis Spurway

Personal information
Full name	Francis Edward Spurway
Born	8 August 1894 Winchester, Hampshire, England
Died	30 December 1980 (aged 86) Halse, Somerset, England
Batting style	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1920–1929	Somerset
First-class debut	2 June 1920 Somerset v Oxford University
Last First-class	20 July 1929 Somerset v Northamptonshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 23 Runs scored 328 Batting average 9.37 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 35 Catches/stumpings 29/14
Source: CricketArchive, 12 November 2010

Francis Edward Spurway (8 August 1894 – 30 December 1980) was an English cricketer who played 23 first-class matches for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1929.

Early life and military career

Francis Edward, the son of The Reverend Edward Popham Spurway, was born in Winchester, Hampshire. He served in the 5th Battalion, Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) during the First World War. In July 1915 he was assigned as a temporary Captain,^[1] which he then relinquished in April 1917, receiving a promotion from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant at the same time.^[2] Later in 1917, he was given command of a Company, and was assigned an acting Captain.^[3] In 1928, he relinquished his rank of Lieutenant, and became a Chaplain in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, having an equivalent rank to Captain (Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class).^[4] By 1933, he was serving as a Church of England minister in the parish of Bishop's Hull, Saint John.^[5]

Cricket career

Spurway made his first-class cricket for Somerset in 1920, making his highest score for the county during the second innings of the match against Oxford University, scoring 35 runs.^[6] He played regularly for the county in 1920 and 1921, appearing 12 times across the two seasons. He played less frequently in later years, with just seven appearances in the next three years. He did not play first-class cricket between 1925 and 1928, but returned to play four matches for Somerset in 1929.^[7] He did not play in a modern wicket-keeper / batsman role, in which the wicket-keeper is generally considered a competent batsman, and instead was often part of the tail. He scored 328 first-class runs at an average of 9.37, and took 29 catches and 14 stumpings.^[8]

The Spurway family had close connections with Somerset County Cricket Club; Francis' grandfather was noted in his Wisden Cricketers' Almanack obituary as being "a well-known member" of the club,^[9] while his father, Edward Popham, uncle, Robert Popham and brother, Michael Vyvyan played first-class cricket for the county.^[8]

References

1. The London Gazette: no. 29223. pp. 6690–6690. 8 July 1915. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
2. The London Gazette: no. 30033. pp. 3898–3898. 24 April 1917. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
3. The London Gazette: no. 30824. pp. 9103–9103. 2 August 1918. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
4. The London Gazette: no. 33379. pp. 2976–2976. 27 April 1928. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
5. The London Gazette: no. 33995. pp. 7364–7364. 14 November 1933. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
6. "Oxford University v Somerset in 1920". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
7. "First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Francis Spurway". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
8. "Player Profile: Francis Spurway". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
9. "Wisden – Obituaries in 1907". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 11 November 2010.