Charlie Townsend facts for kids
Townsend in 1898
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| Born | 7 November 1876 Bristol, England |
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| Died | 17 October 1958 (aged 81) Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England |
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| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Leg Break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 15 June 1899 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 16 August 1899 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 30 December 2021
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Charles Lucas Townsend (born November 7, 1876 – died October 17, 1958) was a famous English cricketer. He played for Gloucestershire. Charlie was known as an all-rounder, meaning he was great at both batting and bowling.
He was a stylish left-handed batsman. Even though he was slender, he hit the ball very well. His shots on the off-side were especially strong. He could score runs quickly with his powerful drives.
When he was younger, Charlie was also a spin bowler. He mainly used a "leg break" delivery. This made the ball spin away from the batsman. He was very tricky to play against on wet, "sticky" cricket pitches.
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Charlie Townsend's Cricket Career
Early Days as a Bowler
Charlie Townsend started playing cricket when he was just 16 years old. This was in 1893, and he was still at Clifton College. He quickly became known as a talented leg break bowler.
Even though he was quite slim, he could bowl for a long time. He also made the ball spin a lot. In his first four games, he took 21 wickets. This showed everyone his amazing talent.
In one game, he bowled 70 overs! That's a lot of bowling for a young player. His team's wicket-keeper even made a rare "hat-trick" of stumpings from Charlie's bowling.
Becoming a Star in 1895
In 1895, something amazing happened in Charlie's career. He only played one match until late July because of school. But in the last 11 games, he took an incredible 122 wickets!
He had become physically stronger. This helped him spin the ball even more. Many of these games were on tricky, wet pitches. Batsmen found it very hard to hit his spinning balls.
During this time, Charlie was so good that he bowled most of the overs for his team. He was a key player in their success.
Developing as an All-Rounder
In 1896, the weather was very dry. This made it harder for Charlie's spin bowling to work. He wasn't as effective on firm pitches. But when the rain returned, he took 38 wickets in four matches.
The next year, his bowling was still a bit expensive. But his batting got much better. He scored his first century (100 runs) against Yorkshire. This showed he was becoming a true all-rounder. He could bat and bowl well.
His Best Year: 1898
The year 1898 was fantastic for Charlie Townsend. After some early struggles, he had an amazing game against Middlesex. He took nine wickets for only 48 runs! This was on a difficult, sticky pitch.
He also showed off his fielding skills. He took a brilliant catch to get the last batsman out. Even on hard pitches, where his bowling was less effective, his batting shone.
He scored five centuries that season. Four of them came in just six innings! His highest score was 159 against Lancashire. This was on a very challenging pitch. When the rain came back in August, his bowling became even better than in 1895. He took 64 wickets in five matches.
Test Cricket and Later Years
Because of his amazing performances, Charlie was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. This is a very special award in cricket. In 1899, he continued to bat brilliantly. He scored nine centuries, including 224 runs against Essex.
He was chosen to play for England in his only two Test matches against Australia. He also toured the United States with a cricket team. In 1900, he continued to bat well, even on tricky pitches.
From 1901, Charlie started studying law and became a solicitor. This meant he could only play a few cricket matches each season. He bowled less, but his batting continued to be strong. He scored 147 runs against Sussex in 1902. He also made 214 runs against Worcestershire in 1906.
After 1907, he played even less often due to his work. But he still had some great moments. He scored 126 runs against the Australians in 1909. His last games were in 1921 and 1922. After that, he retired from cricket.
