Charles Packe (cricketer) facts for kids

Charles William Christopher Packe (born May 2, 1909 – died July 1, 1944) was an English cricketer. He played a special type of cricket called first-class cricket for a team called Leicestershire. He played for them from 1929 to 1934. In 1932, he even led the team as captain for most of the season.

Charles Packe was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. He sadly passed away near Caen, France, during World War II. Besides being a cricketer, he was also an officer in the British Army. He played cricket for the British Army cricket team too.

Cricket Highlights

Charles Packe was a right-handed batsman. This means he held the bat with his right hand. He usually batted in the middle of the team's batting order. Even though he was born in South Africa, his family lived in Leicestershire, England.

He started playing for Leicestershire's second team in 1927. This was in a competition called the Minor Counties Championship. He played his first big cricket match, a first-class game, for Leicestershire in 1929. After that, he didn't play for the county team for two years.

Leading the Leicestershire Team

In 1932, the Leicestershire team needed a captain. They needed someone who played cricket as a hobby, not as a job. Charles Packe was home from the army for part of the season. He stepped up to lead the team in 15 matches. He was one of six different amateur players who captained the team that year.

During this time, Charles Packe also played for the Army cricket team. He even missed a Leicestershire match to play for the Army. His batting was good, but not amazing, scoring 451 runs in county games. He scored more than 50 runs three times. He stopped playing regularly for Leicestershire before the 1932 season ended. However, he returned for five more games in 1934.

Later Cricket Games

Charles Packe played a few more first-class matches later on. He played four more games for the Army team between 1937 and 1939.

In May 1938, he had an amazing game against Cambridge University. He scored 176 runs in just 135 minutes! He hit 29 fours in that game. He reached 100 runs in only 75 minutes. This was the fastest century of the season until another famous player, Don Bradman, beat it a few weeks later.

In 1939, in the same yearly match, Charles Packe scored a lot of runs again. He made 145 runs in 170 minutes, hitting 20 fours. This was his very last first-class cricket match.

Military Service and Passing

Less than a week after his first big cricket match, Charles Packe joined the army. He trained at the Royal Military College. He became a second lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers regiment. He stayed with this regiment for the rest of his life.

By 1937, he was a lieutenant. He was put in charge of physical training for a part of the army called Northern Command.

As a Major, Charles Packe was sadly killed in action in 1944. This happened during the Normandy Landings, a very important event in World War II. His wife, Margaret Lane Fox, gave birth to their daughter two weeks after he passed away.